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.

AUGUST 2024

Yoga Teacher Training: Free Informational Meeting with Julia Jonson and Sally Gill

Sunday, August 25, 2024 • 2:00-4:00 pm

Saturday, September 14, 2024 • 2:30-4:00 pm

Would you like to deepen your Yoga knowledge and gain wisdom, while becoming a light for others? Join us for two opportunities to learn more about our Teacher Training Program.

Created and led by Julia Jonson of TBY Yoga and hosted at The Yoga Effect; Sally Gill will be partnering to assist Julia, along with guest teachers such as Gabriel Halpern, Andrew Gurvey, Bhante Sujatha, and Anitha Bellary. This Program will run from October 2024 to May 2025.

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. Yoga Teacher Training 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

SEPTEMBER 2024

Heart Dharma vs. Head Dharma
with Bhante Sujatha

Saturday September 7, 2024 • 6:00-7:30pm • $40

Join Bhante Sujatha for an intimate conversation on how to train your mind to find the good, use your practice to benefit the world, and find blessings in a fast-paced and often noisy world.

At times there is the notion that meditation is a playful and fantastical space for your mind to wander. Bhante Sujatha
guides us to understand that meditation should be approached
as a positive and realistic journey that comes with relaxed and mindful expectations.

As an opportunity to discuss our own personal life experiences to help deepen our practice, this workshop can be a life-changing experience that will bring strength and authenticity to the forefront of your practice.

We hope this time together will leave you feeling more mindful, centered, and ready to serve.

Activities and benefits of this workshop include:

* Reduced stress, anxiety, worry and depression

* Healing and enhancing relationships with others

* Gaining a sense of empowerment over challenging issues
   in your life

* Insights into your life purpose

* Awakening to the blessings of the present moment

* Attending unshakable inner peace

Please note: 
Advanced registration is required. All proceeds go towards Bhante's Pregnant Mother Project in Sri Lanka.
A book signing and Choose-Loving Kindness Items are
available to purchase after the event.

About Bhante:
Bhante Sujatha, a 40+ year Buddhist Monk, is singularly focused on adding more love in 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, “teaching people how to be happy.” For more information visit Bhante’ s website bhantesujatha.org

Yoga and Acupuncture Workshop:
End of Summer Reset
with Ruth Ann Grant and Carrie Wilhelm

Sunday September 15, 2024 • 2:00-3:45pm • $55

Prepare for the change of seasons from summer to fall with
this restorative yoga and acupuncture workshop. Ruth Ann
Grant will lead you through a yoga class of gentle and restorative poses to soothe your body and mind while readying you for the transition to autumn and winter.

The yoga class will be complemented by an abbreviated acupuncture treatment, provided by Carrie Wilhelm of Wild
Lavender Acupuncture Clinic. Carrie will place a few single-use acupuncture needles to address and support your
unique needs and help reset your nervous system.

This workshop is for any and everybody regardless of experience
and skill level. You will deepen your understanding of how to
care for your own body and regulate your own nervous
system. We look forward to welcoming you for this beautiful
experience.

About Ruth Ann:
Ruth Ann Grant, RYT, loves that yoga has truly given her the
ability to connect her physical fitness with her mental fitness,
which allows her to fully accept her body for its achievements as well as its limitations. She uses myriad principles and techniques to practice living yoga in her daily life off the mat and hopes to share that gift with her students. Ruth Ann received her initial 200 hours of Hatha yoga training at Global Yoga in Chicago more than 20 years ago. That training as well as her continued education and experience have exposed Ruth Ann to teachers of several styles of yoga, including, Anusara, Kripalu, Astanga, Bikram, and Kundalini.
As the owner of Singing Bowl Yoga, LLC, Ruth Ann currently works with private yoga clients, including individuals, small groups, and corporations, to share yoga and meditation tools and techniques that help people of all abilities and yoga experience levels to enjoy more freedom in their bodies and lives.
In addition to yoga and meditation practices, Ruth Ann enjoys walking her dogs, biking, knitting, playing card and board games, and cooking as other healthful activities can be shared with her family and friends. Join her on her journey to live a life of more ease, peace, and
balance.

About Carrie:
Carrie Wilhelm grew up in a family of natural healthcare practitioners and has always been passionate about health and how the human body works. Carrie graduated from Northwestern Health Sciences University in Bloomington, MN, with a Master's in Oriental Medicine. Licensed by the Illinois Board of Medical Examiners, Carrie is currently practicing at Wild Lavender Acupuncture Clinic. Her specialties include treating digestive disorders, emotional imbalances, insomnia, stress reduction, and women’s health, including menstrual disorders, fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum health.

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

Rewrite Your Body Story
with Stephanie Bersh

Sunday September 22, 2024 • 1:00-3:00pm • $40

Join Stephanie Bersh, E-RTYT  200, for this two-hour transformation workshop to learn how to shed the stories that you believe about yourself.  This workshop teaches you how to recognize your worth
and why YOU matter. 

In this two-hour workshop, you will learn how to release judgment
of yourself and comparison to others, let go of the stories keeping
you stuck, change the conversation of I am not enough, and how to recognize your worth and practice radical acceptance and compassion for yourself.

You will be guided through interactive discussion, journaling prompts, and a gentle heart-opening yoga practice to process your thoughts and feelings. Leave with a deeper connection to yourself, more confidence and release the false stories you believe to be true.

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

OCTOBER 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

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