Rich Cotter

Yoga Electronica started with a swap. Rich stopped drinking and put something in the hole it left: a mat in the morning, a kettlebell in the garage, and eventually a pair of decks pointed at a backyard full of people who also wanted to feel something without a drink in their hand.

The massage table came first, professionally — licensed in Illinois since 2005 with 612 hours of training. The yoga certification came later, 200 hours of Hatha at Sodder Worlds Wellness in Hinsdale. Fourteen years of kettlebells taught him how bodies actually load and fail. Twenty-five years behind the decks taught him how a room breathes.

All of it points at the same thing: a sober place in Chicago, Illinois where you can move, be touched with skill, and be around people who are doing the same.