James Madkins, 59, of Washington Park, Ill. stretches before he begins his fifty-nine laps.

Photography in the Village of Washington Park, Illinois was a challenge for me. It is a community that in some respects seems as if the world has forgotten it exists. I have to admit I’d never been to the Washington Park community to cover anything unless it involved fire or death.

So you can imagine my surprise when I discovered a group of Yoga practitioners living there. James Madkins, 59, of Washington Park has been practicing yoga since 2000. It is such a huge part of his life that he built an addition to his home, and created his own yoga studio. He invites members of the community, young and old, to participate. I like to consider him as a kind of “Pied Piper of Washington Park,” helping to change the mindset of the community one person at a time.

Madkins has a quote in his studio that reads, “Yoga in the Hood.”

In addition to the studio, Madkins cleaned up the empty lot across from his home and uses the space for exercise, yoga and meditation. Madkins can be found in “Serenity Park,” many mornings running his self-prescribed 59 laps.
Finding this small community of enlightened individuals in Washington Park was a wonderful surprise. It just goes to show, you never know what you will find, if you just keep digging.