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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Healthy Low Back with Jim 8/10/22: Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Moves 30min
dynamic bridge
marching bridge
windshield wipers
dead bug
crocodile
sphinx
child pose
bird dog
plank
side plank
crocodile -
Healthy Neck and Shoulders with Jim: 30 min
simple range of motion exercises
balancing arm raises and chest openers
bound neck mobilization
kneeling thoracic rotation and extension
crocodile
scorpion tale
cobra variation
child pose
swimmers
dynamic bridge -
Healthy Low Back with Jim 8/24/22: Warrior Poses 30 min
supine arm raises
dynamic bridge
windshield wipers
kneeling salutes
bird dog
down dog
warrior 1
bent knee fold
warrior 2
bent knee fold
plank
crocodile
sphinx
child pose -
Sun Salutation MD (Multidimensional)
half salutes
full salutes
multidimensional salutes -
Healthy Low Back with Jim: Core Strength 30 min
dynamic bridge
dead bug
reclined bound angle
windshield wipers
bird dogs
90/90 series
crocodile -
Blade of Grass Meditation with Jim: 10 min
balancing the nostril flow
blade of grass/spine analogy -
Core Strength with Jim: Crocodile Rolls 30 min
kneeling salutes
bird dogs
locust
plank and side plank
crocodile rolls -
Core Strength with Jim: The "Dead Bug" 30 min
dead bug
bridges
windshield wipers
kneeling salutes
bird dogs
plank
sphinx
seated windshield wipers
shin box lifts
90/90 twist
60 second leg lowers
windshield wipers -
Core Strength with Jim: QL 30 min
supine arm raises
supine hip hikes
supine knee circles
dynamic bridge
supine windshield wipers
90/90 lift
kneeling salutes
plank and side plank sequence
sphinx
side saddle movements (bharadvajasana vinyasa)
butt walking
tadaka mudra -
Core Strength with Jim: The Floor of Your Core 30 min
supine arm raises
supine knee extensions
supine hip adduction
plank and side plank sequence
locust variation
sphinx
up dog
down dog
lunging hip circles
lunging twists
side plank variation
pigeon variations
down dog
dynamic bridge
windshield wipers -
"Hands-free" Core Strength (and Hip Mobility)
balancing arm raises
balancing spinal flexion and extension
side stretching and squatting sequence
half salutes
revolving disk (chakri)
transverse lunges (cossack squats)
twisted horse
forearm plank sequence
resting crocodile
rolling crocodile
windshield wiper sequence
bridge -
Core Strength with Jim: Get Your Block! 30 min
kneeling salutes
plank/side plank sequence with pushup option
sphinx
scorpions
airplane
lunging hip circles
squats
broken triangles with a block
shoulder taps with a block
child pose
block bridges
windshield wipers -
Core Strength with Jim: Twisting 30 min
supine arm raises
supine knee circles
supine twists
pendulum sweep
plank
twisting planks
sphinx
dynamic lunging twists
crocodile
scorpions
child pose -
Core Strength with Jim: Planks 30 min
kneeling salutes
plank
active child pose/plank sequence
side plank sequence
crocodile
scorpion
locust
crocodile
scapular pushups
forearm plank
crocodile
locust
child pose
shoulder taps
twisting planks
sphinx
down dog
child pose -
Yoga Nidra with Jim: 30 min
breath awareness
gratitude
intention
61 points
mental alternate nostril breathing
opposite sensations
moving backwards in time
still lake of the mind
gratitude
intention -
Pranayama with Jim: Pratiloma 20min
kapalabhati
alternating between ujjaii and nadi shodhana -
Pranayama with Jim: Ujjaii-anulom 20 min
ujjaii inhale and nadi shodhana exhale with a 1-1-2-0 ratio.
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Pranayama with Jim: Pranic Mudra 30 min
yogi danda mudra and pranic mudra with ujjaii pranayama
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Pranayama with Jim: Bhramari
yoni mudra with bhramari pranayama
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Pranayama with Jim: Kapalabhati and Nadi Shodhana
the "skull shining breath" and alternate nostril breathing
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Pranayama with Jim: Maha Bandha 20min
dynamic bridge
dead bug
reclined bound angle
active hip abduction and adduction
ujjaii pranayama, mula bandha, uddiyanna bandha, jalandhara bandha -
Shoulder Mobility with Jim: 20 min
kneeling salutes
bullfrog/arm clamshells
crocodile
side scorpion
low cobra
prone swimmers -
Strength and Mobility with Jim: Feet and Ankles 20 min
different variations of squats and lunges
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Strength and Mobility with Jim: Full Body 30min
self massage
simple joint mobility exercises
seated windshield wipers
bird dog
kneeling salutes
plank
locust variation
seated swimmers
kneeling windshield wipers
side saddle twist
boat pose variation
supine windshield wiper
rest