About
About
Feel Good, Do Good . . .
We believe in the ripple effect that is created with a consistent Yoga practice. As we create a positive difference within ourselves, we also influence others; this not only impacts them, but everyone else on their journey as well. When we feel good, we do good . . . and that is The Yoga Effect.
The Yoga Effect is a warm, supportive, inclusive community founded in 2010. We believe in:
- The power of inner and outer connection
- Turning inward to foster self-love, compassion and understanding
- Walking more gently on this planet with those same qualities for others
Feel Good, Do Good . . .
We believe in the ripple effect that is created with a consistent Yoga practice. As we create a positive difference within ourselves, we also influence others; this not only impacts them, but everyone else on their journey as well. When we feel good, we do good . . . and that is The Yoga Effect.
The Yoga Effect is a warm, supportive, inclusive community founded in 2010. We believe in:
- The power of inner and outer connection
- Turning inward to foster self-love, compassion and understanding
- Walking more gently on this planet with those same qualities for others
Meet Our Teachers
Sally Gill
Sally Gill
Co-owner, Lead Teacher
E-RYT 200, RYT 500,
Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Practitioner
Sally has been practicing Yoga since 1992 when she discovered the practice as a dancer seeking to overcome performance anxiety. What began as a way to cope and feel comfortable in her own body, has become a lifelong practice that she loves to share with others. Sally has been part of The Yoga Effect community since it first opened in 2010 and was first trained to teach yoga through the studio with Mara Campbell in 2015. She is so grateful to now be a co-owner of the studio and continue to nurture the special community it holds. Sally received her RYT 500-hour teacher training designation in December of 2023 and is also a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Practitioner. Sally enjoys finding balance through the many forms that yoga can take from a more rigorous experience in a hot Yoga class to a gentle, restorative, or more mindful flow; Sally believes in listening to the cues our body gives us and finding peace through dedication to a lifelong Yoga practice.
Feel free to reach out to her at [email protected]
Anna Ottolino
Founder, Co-Owner, Yoga Teacher, E-RYT 200
Anna has been teaching yoga since 2009 and loves helping people cultivate more meaning and presence in their lives by encouraging them to find connection through yoga and meditation. She believes that the stress-relieving qualities of a consistent yoga practice along with the mental, physical, and emotional strengthening can greatly impact one’s life on a multitude of levels. Her teaching style has a strong focus on alignment and turning inward for spiritual reflection, sprinkled with some fun and challenge. Anna founded the studio in 2010 and is a co-owner of the studio. Anna’s love for travel inspires her to plan spiritual retreats in beautiful destinations, bringing all her passions together. She is registered as an E-RYT 200 teacher with The Yoga Alliance and is currently pursuing her E-RYT-500. Anna originally received her yoga training with Martin Kirk, author of Hatha Yoga Illustrated. She is grateful to her students who helped her to grow as a teacher and to her many teachers for their wisdom and support. The Yoga Effect and the Grayslake community are dear to Anna, and she is thrilled to be part of this community. Anna recently published her first children’s book on the topic of loving-kindness. The Feathered Bridge teaches children that all beings: humans, animals, and the environment, are all interconnected and that our actions matter. You can get your copy at amazon.com.
Contact Anna: [email protected]
Natasha Williams
Yoga Teacher, RYT-200
Natasha is a mindful, compassionate peace seeker. Natasha started her personal yoga journey in 2014 under the guidance of the late, Nancy May of Yoga from the Heart. In April 2021, Natasha studied yoga and meditation in Belize with both Nancy May and the loving kindness Monk, Venerable Bhante Sujatha of the Blue Lotus Temple in Woodstock, IL
The self-discovery that occurred on this trip led Natasha to the decision to dedicate her life to yoga and her desire to share her practices with the world.
In 2022, Natasha became certified to teach yoga under the guidance of Julia Jonson of TBY yoga and is a (RYT-200) registered instructor with the Yoga Alliance. Natasha believes that yoga is much more than physical poses or "asana."Yoga is skill in action, a beautiful introduction to oneself, from oneself. Natasha believes that yoga can also be our teacher or guide.
Natasha cannot wait to practice with you, sharing the essence of yoga with you. Natasha's practices will lead you on a journey of self-compassion, self- acceptance, and self-love.
"Yoga is like music. The rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind, and the harmony of the soul create the symphony of life." - B.K.S. Iyengar
Liz Carpender
Yoga Teacher, E-RYT-200
Liz has been practicing yoga for nearly twenty years and teaching for fifteen. From her first experience she truly felt an immediate connection. It was that simple discovery of how powerful our breath is that led her to further study, explore, and deepen her own practice and to share her love of yoga with others. She has been fortunate to practice with a great many amazing teachers and students over the years. She earned her 200-hour training certification with Blue Sun Yoga and is a registered E-RYT with Yoga Alliance. She loves to meet new students and always brings a playful yet focused style to her strong physical practice. She never teaches the same class twice; preferring a more in-the-moment approach, she is always happy to adapt her class based on a student request. She is married and has two wonderful children and enjoys many forms of physical fitness and recreation, as well as reading, travel, gardening, good wine and live music.
Sharon Gaughan
Sharon Gaughan,
MS, ERYT-200, YACEP
Essential Journey Yoga,
essentialjourneyyoga.com
Sharon took her first yoga class as an undergrad at the University of Montana in the mid-1980s and that experience marked the beginning of her yoga journey.
After considering the possibility for years, Sharon completed her yoga teacher training early in 2014 – blending her experience and passion for yoga, with her experience and passion for teaching. She is currently an ERYT-200 and YACEP, focusing her continued training and teaching on gentle yoga practices for healthy aging.
“Yoga is the journey of the Self, through the Self, to the Self.” - Bagavad Gita
Marla Tracy
Yoga Teacher E-RYT-200
Marla is thrilled to be teaching at the Yoga Effect! She began practicing yoga when her late husband began his journey and found the benefits to be extremely powerful in his life. Although she was very active and fit (running was her exercise of choice), she felt she was missing a way to calm her mind, slow herself down, engage her spirit and enjoy the present moment; Yoga has certainly been the answer.
Marla believes that when something is going on in one’s mind it manifests itself in our body and spirit; coming to her mat and practicing yoga better prepares for many of life’s challenges moving forward with grace and peace.
Stacy Wheeler
Yoga Teacher, E-RYT 200
Stacy began her yoga practice fifteen years ago with Barbara Spietz of Awakenings Yoga. Barb’s approach to yoga was making it accessible to everyone. During that first class, Stacy remembers barely being able to hold downward dog for 10 seconds, but soon learned that was not the goal. Whether it is your first class, a return to the practice after a break, or a daily practice, each time we step on the mat we are there to set the foundation, to learn to connect to our conscious breath and to begin that journey back home, where the mind, body and soul are one and where we can connect to our authenticity.
As Stacy fell more in love with the practice of yoga, she began taking lessons at The Yoga Effect. This time she not only fell more in love with the practice but the community. In 2016, after getting my RYT-200 certification with the Emerald Heart Yoga School led by Mara Campbell, she began her teaching journey. Being a new teacher was just like being a new student. It was all about taking it day by day and one step at a time. Seven years later, she has enjoyed teaching so many different students and different styles of yoga. All the while, remembering that this is all about taking it day by day, moment by moment because, in the end, yoga prepares us to be fully present and awake in the present moment.
Whether practicing on her mat or teaching a class, the journey is always evolving. It doesn’t mean that the trajectory is always on a positive slope, but it means that you take the time for yourself, to find some stillness, to create some space and to learn to reconnect with the divinity within you. It’s not about the pose. It’s not about doing a headstand. Hopefully, during our journey, we find that is more about all those moments, on and off the mat, that we experience being truly alive, where we learn to transition from ‘humans doing’ to ‘humans being'.
Bhante Sujatha
Bhante is singularly focused on adding more love to the world. He teaches loving-kindness meditation to people around the globe for all those seeking the art of happiness and contentment. His approach to meditation is deep and simple, bringing core Buddhist teachings to everyone in a way that is practical and easy to understand.
Jon Saesan
Yoga Teacher RYT-200
Jon received his 200 hour YTT in 2019 under the teaching of Mara Campbell. He has been an RN for 15 years, the last 13 working in Hospice. Jon has found in yoga a path to which he is able to live a joyful life emboldened by the knowledge that it is finitely informed by his death-work. He is excited to be teaching again and believes instructing with a beginner’s mind is the greatest way to an understanding of one’s body and self.
Jessica Spalding
Yoga Teacher, RYT-200
Jessica specializes in flow, restorative and gentle yoga. She completed her Hatha Yoga Training Program in 2019 under Terry Crews. Since then she has broadened her studies in Adaptive Yoga with Ryan McGraw, Alignment-based Yoga Immersion with world renowned Desiree Rumbaugh, and mentorship with Julia Jonson from TBY in Restorative Yoga & Hands-on Adjustments. Her teachings are deeply rooted in tradition with a modern day understanding of anatomy, physical fitness and alignment. Jessica believes strongly in incorporating meditation and breath work in her teachings, creating a full experience for the body and the soul. Jessica is also Reiki III Certified with a deep connection to spiritual practice. Creating a holistic approach, Jessica brings a healing intention to all of her sharings.
Mary Mantilla
Yoga Teacher, E-RYT 500
Mary fell in love with yoga at “Namaste.” She felt immediately drawn to yogic philosophy and to the strength, flexibility, and increased confidence the physical practice of yoga brought. She received her 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) training and is certified as an RYT through Yoga Alliance. She credits her immersion in the study of yoga with keeping her sane during the most difficult time of her life. Mary is a retired Speech Pathologist and is the mother of three grown children. In her teaching, she strives to help people connect to body, mind, heart, and breath in order to nurture strength and flexibility, both physically and mentally. She focuses on outer alignment and inner calm. Her comforting style encourages people to take time for themselves and find peace within. Her hope is that people step off the mat feeling more grounded and comfortable in their bodies, and more compassionate towards themselves, thereby helping to create a more conscious, compassionate world.
Lamaiya Lancaster
Yoga Teacher, E-RYT 200
Lamaiya Lancaster is an E-RYT 200 Hour Yoga Instructor and a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider. She is Dance and Yoga Faculty at the College of Lake County, Artistic Director for the L-Theory Collective Dance Company. As a dancer, she has incorporated regular yoga practice in her training. Lamaiya's dedication to inclusion through community engagement in movement arts has been realized through professional practice. She found that community engagement and community building through yoga practice strengthened this dedication while going through the teaching certification program at the College of Lake County and it is this that informs her yoga teaching practice. Lamaiya has traveled the United States from sunny South Carolina to the desert of Nevada to the shores of Oahu practicing yoga and more recently teaching community yoga workshops focusing on strengthening, stability, and flow. Throughout her travels, she has found that yoga practice has been the vehicle for individuals from these various communities to come together and share their cultures, both on and off the mat, creating a more diverse community. It is this open and welcoming sense of community that Lamaiya strives to create in each of her classes. You may enter the space as an individual but you will leave as a member of a community with those you have shared the class with, connected by the practice, breath, and flow.
Meet Our Teachers
Sally Gill
Sally Gill
Co-owner, Lead Teacher
E-RYT 200, RYT 500, Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Practitioner
Sally has been practicing Yoga since 1992 when she discovered the practice as a dancer seeking to overcome performance anxiety. What began as a way to cope and feel comfortable in her own body, has become a lifelong practice that she loves to share with others. Sally has been part of The Yoga Effect community since it first opened in 2010 and was first trained to teach yoga through the studio with Mara Campbell in 2015. She is so grateful to now be a co-owner of the studio and continue to nurture the special community it holds. Sally received her RYT 500-hour teacher training designation in December of 2023 and is also a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Practitioner. Sally enjoys finding balance through the many forms that yoga can take from a more rigorous experience in a hot Yoga class to a gentle, restorative, or more mindful flow; Sally believes in listening to the cues our body gives us and finding peace through dedication to a lifelong Yoga practice.
Feel free to reach out to her at [email protected]
Anna Ottolino
Founder, Co-Owner, Yoga Teacher, E-RYT 200
Anna has been teaching yoga since 2009 and loves helping people to cultivate more meaning and presence in their lives by encouraging them to find connection through yoga and meditation. She believes that the stress-relieving qualities of a consistent yoga practice along with the mental, physical, and emotional strengthening can greatly impact one’s life on a multitude of levels. Her teaching style has a strong focus on alignment and turning inward for spiritual reflection, sprinkled with some fun and challenge. Anna founded the studio in 2010 and is a co-owner of the studio. Anna’s love for travel inspires her to plan spiritual retreats in beautiful destinations, bringing all her passions together. She is registered as an E-RYT 200 teacher with The Yoga Alliance and is currently pursuing her E-RYT-500. Anna originally received her yoga training with Martin Kirk, author of Hatha Yoga Illustrated. She is grateful to her students who helped her to grow as a teacher and to her many teachers for their wisdom and support. The Yoga Effect and the Grayslake community are dear to Anna, and she is thrilled to be part of this community. Anna recently published her first children’s book on the topic of loving-kindness. The Feathered Bridge teaches children that all beings: humans, animals, the environment, are all interconnected and that our actions matter. You can get your copy at amazon.com
Contact Anna:
[email protected]
Natasha Williams
Yoga Teacher, RYT-200
Natasha is a mindful, compassionate peace seeker. Natasha started her personal yoga journey in 2014 under the guidance of the late, Nancy May of Yoga from the Heart. In April 2021, Natasha studied yoga and meditation in Belize with both Nancy May and the loving kindness Monk, Venerable Bhante Sujatha of the Blue Lotus Temple in Woodstock, IL
The self-discovery that occurred on this trip led Natasha to the decision to dedicate her life to yoga and her desire to share her practices with the world.
In 2022, Natasha became certified to teach yoga under the guidance of Julia Jonson of TBY yoga and is a (RYT-200) registered instructor with the Yoga Alliance. Natasha believes that yoga is much more than physical poses or "asana."Yoga is skill in action, a beautiful introduction to oneself, from oneself. Natasha believes that yoga can also be our teacher or guide.
Natasha cannot wait to practice with you, sharing the essence of yoga with you. Natasha's practices will lead you on a journey of self-compassion, self- acceptance, and self-love.
"Yoga is like music. The rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind, and the harmony of the soul create the symphony of life." - B.K.S. Iyengar
Liz Carpender
Yoga Teacher, E-RYT-200
Liz has been practicing yoga for nearly twenty years and teaching for fifteen. From her first experience she truly felt an immediate connection. It was that simple discovery of how powerful our breath is that led her to further study, explore, and deepen her own practice and to share her love of yoga with others. She has been fortunate to practice with a great many amazing teachers and students over the years. She earned her 200-hour training certification with Blue Sun Yoga and is a registered E-RYT with Yoga Alliance. She loves to meet new students and always brings a playful yet focused style to her strong physical practice. She never teaches the same class twice; preferring a more in-the-moment approach, she is always happy to adapt her class based on a student request. She is married and has two wonderful children and enjoys many forms of physical fitness and recreation, as well as reading, travel, gardening, good wine and live music.
Sharon Gaughan
Yoga Teacher, E-RYT 200
Sharon took her first yoga class as an undergrad at the University of Montana in the mid-1980s and that experience marked the beginning of her yoga journey. Although born and raised in Chicago, Sharon has spent much of her adult life living, learning, and teaching in a variety of settings and locations throughout the country and abroad. Her formal education led to an MS in Curriculum & Instruction from Penn State University.
After considering the possibility for many years, Sharon completed her yoga teacher training early in 2014 – and is thrilled to be able to bring her experience and passion for yoga, together with her experience and passion for teaching. She is an ERYT-200, with additional interest and training in teaching gentle and chair yoga for boomers and seniors. She holds certifications specific to teaching both gentle and chair yoga, including a Dual Certification in Gentle and Chair Yoga (Yoga Vista Academy, Sherry Zak Morris), Yoga for Bone Health (Dr. Loren Fishman), Yoga for Healthy Aging (Dr. Baxter Bell), Chair T’ai Chi (Moon Willow T’ai Chi and Wellness), Chair Yoga (Silver Age Yoga), and Yoga for Osteoporosis (Sivananda Ashram).
Sharon is also the proprietor of Essential Journey Yoga, which focuses on health and wellness through yoga, herbs, and essential oils.
“Yoga is the journey of the Self, through the Self, to the Self.” - Bagavad Gita
Marla Tracy
Yoga Teacher E-RYT-200
Marla is thrilled to be teaching at the Yoga Effect! She began practicing yoga when her late husband began his journey and found the benefits to be extremely powerful in his life. Although she was very active and fit (running was her exercise of choice), she felt she was missing a way to calm her mind, slow herself down, engage her spirit and enjoy the present moment; Yoga has certainly been the answer.
Marla believes that when something is going on in one’s mind it manifests itself in our body and spirit; coming to her mat and practicing yoga better prepares for many of life’s challenges moving forward with grace and peace.
Stacy Wheeler
Yoga Teacher, E-RYT 200
Stacy began her yoga practice fifteen years ago with Barbara Spietz of Awakenings Yoga. Barb’s approach to yoga was making it accessible to everyone. During that first class, Stacy remembers barely being able to hold downward dog for 10 seconds, but soon learned that was not the goal. Whether it is your first class, a return to the practice after a break, or a daily practice, each time we step on the mat we are there to set the foundation, to learn to connect to our conscious breath and to begin that journey back home, where the mind, body and soul are one and where we can connect to our authenticity.
As Stacy fell more in love with the practice of yoga, she began taking lessons at The Yoga Effect. This time she not only fell more in love with the practice but the community. In 2016, after getting my RYT-200 certification with the Emerald Heart Yoga School led by Mara Campbell, she began her teaching journey. Being a new teacher was just like being a new student. It was all about taking it day by day and one step at a time. Seven years later, she has enjoyed teaching so many different students and different styles of yoga. All the while, remembering that this is all about taking it day by day, moment by moment because, in the end, yoga prepares us to be fully present and awake in the present moment.
Whether practicing on her mat or teaching a class, the journey is always evolving. It doesn’t mean that the trajectory is always on a positive slope, but it means that you take the time for yourself, to find some stillness, to create some space and to learn to reconnect with the divinity within you. It’s not about the pose. It’s not about doing a headstand. Hopefully, during our journey, we find that is more about all those moments, on and off the mat, that we experience being truly alive, where we learn to transition from ‘humans doing’ to ‘humans being'.
Bhante Sujatha
Bhante is singularly focused on adding more love to the world. He teaches loving-kindness meditation to people around the globe for all those seeking the art of happiness and contentment. His approach to meditation is deep and simple, bringing core Buddhist teachings to everyone in a way that is practical and easy to understand.
Jon Saesan
Yoga Teacher RYT-200
Jon received his 200 hour YTT in 2019 under the teaching of Mara Campbell. He has been an RN for 15 years, the last 13 working in Hospice. Jon has found in yoga a path to which he is able to live a joyful life emboldened by the knowledge that it is finitely informed by his death-work. He is excited to be teaching again and believes instructing with a beginner’s mind is the greatest way to an understanding of one’s body and self.
Jessica Spalding
Yoga Teacher, RYT-200
Jessica specializes in flow, restorative and gentle yoga. She completed her Hatha Yoga Training Program in 2019 under Terry Crews. Since then she has broadened her studies in Adaptive Yoga with Ryan McGraw, Alignment based Yoga Immersion with world renowned Desiree Raumbaugh and mentorship with Julia Jonson from TBY in Restorative Yoga & Hands on Adjustments. Her teachings are deeply rooted in tradition with a modern day understanding of anatomy, physical fitness and alignment. Jessica believes strongly in incorporating meditation and breath work in her teachings, creating a full experience for the body and the soul. Jessica is also Reiki III Certified with a deep connection to spiritual practice. Creating a holistic approach, Jessica brings a healing intention to all of her sharings.
Mary Mantilla
Yoga Teacher, E-RYT 500
Mary fell in love with yoga at “Namaste.” She felt immediately drawn to yogic philosophy and to the strength, flexibility, and increased confidence the physical practice of yoga brought. She received her 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) training and is certified as an RYT through Yoga Alliance. She credits her immersion in the study of yoga with keeping her sane during the most difficult time of her life. Mary is a retired Speech Pathologist and is the mother of three grown children. In her teaching, she strives to help people connect to body, mind, heart, and breath in order to nurture strength and flexibility, both physically and mentally. She focuses on outer alignment and inner calm. Her comforting style encourages people to take time for themselves and find peace within. Her hope is that people step off the mat feeling more grounded and comfortable in their bodies, and more compassionate towards themselves, thereby helping to create a more conscious, compassionate world.
Lamaiya Lancaster
Yoga Teacher, E-RYT 200
Lamaiya Lancaster is an E-RYT 200 Hour Yoga Instructor and a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider. She is Dance and Yoga Faculty at the College of Lake County, Artistic Director for the L-Theory Collective Dance Company. As a dancer, she has incorporated regular yoga practice in her training. Lamaiya's dedication to inclusion through community engagement in movement arts has been realized through professional practice. She found that community engagement and community building through yoga practice strengthened this dedication while going through the teaching certification program at the College of Lake County and it is this that informs her yoga teaching practice. Lamaiya has traveled the United States from sunny South Carolina to the desert of Nevada to the shores of Oahu practicing yoga and more recently teaching community yoga workshops focusing on strengthening, stability, and flow. Throughout her travels, she has found that yoga practice has been the vehicle for individuals from these various communities to come together and share their cultures, both on and off the mat, creating a more diverse community. It is this open and welcoming sense of community that Lamaiya strives to create in each of her classes. You may enter the space as an individual but you will leave as a member of a community with those you have shared the class with, connected by the practice, breath, and flow.
