yoga
Soul House honors the roots of yoga
THE SOUL HOUSE PHILOSOPHY
We place a special emphasis on breath and pace each class breath to movement. When we slow down the breath, we quiet the mind to reestablish a connection with universal consciousness.
Our variety of classes range from mindful and playflow vinyasa flows, to thoughtful vin-yin and restorative classes. Each one unifies an understanding of the physical with the subtle body, offering guidance for introspection, feeling awareness, increased strength and flexibility.
It is our goal to guide you on and off the mat into a heart-lead, embodied life.
CLASS FORMATS
Soulflow
Our signature class embraces the guidance of inner connection and flow. An all levels mindful vinyasa based class, where breath, movement and meditation are synchronized. Crafted to awaken your intuition, Soulflow facilitates a connection to the subtle energy body and journey inward. Inviting your soul to flow. Our 75 min classes provide more space to integrate and breathe at the beginning and end of class.
Surrender
Unravel from the week with this 75-minute Yin + Reiki-based class, where rest and restoration is the primary focus. Through long holds and the support of props, you are guided to return to your natural state and ease into the weekend.
Reset
The Soul House version of vin/yin! Unravel from the week with this 60-minute Restorative + Reiki-based class, where rest and restoration is the primary focus. Through long holds and the support of props, you are guided to return to your natural state and ease before the week ahead.
Reiki Healing & Meditation Experience
Explore the healing guidance of Reiki and deepen your meditation practice in the Healing Meditation Experience. There is no movement or hands on touch in this class. Simply a journey to surrender to the guidance and alignment of higher consciousness, while resting the body in the coziness of supportive props. It is recommended to bring a journal to deepen your experience.
PRICING & MEMBERSHIPS
Meet your Guides
Aja Rhodes
Aja considers space-holding to be both an honor and an art, and strives to create a sacred container for others to feel held and supported in their healing journey.
Aja began her yoga practice 12 years ago in an effort to cope with childhood trauma, substance abuse, and undiagnosed ADHD. Aja has since completed 500hrs of yoga training with the Zen Den Yoga Yoga School and Sacred Paths Yoga, as well as additional training in trauma-informed yoga therapy and is a Level II practitioner of the Usui Reiki lineage. Her goal is to encourage students to practice from a place of curiosity and compassion while investigating the power of breath-work, movement, mindfulness, and stillness. She is dedicated to helping others cultivate self-awareness and learn to alchemize life in ways that support personal growth, intentional living, and the continued evolution of our collective consciousness. She strongly believes yoga can help us take radical responsibility for ourselves so we can become more effective agents of positive change in our immediate and global communities.
Aja’s classes vary from long restorative meditations and gentle flows to challenging vinyasas, and are introspective, light hearted, and balanced. She enjoys continual learning and is currently receiving her license as a Ganja Yoga facilitator and training with Zen Shiatsu Chicago Massage School for her shiatsu massage license. In 2020 she was thrilled to be accepted into the restorative justice movement by joining Prison Yoga Chicago. She is currently the lead teacher for Division 6 of Cook County Jail and serves on the Board as the Fundraising Chair.
Cara Kalnow
Cara Kalnow is the Creator of Soul House. While traveling in Bali in 2017, she birthed the vision to offer a "retreat center" in Chicago, to create a safe space to center and heal and apply that integration into everyday life.
Cara is a teacher of the Healing Arts, offering Reiki healing and Reiki certification courses, yoga and meditation classes.
Cara's classes are mindful and soulful in nature. They invite you on a journey within to connect to the simple truths of life and your most authentic self. She believes each living person has a specific purpose to their life, designed by their soul. Her goal is to assist in establishing a deeper connection to that purpose and soul identity.
Cara is first and foremost a student of metaphysics with a Masters in Philosophy from University of St. Andrews (hello Prince William, a fellow classmate!). She's a 200hr yoga alliance certified Yoga & Meditation instructor through YogaSix. Cara received her Reiki Master & Teacher certification in both Usui & Karuna® Reiki from Atma Biolfield Therapuetics and Holy Fire® Reiki for World Peace from William Rand, the Founder of The International Reiki Alliance. All Reiki courses guided by Cara are part of The Reiki Professional Program certified by The International Reiki Alliance. Cara often sprinkles Reiki into to her yoga classes and most enjoys connecting with the true essence of the lovely yogis, students and Reiki receivers coming through Soul House :). Sat Nam!
Amy Chasse
Amy is honored to be part of the Soul House family, where her love of soulful movement, music, and meditation can fully shine. A seeker at heart, her spiritual curiosity was sparked early—thanks to her grandmother, who introduced her to astrology as a child. Over the years, that spark evolved into a deep and devoted practice rooted in yoga, energy work, and intuitive healing.
Since discovering yoga in 2002, Amy has been drawn to the way it harmonizes body, mind, and spirit. Her classes are known for their vibrant energy, heartfelt presence, and seamless sequencing that invites students into a moving meditation. Whether guiding a dynamic flow or a more grounding experience, she weaves music and intention through every practice to create space for inner connection and transformation.
A Reiki Master Teacher Trainer, Amy trained right here at Soul House and has studied a wide range of healing modalities across the U.S., New Zealand, and Canada—including inner child and womb regressions, past life and between-life work, and future self meditation. Her passion is helping others connect with their own magic through movement, stillness, and spiritual exploration.
Aileen McGraw
Aileen (she/they) believes in yoga as collective liberation that we co-create as lifelong students and teachers. Her classes challenge both the physical and mental body through insightful dharma talks and creative sequences.
After a decade of practicing and growing through yoga, Aileen completed her 200-hour teacher training at Mother Yoga in Seattle's Chinatown-International District in 2023. Their vinyāsa classes are intentional and approachable experiences that balance energizing and restorative movements, strength and flexibility, effort and ease.
As a chronically-ill yoga practitioner, she loves shaping each class to meet students' mental, emotional, and physical needs, and offering yoga as a way to reclaim space and grace for our bodies.
Hannah Frey
Hannah is a Chicago-based yoga teacher and musician, drawing inspiration from community and breath-to-movement practices. She thoughtfully guides students inward through a balanced blend of active and restorative poses, creating a mindful and creative flow. Off the mat, she channels her voice into songwriting, often performing acoustic and playful tunes. She is grateful to ground, create, and connect with the Soul House community.
Hayley Anderson
With over 5 years of teaching vinyasa, Hayley learned that yoga isn’t about nailing the perfect pose or wearing fancy leggings. Yoga is about showing up as you are, embracing the wobble, breathing through the mess, and laughing a little along the way. Hayley's classes are playful, accessible, and rooted in the belief that everyone deserves to feel strong, grounded, and empowered in their body. She wants students to feel centered, confident, and curious taking the practice both on and off the mat.
Hayley is passionate about creating space for people to connect, not only with themselves, but with their breath, their movement, and each other. Life can be a lot (an understatement), but she's endlessly grateful for this practice that continues to keep her, and students, grounded and growing.
Zoraida Magana
Zoraida was born and raised in Mexico City and is still relatively new to the Windy City, having lived in Chicago for just three years after moving from Germany. Her yoga journey began over a decade ago in Miami, where she sought healing and solace from injuries and chronic pain through Bikram Yoga. Since then, yoga has remained her steady companion through every transition, grounding her amidst change and nurturing a deep connection to herself and the world around her.
She is a certified yoga teacher with a 200-hour training from Yoga Plus in Germany, Therapeutic Yoga certifications (Yin, Restorative, and Nidra) from The House of Wellness and Barefeet Power Yoga in Chicago, and is also a Reiki Master through Soul House Chicago. Drawing from her diverse trainings and life experiences, Zoraida’s teaching style mindfully weaves Vinyasa, Yin, Gentle, and Restorative practices — always guided by the rhythmic flow of breath and energy.
Fluent in Spanish, English, and German, Zoraida warmly welcomes students from diverse backgrounds into her classes, creating inclusive, supportive spaces for growth and connection. She is currently pursuing her 300-hour Yoga Teacher Training and a certification in Circles and Ceremonies, remaining deeply connected to the magic of her ancestral roots and traditions. Through her teaching, Zoraida is committed to sharing the transformative power of yoga, helping others find balance, healing, and a deeper sense of self.
Lyric Swedenhjelm
Lyric comes to Soul House with a passion for the mind-body-soul connection, holistic healing, and a deep love for community. She encourages yoga as a tool to not only support physical wellness but to nurture wholeness in every aspect of life. In her classes, Lyric embraces each student’s individuality with kindness, respect, and compassion, creating a space for intuitive movement, mindful awareness, and emotional exploration.
Through eclectic music, breathwork, and intentional theming and sequencing, she crafts an environment where students feel safe to move, breathe, learn, grow, and release. Her classes feel lighthearted and fun, yet deeply mindful and intuitive — inviting you to come home to yourself in a joyful, authentic way.
Rhiannon Kirby
Rhiannon has been practicing yoga for 23 years, teaching full time for 17 years and continues to study multiple styles of yoga including; Ashtanga, Iyengar, Sivananda, Anusara, Vinyasa, Restorative, Hatha, Meditation & Pranayama practices. Rhiannon has had the pleasure of leading yoga retreats/workshops internationally since 2008, privately & publicly taught multiple yoga teacher training programs & is currently honored to be the lead teacher/curator for Tula’s Yoga Teacher Training Programs.
With a BA in modern dance performance/choreography & an in-depth anatomy background, Rhiannon has always had a boundless understanding & appreciation for investigating the mind/body while remaining dedicated to accessing new approaches that bring the mind/body towards strength, fluidity, connection, healing & presence.
Inspired by the true meaning of ‘vinyasa’, ‘in a special way to place’, breath is the guiding force to Rhiannon’s classes, which integrate traditional approaches to asana, well thought-out explorative sequencing, stepping stones towards more challenging asana & the willingness to embrace the subtle moments of the practice in order to highlight the beautiful nuances yoga reveals.
All are welcome, for Rhiannon’s classes offer a great starting point for beginners as well as numerous variations on each posture for those looking to get a bit more funky. For more information on Rhiannon and her offerings, check out her instagram rhiannonkyoga or send her an email at Rhiannonkirbyoga@gmail.com
A shout out to some of the teachers Rhiannon has had the honor of training/studying with; Larry Schultz, Manju Jois, David Swenson, Mark Whitwell, Tim Miller, Tom Quinn, Quinn Kearney, Claire Mark to name a handful.