Join Komal Bhonagiri for a joyful and playful Kids Yoga Workshop filled with movement, mindfulness, creativity, connection, and FUN! This special 2-hour experience introduces children to yoga in a way that feels exciting, engaging, interactive, and uplifting.

Kids yoga is more than stretching — it helps children develop self-confidence, body awareness, social connection, emotional balance, focus, and healthy tools to manage stress in a positive and supportive environment. This workshop is designed to be fun and engaging for both younger and older children, with activities adapted for different age groups. Come stretch, breathe, play, laugh, connect, and shine with us!

What Your Child Will Experience:

• Build physical confidence, flexibility, balance, and focus through imaginative yoga poses and movement games.
• Learn calming techniques with interactive breathing exercises and kid-friendly relaxation tools.
• Explore creative expression and connection through partner yoga, storytelling, music, and mindfulness activities.
• Develop emotional awareness while having an amazing time in a positive, encouraging, and nurturing environment.

About Komal Bhonagiri:

Komal Bhonagiri discovered yoga through her own healing journey and later became certified in kids’ yoga to share its benefits with her own children and community. What began as a personal passion has grown into over 15 years of experience teaching children through yoga, mindfulness, movement, breathwork, and creative play.

She has taught kids’ yoga at her home studio, park districts, summer camps at Chinmaya Mission Chicago, after-school programs in Kildeer Countryside and Hawthorn District 73, and led school-wide yoga units at Country Meadows Elementary School in Long Grove, IL.

Komal’s classes are playful, engaging, and heart-centered — blending yoga poses, partner yoga, storytelling, mindfulness games, breathing exercises, guided relaxation, mandala art, and sound meditation into a joyful experience for children of all ages. Her goal is to help children build confidence, self-awareness, emotional balance, and a love for movement in a fun and nurturing environment.

Cancellation Policy: As a courtesy to our teachers who plan their workshops thoughtfully, workshops are non-refundable if less than 24 hours' notice of cancellation is given. Thank you.

More than a sequence, Surya Namaskar is a living, full-bodied practice of gratitude and recognition of our interconnectedness. With every movement and every breath, it becomes an embodied expression of appreciation for life and the energy that sustains it. This flowing practice aligns the physical body while harmonizing the physiological systems through breath.

As movement and breath come into a steady rhythm, the mind begins to quiet, creating space for clarity and awareness. Each posture seamlessly unfolds into the next, forming a continuous, graceful sequence. The in-breath merges with the out-breath, guiding us through the natural balance of effort and ease, strength and surrender.

What You Will Experience:

• Awaken the body from head to toe, activating vital energy pathways to revitalize both body and mind.
• Cultivate deep awareness as you open a doorway into deeper connection within yourself and with the larger universe.
• Practice presence and openness, meeting yourself with a renewed sense of possibility.
• Honor the intricate web of life that we are always a part of through intentional movement.
• Workshop Material: Students will be given a free digital copy of Surya Mantras, names of the postures, and a brief overview of the sequence.

About Anitha Bellary:

Anitha Bellary (E-RYT500) is the Founder Director of Poornamidam School of Yoga, a Master trainer, Educator, and life-long student of Yoga and Vedanta. She believes that at the heart of every person's journey is the desire to know themselves, be happy, and be a gift to others. Yoga, for her, is simply one of the most honest pathways to get there.

She offers accessible weekly classes, 200-hr Yoga Teacher Training, and a space that is welcoming to all bodies and levels. Anitha also contributes as a yoga educator for YTT programs at other schools and brings communities together by leading workshops, retreats, and annual events like YogaMaala and International Day of Yoga.

In her classes, Anitha pays close attention to energy flow, alignment, breath, and rest — so students leave feeling renewed, grounded, and a little more present than when they walked in. She balances her classes with warmth, intensity, and fun.

Cancellation Policy: As a courtesy to our teachers who plan their workshops thoughtfully, workshops are non-refundable if less than 24 hours' notice of cancellation is given. Thank you.

All Levels Welcome!

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 discover mindfulness and wisdom within yourself.

About Bhante Rahula:

Bhante Rahula has been a Buddhist monk for over 30 years and is a certified sound therapist. He brings a deep wealth of ancient wisdom and healing practices to his sessions, allowing participants to experience a rare sense of profound peace and spiritual connection.

All proceeds of this workshop will benefit the Blue Lotus Temple.

Cancellation Policy: As a courtesy to our teachers who plan their workshops thoughtfully, workshops are non-refundable if less than 24 hours' notice of cancellation is given. Thank you.

Cultivating Stillness That Holds, Even When the Ground Shifts

We are thrilled to welcome Noah Mazé to The Yoga Effect! Known around the world for making the depth of yoga both practical and accessible, Noah blends thoughtful philosophy with intelligent, anatomy-based movement in a way that empowers students of every experience level.

Whether you are newer to yoga or have been practicing for years, this weekend of all-levels practice is about expanding your capacity to stand strong in a turbulent world. Each workshop stands beautifully on its own, while together they create a journey from grounding and steadiness to strength, confidence, and resilience.

Registration Options:

Click below to visit our event scheduling page, where you can select your preferred registration option:

• Full Weekend Pass ($215): Includes entry to all 4 workshops (saves $30!).
• Individual Workshop Sessions ($60–$65 each): Select and register for specific single sessions that fit your schedule.

Weekend Workshop Schedule:

Friday, Oct 23 • 5:30–8:00 PM | Gravitas: The Guru Principle ($60)
Guruttva, the guru principle, is gravitas: grounded stability and the weight of what truly matters. In the whirlwind of life, this practice of supported poses, restorative yoga, hip openers, inversions, pranayama, and meditation will steady you. Feel more grounded, more stable—and ready to re-engage the world with clarity.

Saturday, Oct 24 • 11:30 AM–2:00 PM | Equanimity in Disequilibrium ($60)
Cultivate calm in the eye of the storm in this moderate-tempo, all-levels vinyasa flow interwoven with balance poses and meditative moments. Strengthen and mobilize your body while moving with your breath. Expand your ability to remain equanimous, even as the world tilts and threatens to pull you off center.

Saturday, Oct 24 • 3:00–5:30 PM | Strong, Open Heart ($60)
Crack the code of backbends in a progressive practice that safely and intelligently mobilizes your spine, lengthens your front body, and strengthens your back body. This practice leaves you feeling both strong and open—an antidote to the forward-bending activities of daily life, from desk work to gardening to heavy physical tasks.

Sunday, Oct 25 • 12:00–3:00 PM | Steady Body, Steady Mind ($65)
Increase your physical and mental resilience in this strengthening practice of deep engagement. Activate your core, shoulders, arms, hips, and legs through skills and drills in sun salutation variations, standing poses, and culminating arm balances. Cultivate endurance amid the shifting forces of the world so that they do not oppress you.

About Noah Mazé:

Noah Mazé is recognized globally as an accomplished teacher of teachers and founder of The Mazé Method. Known for his clarity, fierce compassion, and anatomy-forward approach, Noah's classes empower students to gain tangible yoga knowledge and understand pose mechanics to improve focus, strength, and ability both on and off the mat.

Cancellation Policy: As a courtesy to our teachers who plan their workshops thoughtfully, workshops are non-refundable if less than 24 hours' notice of cancellation is given. Thank you.

All Levels Welcome!

As the pace of life begins to pick up and the holiday season approaches, this retreat offers space to slow down, reconnect, and come back to center. Surrounded by the changing colors of fall at Hackmatack Refuge, we are reminded of impermanence—the natural rhythm of release, transition, and renewal. Steady Through the Season is an invitation to cultivate steadiness within that change, so you can move into the coming months feeling grounded, clear, and supported.

Through alignment-based practice, we build stability and awareness in the body—finding strength in foundation. Through breath and mindful movement, we steady the nervous system, learning how to remain anchored even as life shifts. And through restorative practice, meditation, and rest, we soften into the truth that steadiness is not rigidity—it is the capacity to stay present as things change.

We’ll begin Friday evening by coming together to set intentions for the weekend, connect as a group, and ease into a gentle, grounding practice and meditation—cozying up with warm herbal tea as we settle into the space.

Throughout the retreat, there will also be time to be in nature—walking the trails, resting in a hammock, or journaling quietly—observing the natural world as it continues its reminder of impermanence and rhythm.

What’s Included:

• Alignment-focused yoga, all-levels flow, meditation, and restorative practice.
• Time in nature to walk, rest, or journal.
• A healthy vegetarian Ayurvedic lunch, featuring a nourishing cooked and spiced meal to support the seasonal shift.
• Snacks and tea served throughout the retreat.
• All props provided including bolsters, blankets, blocks, and straps.

Accommodations & Details:

Limited on-site lodging is available at Hackmatack (one double room and one single room with shared bathroom). Additional accommodations can be found nearby in Lake Geneva. Space is limited; early registration is recommended.

Cancellation Policy: As a courtesy to our teachers who plan their workshops thoughtfully, workshops are non-refundable if less than 24 hours' notice of cancellation is given. Thank you.