Jim Bennitt
Jim, a former wrestler, massage therapist and clerk at the Chicago Board of Trade, began his studies in Yoga, Tantra and Ayurveda in 1997. Originally he took up Yoga as a way to help heal back pain, but soon after, discovered how the practice affects not only the body, but also mind and spirit.
Jim has completed teacher trainings with Daren Friesen of Moksha Yoga Center which draws heavily from the Krishnamacharya lineage, apprenticed with Gabriel Halpern of the Yoga Circle (a studio in the Iyengar tradition), spent two months in Kiev with Ukrainian Yoga master Andre Lappa for an intensive in Universal Yoga, and in 2002 began a close apprenticeship with Rod Stryker, founder of Para Yoga, in the Himalayan tradition which continues to this day.
Featured in such publications as The New York Times, Chicago Magazine, Time Out Chicago, Breathe and Yoga Chicago, Jim is also a popular presenter at the Yoga Journal Grand Geneva Conference and the Midwest Yoga Conference and teaches workshops nationwide. Jim’s practice and teaching can be physically demanding, however it always has an emphasis on breathwork and meditation helping to unite body, mind and spirit. When you take a class from Jim, expect to sweat a little, breathe a lot, and feel a sense of inner peace.
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Gentle Class with Jim: Finding Balance 45 minutes
kneeling salutes
bird dog
down dog
balancing joint mobiilty work
half salutes
lunging twists
breathwork: kapalabhati and nadi shodhana -
Gentle Class with Jim: Pranayama within Asana 45-min
simple arm raises and dynamic anjali mudra
half salutations
dynamic and static lunging twists
kneeling salutations
down dog
dynamic and static bridge
dynamic and static windshield wipers
ujjaii pranayama throughout the practice
stilling the lake of the mind meditation -
Gentle Class with Jim: Mobility vs. Flexibility 45-min
seated joint mobility exercises
kneeling salutes
locust
windshield wipers
90/90
bridge
breathwork: nadi kriya (alternate nostril variation)
meditation: sushumna kriya (spinal awareness) -
Gentle Class with Jim: Yoga Anytime and Anywhere - Lunging Salutes 45min
standing joint mobility
dynamic side stretching and squatting
half salutes
lunging salutes
lunging twists
crocodile
locust
breathwoork: ujjaii pranayama (1-1-1 ratio)
meditation: nyasa (placing your awareness in a specific point in your body) -
Multi-Level with Jim: Pigeon Step 60 minute
dynamic side stretch and squats
half salutes
lunging twists
full sun salutes
split squats
handstand variation
deep squat
revolved side angle
half split
pigeon variation
breathwork: nadi kriya (alternate nostril variation)
meditation: sushumna kriya (spinal awareness) -
Vigorous with Jim: Pigeon Step 60-minute
kneeling salutes
dynamic side planks
sun salutes
hindu pushups
split squats
half split
revolved side angle
locust variation (viminasana)
bow
forearm stand
swimmers
pigeon variation
seated forward fold (pascimottanasana)
reverse plank
seated twist (bharadvajasana)
yoga mudra
breathwork: alternate... -
Vigorous with Jim: Sun Salute JB, Archer, Couch 60 minute
dynamic side stretching and squats
half salutes
lunging twists
full salutes
sun salute JB
balancing hand to big toe pose
locust variation
hand balancing split (eka pada koundinyasana)
reclined hero
archer (akarna dhanurasana)
pool gesture (tadaka mudra)
bridge
couch
shoulder stand
breathwoork: me... -
Gentle Class with Jim: Yoga Anytime, Anywhere - Calming 45min
half salutes
dynamic pyramid
kneeling salutes
supine mobility sequence
breathwork: bumble bee breath (bhramari pranayama)
meditation: placing your awareness (nyasa) -
Gentle Class with Jim: Yoga Anytime, Anywhere - Shoulder Mobility 45min
simple joint mobility exercises
half salutes
lunging hip circles
warrior/pyramid flow
kneeling salutes
down dog
dynamic twist from table
thunderbolt with shoulder stretch
breathwork: ujjaii pranayama with antar kumbhaka (internal breath retention)
meditation: nyasa (placing your awareness) -
Gentle Class with Jim: Yoga Anytime, Anywhere - Finding Balance 45min
balancing toe raises
squats and toe balancing
half salutes
chakri (torso circles)
dynamic transverse lunges
tree pose
split squats
bird dog
windshield wipers
breathwork: balancing the nostril flow
meditation: stilling the lake of the mind -
Gentle Class with Jim: Yoga Anywhere, Anytime with the Wall 45min
dynamic side stretching and squatting
half salutes
dynamic lunging twists
wall shoulder stretch
wall hamstring stretch (symmetrical and asymmetrical)
wall down dog (symmetrical and asymmetrical)
sphinx
bow
wall camel
wall twist
bound angle
corpse
breath work: balancing the nostril flow
meditati... -
Gentle Class with Jim: Hip Mobility 45 min
supine warmup sequence
sphinx
updog
downdog
windshield wipers
90/90
bound angle
bridge
breathing and meditation: pranic mudra -
Gentle Class with Jim: Yoga Anytime, Anywhere - Tables and Planks 45min
simple joint mobility exercises
bird dog variations
kneeling salutations
plank and side plank variations
crocodile
sphinx/up dog
down dog
staff
reverse table
supine twist
corpse
breathwork: mental alternate nostril breathing (prana shuddhi)
meditation: spinal awareness (sushumna kriya) -
Gentle Class with Jim: Slow+Smooth=Strong 45min
kneeling salutes
twisting bird dogs
lunging hip circles
half salutes
dynamic pyramid
dynamic bridge
windshield wipers
breathwork: ujjaii pranayama
meditation: prana shuddhi (balancing the nostril flow) -
Gentle Class with Jim: Morning Ritual 45min
simple, seated joint mobility exercises
kneeling salutes
plank and side plank
lunges
squat sequence
lunging twists
windshield wipers
90/90
bound angle
bridging sequence
breathwork: kapalabhati (skull shining breath)
meditation: prana shuddhi (mental alternate nostril breathing) -
Active Recovery with Jim
simple joint mobility exercises
balancing squats
half salutes
lunging hip circles
down dog
twisting table
child's pose
crocodile
shoulder roll
locust (asymmetrical)
sphinx
supine knee extensions
supine hip adduction/abduction
dynamic bridges
supine twisting (pendulum)
windshield wiper
shinbox... -
Gentle Class with Jim: Get Up! 45min
kneeling salutes
bird dogs
plank and side plank variations
crocodile
sphinx
lunging hip circles
hanging forward fold
squatting sequence
split squats
shin box lifts
bound angle pose
technical standup
no handed stand up from seated
bridging
windshield wipers
breathwork: mental alternate nostril... -
Gentle Class with Jim: Balancing Movements 45min
balancing arm and heel raises
balancing squats
half salutes
lunging hip circles
balancing split squat
kneeling salutes
bird dogs
child pose
technical standups
bound angle
bridging
windshield wipers
breathwork: balancing the nostil flow
meditation: still lake of the mind -
Multilevel with Jim: Hip Mobility and Core Strength 30-minutes
simple joint mobility exercise
kneeling salutes
down dog
lunging hip circles
step throughs
crocodile
locust
bridges
windshield wipers
tadaka mudra
breathwork: ujjaii pranayama
meditation: observation -
Multilevel w/Jim: Handstand Options 30 min
kneeling salutes
plank/side planks
lunging twists
asymmetric locust
handstand/forearmstand options
thunderbolt
childs pose
mental alternate nostril breathing (prana shuddhi) -
Multilevel with Jim: Moon Salutes 30-min
kneeling slautes
lunges
squats
moon salutes
revolving disk (chakra)
saddle-transverse lunge-twist
plank
crocodile
alternate nostril breathing variation
observation -
Multilevel with Jim: Squatting and Lunging 30min
balancing squats
lunging hip circles
lunging open twists
sphinx
split squats
standing forward fold
transverse lunges/cossack squats
plank
crocodile
dynamic bridge
reclined bound angle
observation/meditation -
Multilevel with Jim: Standing Sequence 30min
mountain pose
balancing on the toes
dynamic side stretching and squatting
half salutes
lunging hip circles
lunging twists
revovling disc (chakri)
dynamic transverse lunging
saddle stance - transverse lunge - twist sequence
warrior - pyramid sequence
saddle stance meditation -
Multilevel with Jim: Standing, Squatting, and Sitting 30 min
kneeling salutes
side saddle flow (bharadvajasana vinyasa)
lunging hip circles
deep squat (malasana)
standing to squatting to sitting side saddle (tadasana, malasana, bharadvajasana vinyasa)
thunderbolt (vajarasana)
plank
crocodile
sphinx
corpse
nostril balancing
observation
