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YAM Blog

YAM is a wellness studio that offers the complementary therapies of yoga, infrared heat, and massage. We provide a welcoming and supportive atmosphere where people of all ages, physical conditions, and fitness levels can optimize their body’s capacity to heal and strengthen. The shared benefits of yoga practice, infrared heat, and therapeutic massage increase circulation, improve range of motion, boost immune function, reduce pain, and deeply relieve tension in the body. Our goal is to provide you with a warm space to de-stress, to explore and enhance your connection with your body, and to strengthen your foundation of physical and mental wellbeing.

At YAM, we understand that every body comes with its own story. As highly skilled and certified practitioners, we exercise compassion and precision in meeting you where you are to work within your range of challenge and comfort. Together we learn to be compassionate with ourselves as we stretch beyond our perceived limits; to be present with our breath and allow this moment to be exactly as it is; and to open our minds to new possibilities in the way we relate to our bodies. Whether you are a serious athlete or a recuperating senior, suffering from chronic pain or recovering from an injury, looking to strengthen or to heal, YAM is here to support your investment in health-fueled happiness. 

Yoga

Pilates at Yam

Pilates at Yam Spring and summer are always times of renewal. Flowers are blooming. Fresh fruits and vegetables are abundant at the Farmers’ Market, and the sun seems to wake up earlier each morning. This time of year is especially renewing right now with the proliferation of the COVID vaccine and lifting of mandates. Many […]

Yoga Practice Can Begin at Any Age!

Yoga Practice Can Begin at Any Age! So you\’ve always wanted to try yoga, but the thought of taking a class is a little intimidating, especially if you\’re middle-aged, out-of-shape and have some health issues. Many older adults are looking for ways to improve their quality of life and remain active, and yoga has been […]

Improved balance, weight loss among many benefits of Hot 26

Improved balance, weight loss among many benefits of Hot 26 Over many years, Darlene Das has seen hundreds of patients suffer with excruciating knee and hip pain. As a surgical technician, assisting her husband, Dr. Amal Das, with hip and knee joint replacements at Park Ridge Health, Darlene has also witnessed the benefits of Hot […]

Having Massages Regularly Vital for Self-Care

Having Massages Regularly Vital for Self-Care Debi Miller always considered massage therapy as relaxing “me-time,” not something you do on a regular basis – until one of YAM’s therapists, Tish Hilyer, worked her magic. “I’ve received massages before but never on a continual basis,” says Debi, a retired flight attendant and special education teacher who […]

Cancer survivor so grateful she found Yoga

Cancer survivor so grateful she found Yoga Suzanne McCall was diagnosed with leukemia in 2002, but through much courage and resolve, she has managed to turn her illness into something positive. Ironically, Suzanne says she’s thankful for what cancer has given her: finding the gift of Yoga and the seeds for a more meaningful life. […]

Yoga Plays a Big Role in Actor’s Life

Yoga Plays a Big Role in Actor\’s Life It’s no act when you listen to Traci Gardner extol the benefits of her Yoga practice. The professional actress, who just recently was cast in a scene with Helen Hunt in “Shots Fired,” a FOX upcoming drama series, and who played a tough bartender in “Swamp Murders,” […]

Yoga just the right thing for soon-to-be moms

Yoga just the right thing for soon-to-be moms Brianna Wiener, a family nurse practitioner, was determined this time around not to pack on the 60 pounds she had gained during her first pregnancy. Now 35 weeks pregnant, Brianna’s proud to say she hasn’t put on that extra baby weight, thanks in part to Summer Stipe’s […]

Yoga is part of cycling pro’s routine

Yoga is part of cycling pro\’s routine For several years, professional cyclo-cross racer Ally Murphy has put the pedal to the metal, racing on the world’s number one women’s team and, as she says, ‘lucky enough’ to ride with some of the sport’s legends. But she’s not sure she could have competed as well as […]

Massage

Tish Helps Lee Temby Through Massage

Tish Helps Lee Temby Through Massage Lee Temby has suffered from chronic neck pain for more than 40 years and, for the past two years, he’s had excruciating foot pain from peripheral neuropathy, a side effect of diabetes. For months, his wife encouraged Lee to schedule an appointment for a massage at YAM, and when […]

Why Hydrate After A Massage?

Why Hydrate After A Massage? You’ve heard the mantra after every massage and it’s emblazoned on the website of the American Massage Therapy Association, but why exactly should you drink plenty of water after a bodywork session? The reasons are simple and two-fold, and understanding a little bit more about how the body functions and the mechanism […]

Having Massages Regularly Vital for Self-Care

Having Massages Regularly Vital for Self-Care Debi Miller always considered massage therapy as relaxing “me-time,” not something you do on a regular basis – until one of YAM’s therapists, Tish Hilyer, worked her magic. “I’ve received massages before but never on a continual basis,” says Debi, a retired flight attendant and special education teacher who suffers from chronic neck […]

How Routine Massage Can Support Your Fitness Goals

How Routine Massage Can Support Your Fitness Goals Each year presents us with the opportunity to hit the refresh button on living our best life. We can harvest fresh inspiration and renewed commitment to healthy change by participating in the annual ritual of creating New Year’s resolutions. Fitness goals are a popular and important part […]

Three Tips To Enhance Your Next Massage

Three Tips To Enhance Your Next Massage Professional massage can transport you to another world. Soothing, blissful, regenerative—you feel the weight of the world being lifted from your aching body. A high quality massage requires a skillful practitioner, but have you ever considered the art of being a skilled receiver? A little bit of intention on your part […]

Massage is the Perfect Gift. Let us count the ways…

Massage is the Perfect Gift. Let us count the ways… Massage is the perfect gift for yourself or for a loved one. 1. It’s the gift that says “I appreciate you.” Being given a massage session makes you feel genuinely recognized. Someone knows you both need it and deserve it. 2. It’s a practical gift AND it will light up […]

Fibromyalgia: How Therapeutic Massage Can Help

Fibromyalgia: How Therapeutic Massage Can Help Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder of the nervous system characterized by widespread pain, heightened sensitivity to pressure, joint stiffness, insomnia, debilitating fatigue, and mental fog. The underlying causes are not yet fully understood and there is currently no universally accepted form of treatment. Symptoms of fibromyalgia are largely managed […]

Ayurveda

Ayurveda: Utilizing the Sister Science of Yoga

Ayurveda: Utilizing the Sister Science of Yoga Ayurveda is an ancient Indian healing science and often considered the sister science to yoga, and it focuses on healthy digestion, routine, and self-care. One of the tenets of this ancient healing system is the idea of doshas. According to Ayurveda, doshas are the energy principals that make […]

Become Healthier with a Balanced Agni

Become Healthier with a Balanced Agni An important principle in the ancient science of Ayurveda is Agni or “digestive fire.” According to Ayurveda, reaching a healthy state of being, both physically and mentally, depends on our ability to properly digest everything we take in from the world around us: food, experiences and our sensory impressions. […]

Right food choices can help you feel healthy, alive

Right food choices can help you feel healthy, alive \”When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.\” – Ayurvedic Proverb Ayurveda is all about self-knowledge and self-discovery. It is about being an active participant in finding out what foods and lifestyle choices can help you feel […]

Stay warm this Winter with these Ayurveda tips

Stay warm this Winter with these Ayurveda tips The Winter Solstice brings the excitement of the holidays, followed by a time to naturally withdraw, rest, move energy inward and enjoy the stillness of the season. The doshas (Vata, Pitta and Kapha) are the energies in the mind, body and emotions that influence how we experience […]

Spring into new season with healthy choices

Spring into new season with healthy choices As we approach the Spring Equinox, we are awakened to the world around us. It is a time of growth and new beginnings – an ideal time for cleansing the body, mind and spirit. The season gives us the perfect opportunity to release old thoughts, emotions, habits and […]

Let today be the start of a healthier life

Let today be the start of a healthier life The primary aims of Ayurveda are to maintain health, prevent disease, cure disease, promote longevity and to attain inner peace. Ayurveda offers diet, lifestyle and herbal therapies to bring balance and ease into our lives. We begin on the physical level and move toward the more […]

Dosha: Your Unique Constitution

Dosha: Your Unique Constitution Ayurveda is the Science of Life, the Science of Self- Healing. To heal ourselves and live life to the fullest, we must understand our own unique constitution. Ayurveda is based on the principle of the Five Elements: Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth. Everything in the Universe is made up of […]

Be in harmony with Pitta summer season

Be in harmony with Pitta summer season “May the long time Sun shine upon you, All love surround you, And the pure light within you, Guide your way home.” -Kundalini Yoga Blessing The Summer Solstice signifies a time of fulfillment, abundance and celebration. Summer, as with the other Seasons, has its own personality, its own characteristics […]