A Closer Look at Yoga Chicago Magazine

Because of that, I asked editor-in-chief Sharon Steffensen, who runs the magazine out of her home on the North Side to chat with me about old school yoga, the magazine and her dedication to the lifestyle.

BBB: How did you discover yoga?

SS: I went to a class with my mom at the LaGrange YMCA in 1968. The teacher there was a student of the Temple of Kriya Yoga, which was downtown at the time, so I started taking classes there and eventually did teacher training.

BBB: You've been practicing since 1968?

SS: Yeah! Then I started teaching in 1975. I practice regularly, but more than anything, I meditate, which I think is an important part of yoga.

BBB: What was yoga like back then?

SS: Meditation was the focus of yoga, so you could reach higher levels and grow spiritually. Back in the 60s, people weren't doing yoga for fitness, there weren't even health clubs back then. We were experimenting with different cultures, foods and religions. People were taking yoga out of curiosity, like 'What is this thing from India that's a natural way to get high?' 

There are wonderful things about hatha yoga, it calms people down, helps them deal with stress and is really healthy, but I'm a little sad to see that it's all about the body now.

BBB: When did you notice the shift from meditation to physical fitness?

SS: In the 70s, people started running and jogging and yoga became less popular. Then in the 90s it came back because celebrities and athletes started getting into it and it was more physical.

BBB: When did you decide to launch the Yoga Chicago?

SS: I had my own business doing desktop publishing and thought for a long time I wanted to put out my own publication. It never occurred to me to do something on yoga. But I would always hear about workshops after they happened and I thought there should be some place where people could find out what was going on, so I decided to put Yoga Chicago out. That was in 1994 and it was the perfect time because there was more happening, more studios opening and more teachers coming from the West Coast.

BBB: How has the magazine evolved?

SS: It started at eight pages and this year it's 72. People use to come to me with ads and stories on a disc until the printer was like, you gotta go digital! (laughs). I write and edit a majority of the stories then send it off to a professional editor, Ellen Bernstein. Besides teaching three times a week, this is my full-time job. Ads pay for everything, but I try to keep the fees low because I know most studios don't make a lot of money. I even trade some articles for ad space.

BBB: Where do you practice and teach?

SS: I teach three classes a week, two at the YMCA and one at Whole Health Chicago in Lincoln Park. I've been at the same Y on the same night since 1975!

I practiced at home for a long time, then I started having some nagging hip pain. I went to a dream conference where the woman said if you have a question to write it down before you go to bed and your dream will help you answer it. I asked about my hip pain and I had a dream about Bikram. He was in my dream! So I took that as a message that I should do Bikram. There just happens to be a studio (Bikram Andersonville) about three blocks from where I live, so I've been going three times a week since June. I never thought I'd be doing Bikram. The kind of yoga I like to do is really gentle, so this is a challenge for me, but I feel like it's something I have to do and I never miss.

BBB: Teaching, putting together a magazine and Bikram? What keeps you going?

SS: Yoga Chicago is a job, but I really like doing it. I guess it just keeps me going because I believe in it. Yoga is my path. It's the path towards enlightenment and towards healthy living. Everyone should do yoga! Whether for the physical or meditative, it's a good habit to get in to!