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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60 Min Vigorish Practice with Jim
modified sun salute a
modified sun salute b
disk pose (chakri)
transverse lunges
plank
crocodile
crocodile rolls
side saddle flow
butterfly
bridge
windshield wiper
empty pool (tadaka mudra)
rest
kapalabhati
jiva mudra -
60 Min Vigorish Sun Salute B+ with Jim
Sun salute a+
Sun salute b+
crocodile
side scorpion
airplane
child pose
dolphin
forearm stand
rock the boat
windshield wipers
windshield wipers - boat sequence
90/90
90/90 boat sequence
butterfly
bridge
knee circles
supine wipers
tadaka mudra
savasana
kapalabhati
jiva mudra
sushumna dharana -
Seated Practice with Jim: 20 min
easy seated pose
foot mobilization
ankle mobilization
windshield wipers
90/90
clam shells
reverse clam shells
90/90 reach
90/90 twist
seated angle
pistol pose variations
butterfly
easy seated pose -
Early Morning Gentle Class with Jim - 10/28/2025
Qigong inspired warm up
chakri
gorilla squats
lunges
kneeling salutes
sphinx
windshield wipers
90/90
butterfly
bridge
corpse
breathwork
meditation -
Early Bird Pop-up Class with Jim - 10/30/2025
qigong inspired warmup
tai chi warrior
chakri
lunges
kneeling salutes
bird dog
joint mobilization
sphinx
updog
downdog
windshield wipers
90/90
butterfly
bridge
dead bug
corpse
breathwork
meditation -
Rise and Shine with Jim: 45 min
simple joint mobilization
bird dog
kneeling salutes
plank
sphinx
lunges
tai chi warrior
windshield wipers
90/90
cobbler
corpse
skull shining breath
meditation -
"Vigorish" Rise and Shine with Jim: 45 min - 11/06/2025
joint mobility exercises
kneeling salutes
plank and side plank
sphinx and cobra
split squat (anjeyanasana)
cossack squat (skandasana)
staff pose scoot (dandasana vinyasa)
boat pose sequence (navasana vinyasa)
windshield wipers
90/90
butterfly
bridge
rest
breathwork
meditation -
Chill Rise and Shine with Jim: 45 min - 11/11/2025
Qigong inspired warmup
lunges
kneeling salutes
bird pose
joint mobilization
windshield wipers
90/90
bound angle
tadaka mudra
savasana
kapalabhati
jiva mudra
