Bikram Yoga College of India—Chicago, Lincoln Park Studio

This studio is housed on the second floor of the former Parkway Theater, built in 1911. Owner John Marcoux has maintained all the flourishes on the plaster walls, so if ghosts of old film actors appear, they may be trying to distract you from discomfort. While most instructors use soft language and gentle tones, you’ll feel like you’re in boot camp here. The focus of each 90-minute class is the intense physical poses developed by Bikram Choudhury, because—as the saying goes—once a body gets there, heart and mind will follow.