Studio director Amy Beth Treciokas left a corporate job in 1996 to teach yoga. A decade later, her two flourishing Chicago studios offer urban yogis a rejuvenating respite from all that city life can drain out of...and dump into...the mind and body.

The Gold Coast branch of YogaNow (there's also a studio in Edgewater) is Chicago's first yoga studio constructed and decorated with all-natural materials and sustainable building practices. Among other holistic amenities, the studio features a dome and heated bench made from cob (a mixture of sand, clay and straw) that were built and designed by Miguel Elliott, one of the studio's teachers.

Classes: Capable instructors offer classes for beginners on up to advanced students, and the schedule includes a range of styles, including Ashtanga, Anusara, Iyengar, Forrest, Hatha and Vinyasa Flow. If you've been practicing for a while, try a Mysore class: Authorized teachers advise and adjust students in this traditional, self-guided practice. Or get inspired with intriguing offerings like Yin Yoga, Fire Yoga or Mayan Mudras. Drop-in classes are $16; class series and memberships ($150 monthly, $1200 yearly) offer even better deals. Students receive a 20-percent discount. Mats are available at the studio, but most students bring their own.

Extras: A variety of workshops on all aspects of healthy living, plus monthly kirtans (a meditative, celebratory call-and-response chanting practice with live music) add flavor to your routine.

Centerstage Reviewer: Julia Steinberger