April 24, 2017

Meet Samantha Raphael of Yoga by Degrees

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Raphael.

Yoga by Degrees started as a single yoga studio in Wheaton in April of 2011. It was one of the first yoga studios in Chicago’s Western Suburbs. People gravitated to Yoga by Degrees, because it was a unique place where people could become part of a compassionate and accepting community that promoted peace, joy, and acceptance.

Yoga by Degrees, they discovered, was a place where, no matter what physical or mental shape they were in, yoga was accessible and the benefits incomparable to any other physical activity. The word quickly spread among students and teachers alike, and both flocked to Yoga by Degrees. The demand for more studios took hold and within six years, Yoga by Degrees expanded to five additional locations and continues to grow.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Believe it or not, finding good teachers was a struggle at first. There were only a few teacher training programs in the area and not a lot of teachers. However, we were able to recruit the best because of our great reputation and because we offered more opportunities, as far as the amount of classes we offered and how much we paid. About three years ago, we started our own teacher training program. This has really allowed us to maintain our quality of instruction by imparting what we have come to learn as “the best practices” in teaching, to which our students respond the most positively to.

Please tell us about Yoga by Degrees.
The goal of yoga is to quiet the mind. It’s about self-realization and living life at the most profound level. Yoga is about opening up, diving within and experiencing a deep connection with your true self. It’s about feeling that interconnectedness with all things and beings. It’s about being one with the Universe and at peace with ourselves. Besides getting our minds to slow down and improving our overall mental health, yoga has numerous physical benefits as well. A regular hatha yoga practice helps increase your body’s flexibility, helps improve posture, helps relieve and heal back aches, helps reduce blood pressure, helps lower cholesterol and decrease body fat, helps prevent injury and helps to stabilize blood glucose levels (which are an important factor in the prevention or minimalization of diabetes). Being a low-impact form of exercise, hatha yoga helps to prevent arthritis and bone loss. In addition, a regular yoga practice will strengthen, lengthen and tone the muscles in the body. Yoga also promotes better sleep and improves digestion and, often times, metabolism. At Yoga by Degrees, it’s also about sweat. We like to turn up the heat during our yoga classes for a number of reasons. Heat allows for a deeper cleanse of the body. Heat boosts the body’s circulation, loosens up the muscles and detoxifies the organs. Heat allows for greater range of motion in joints, muscles, ligaments and other supporting structures of the body. Heat also has a calming effect on the mind. When the mind slows down and the heart rate picks up you have the perfect combination for a hatha yoga practice. Experience the highest quality of instruction in a warm, welcoming, beautiful and sparkling clean new studio setting, equipped with locker rooms and amenities.

Classes are heated from 80º F to 105º Fahrenheit and range from beginner through advanced levels.

Pricing: FREE first free week of yoga for all new students! $79 for your first 30 days and $119 a month thereafter for unlimited yoga. Class packs and drop in rates and specialty discount rates available.

Locations:

241 Rice Lake Square
Wheaton, IL 60189

4700 Gilbert Ave. Suite 16
Western Springs, IL 60558

1042 South York Road
Elmhurst, IL 60126

54 Ogden Ave
Downers Grove, IL 60515

914 Roosevelt Rd.
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137

South Naperville
3420 Lacrosse Lane Suite #110
Naperville, IL 60564