The light has just settled in to graze the metal dome of the Adler Planetarium, as a group of people run along the steps, through the hall, and into the lavender lighting in the Grainger Sky Theater. Yoga mats unravel, two candles are lit and the room goes dark; LED stars flicker on amidst planetary revolutions as a woman’s voice comes on to guide the class.

“Connect to your breath.”

Bridget Basta of Yoga By Degrees is leading the Adler Planetarium’s “Sun Salutations.” For one hour you get to travel the solar system, straighten out your spine and actually feel connected to something greater than yourself.

Basta walks through the dark of the room and says things like, “place your mass gently on your mats,” or “arch your back and gaze at Uranus.” Coughing slightly only to realize her own “punny” disaster: “Hey, I didn’t even notice that!”

Maybe it is a novelty experience, something as shiny and bizarre as the “bazinga” t-shirts at the Adler gift shop down the hall, but why not step into something as bizarre as astronomically infused yoga? Certainly a $12 pass is not half as devastating as a morning hangover.

Although this may be your first dalliance into body bending via universal connectivity, the Adler Planetarium is truly stepping into some really exciting events that actually make you WANT to learn something about the universe around us, and value the time that we so obliviously mistake as anything less than fascinating.

Events like the “Lunar Eclipse Viewing Party,” an overnight sleepover, or drinks at the museum for “Adler After Dark,” challenge our stale perceptions of museums as dry and dusty poster boards and glass cases.

Although short descriptions and video tutorials still line the walls of the planetarium, there is also a huge sun in the middle of the room, a cafe lined with chandeliers, and one of the most complete views of the city skyline Chicago has to offer.

Although you may have to push through a crowd, brush past a high school couple snapping selfies on the lakefront, or avoid getting caught in someone’s wedding photos, it is worth it all. Invest in yourself, join an experience that makes you uncomfortable, but just slightly curious and take a peek at what is happening at the Adler Planetarium.

If not to take a breath and line up your chakras to the silence of the Solar System, then to at least grab a stunning photo of the city just beneath your feet.