About Essential Journey Yoga

Hello! And thank you so much for reading this first post of my Essential Journey Yoga blog!

My name is Sharon Gaughan, and I’ve been an educator of one sort or another for most of my adult life. Although born and raised in Chicago, I've spent much of my adult life living, learning, and teaching in a variety of settings and locations throughout the country and abroad. Work and family brought me back to northern Illinois, and I currently live and work in scenic Lake County.

While the specific focus of my teaching has changed through the years, the underlying spirit of my teaching has always been about living a full, but gentle life – and about living gently upon this earth.

My introduction to yoga took place during my undergrad years at the University of Montana in the mid-1980s. I’ve been a student of yoga ever since. The idea of becoming a yoga instructor floated in and out of my consciousness for years, and – when the time was right – the opportunity to craft that idea into a reality presented itself. As a yoga instructor, I teach yoga classes for adults (inspired primarily by Vinyasa Flow) – but I also specialize in teaching both kids yoga and gentle yoga for seniors – connecting with a wide spectrum of students along the yoga journey path.

My introduction to organic farming and gardening happened by accident in the mid-1990s, while I was working on my masters in Curriculum and Instruction at Penn State. To satisfy this new and growing interest, I later moved to the west coast to complete a 6-month apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture at the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at UC Santa Cruz. From these experiences, my gardening grew to include native plants, vegetables, and fruit (mostly berries) – but, from the start, my greatest joy has always come from growing and using herbs.

My introduction to essential oils naturally followed my interest in herb gardening – and after exploring various essential oils and oil companies, I became an independent distributor for Young Living Essential Oils several years ago. When appropriate to the theme of my yoga classes, I’ll often share an essential oil – and sometimes even the associated herb – with my yoga students. Engaging the olfactory sense adds yet another dimension to the yoga experience.

Essential Journey Yoga combines these three passions – yoga, herbs, and essential oils – providing me with a platform from which to share my passions and to educate others.

Thank you for joining me on this Essential Journey! Namaste!