Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) - Julia Jonson, Lead Instructor & Sally Gill, Co-Instructor
October 2024 - May 2025
Hosted at The Yoga Effect
Deepen Knowledge, Gain Wisdom While Becoming a Light for Others
Yoga provides us with an opportunity to get to know ourselves from the inside out. So when someone says YES to embarking on training, they open up a whole new path of learning and growth for themselves. YTT is an opportunity to work through self-limiting beliefs and build confidence. It’s an opportunity to awaken the higher Self and shine like never before. And importantly, it’s an opportunity to guide others in their journey of self-discovery and help make a real difference in the world.
Learn MoreOCTOBER 2024
Reiki Healing with Restorative Yoga with Jessica Spalding
Saturday, October 5, 2024 • 6:00-7:30pm • $35 per person
Find deep relaxation with Jessica Spalding through the combination of Restorative yoga practice and Reiki therapy healing. You will be gently guided to hold traditional restorative yoga poses while also receiving Reiki healing energy.
Restorative poses help relieve the effects of stress, allowing the central nervous system and mind to calm while the body is fully supported with the use of props (bolsters, blankets, blocks, etc.).
Reiki, an ancient form of universal energetic healing that encourages a state of balance, harmony, and self-healing, will be incorporated. It works on all levels of physical, emotional, and spiritual elements, helping to reduce stress, and anxiety and bring an overall sense of peace and calm.
Please note: as a courtesy to our teachers who plan their workshops thoughtfully, workshops are not refundable if less than 24 hours' notice of cancellation is given. Thank you
Yoga for Sobriety with Jessica Spalding
Sunday, October 6, 2024 • 5:00pm-6:30pm
This is a by-donation event. Proceeds for this event will go to the Nicasa Behavioral Health Services in Waukegan, IL. Please bring cash or check made out to The Yoga Effect.
Join Jess for this deeply nurturing Yoga for Sobriety workshop. Dive into the transformative world of Yoga for Sobriety. Join us for a special introductory workshop that serves as your gateway to a life of wellness and recovery. Embark on this empowering journey – where strength, serenity, and sobriety align. Whether you are sober, sober curious, or feel called to change your relationship with alcohol, you are welcome to join us.
Jess shares her journey:
“On the outside, I had it all, a beautiful growing family, friends that were like family, a roof over my head, food on the table, and a stay-at-home opportunity to raise my children. On the inside, I was suffering. My choice of escapism was alcohol. I thought it would take away all the pain inside or make me feel less lonely, and more socially accepted. It took the edge off, giving me a false sense of connection. Alcohol allowed me not to feel, taking me far away to a temporary, short-lived bliss, only to violently awaken deep down in the trenches of everything I was running away from or even worse.
There is not always a rock bottom to kickstart a journey to recovery and I have journeyed the sobriety lifestyle twice before, each for different reasons and chapters of my life. However, with minimal support, traumatic, life-altering events, or unwillingness to let go of the ego, resulted in relapse.
It wasn't until I committed to mindfulness practices in my daily life, that I saw a change; this shift played a crucial role in my recovery.
Yoga was the catalyst to my longest recovery term and exactly the support I needed. Yoga provided me with the tools to accept myself just as I am. I have found peace holding space to feel all emotions.
This humbling path has allowed me to sit with myself through non-judgmental eyes and a forgiving narrative.
I've found the strength to honor that my health journey isn't linear, but by surrendering to one breath at a time, we are capable of healing and experiencing a life of clarity.
As the Bhagavad Gita says, "Yoga is the journey to the self, through the self, to the self.”
No matter what stage of recovery you are in, each day is an opportunity to find wholeness in whatever shape the mind, body, and soul need in the present moment. I share my story and practice in hopes you will join me on this beautiful journey to experience the strength and serenity that lies within you.”
Workshop Highlights:
Explore the fundamentals of yoga tailored for sobriety and holistic well-being. Learn powerful mindfulness techniques to navigate challenges on your recovery journey. Connect with a like-minded community dedicated to supporting each other's growth. Q&A session
for any inquiries about integrating yoga into your sobriety practice.
Special Offer: Attendees of this workshop will receive a 15% discount on our upcoming Yoga for Sobriety series (dates to be announced. If attending this workshop or any future Sobriety workshops is a challenge for you financially, please reach out to us at [email protected] and we can discuss options to make this affordable for you.
Please note: as a courtesy to our teachers who plan their workshops thoughtfully, workshops are not refundable if less than 24 hrs' notice of cancellation is given. Thank you
NOVEMBER 2024
Yoga for a Healthy Pelvic Floor
Sunday, November 3, 2023 • 1:30pm-3:30pm • $44
Join Dr. Rachel Miller, a women’s health physical therapist and Pilates instructor, along with Stephanie Bersh, E-RYT, for a comprehensive workshop focused on understanding your pelvic
floor and common related issues. Discover the vital connection between your pelvic floor and breathing, and learn effective yoga poses that promote relaxation, support, and strength for a
healthy pelvic floor
Please note: as a courtesy to our teachers who plan their workshops thoughtfully, workshops are not refundable
if less than 24 hours' cancellation notice is given. Thank you
Register Here
DECEMBER 2024
Metta Sound Healing and Meditation with Bhante Rahula
Sunday, December 1, 2024 • 3:00-4:30pm • $40
Join Bhante Rahula of Blue Lotus Temple at The Yoga Effect for this profound experience. Combining the vibrations of sound therapy with crystal singing bowls, ancient Buddhist chanting, and Loving-kindness meditation, this 90-minute workshop will guide you to find mindfulness and wisdom within.
About Bhante Rahula: Bhante Rahula has been a Buddhist monk for over 30 years and is a certified sound therapist.
All proceeds of this workshop will benefit the Blue Lotus Temple.
JANUARY 2025
Finding Happiness and Content in the Western World with Bhante Sujatha
Saturday January 18, 2025 • 6:00-7:30pm •$40
“The pursuit of happiness” is a common bond that unites us all. Nearly everyone on the planet is actively engaged in finding sustainable happiness.
Still, regardless of our economic or social position, regardless of what we’ve acquired along the way, happiness seems to exist as a mysterious wind that comes in, fills us with joy, and then leaves as unpredictably as when it arrived. We search for ways to capture it, to keep it around and within us for the long term, but inevitably it escapes us and we find ourselves searching again.
In this workshop, Bhante Sujatha teaches us that although we can’t buy or build happiness, we can cultivate a simple mindfulness practice in our daily lives that leads to sustainable contentment which can permeate every aspect of our lives.
“Mindfulness in everyday life is easy to learn, simple to practice, and an essential element in creating a happy life.”
Activities in this program will include:
• Lecture: “What Is Happiness?”
• Instruction in the Practice of Mindfulness
and Loving-Kindness Meditation
• Time for Questions & Answers
Benefits of this workshop can include:
• Reduced stress, anxiety, worry, and depression.
• Healing and enhancing relationships with others.
• Gaining a sense of empowerment over challenging issues in life.
• Insights into life’s purpose.
• Awakening to the blessings of the present moment.
• Confidence in attaining unshakable inner peace.
Please note:
Advanced registration is required. All proceeds help support Bhante’s Pregnant Mother's Program and Incubator Project
in Sri Lanka. ·
“Choose Loving-Kindness” products and Bhante’s publications will be available for purchase on-site, and Bhante will be able for book signing following the program.
About Bhante:
Bhante Sujatha, a 40+ year Buddhist Monk, is singularly focused on adding more love to the world. Bhante 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.
A joyful, radiant, funny, and wildly energetic monk, Bhante will help you obtain peace that can only be found in deep silence. Bhante believes his purpose is not only to teach meditation but also, to “teach people how to be happy.” For more information visit Bhante’s website at: bhantesujatha.org
Register HereFEBRUARY 2024
Partner Yoga with Andrew Gurvey and Julia Jonson
Sunday February 16, 2025 • 2:30-5:00pm • $75 per couple
Yoga offers a myriad of options to explore the mind, body, and spirit connection. Adding a partner to practice can expand those options even further. Join Andrew Gurvey (assisted by Julia Jonson) as we explore techniques utilized from Thai Massage, Acroyoga, and the yoga asanas' expansions. Partner yoga explores more than poses with two people; it also offers opportunities for stretching further, working out kinks, and working on spoken and unspoken communication skills. Grab a friend or loved one for a fun and enlightening way to get out of your comfort zone. Coming to this workshop with a partner is preferred, as coming alone will not guarantee a pair-up option.
About Andrew Gurvey:
TBY Yoga President, Yoga Teacher, Engineer. Andrew has been practicing yoga since 2005 and teaching since 2009. He is passionate about providing people with stress relief and an opportunity to feel better in their bodies and mind. His favorite pose is, hands down, Handstand! If you are into inversions, check out his Flow and Balance class.
About Julia Jonson:
Julia has been studying and practicing yoga and meditation since 1991 and teaching since 2007. With more than a thousand hours of formal training, Julia offers teachers-in-training extensive knowledge of the practice and a whole lot of love and passion for sharing it. Her approach is alignment-based, functional yoga with a therapeutic feel — and she specializes in restorative, gentle, and intermediate yoga. Julia also earned a certificate in plant-based nutrition from Cornell and has been making plant-based creations since 1989
Please note: as a courtesy to our teachers who plan their workshops thoughtfully, workshops are not refundable if less than 24 hours of cancellation notice is given. Thank you.