Looking for something to do this May and Sept? We are thrilled yoga festivals are back and can’t wait to check out all the amazing events taking place around the world. This week we had a chance to connect with Brenda Cashel and Gabriella Gaona, Co-Founders/Producers of
MYPATH who we are thrilled to partner with! You will be able to pick up complimentary copies of our magazine at this festival!
What inspired you to create a festival?
We were inspired to create MYPATH due to a love for yoga and the beauty of nature and a dream to combine the two into an event that would create a healing community of safety and trust in which people can feel supported and encouraged to shine their light and find their own path.
Brenda owns the gorgeous organic farm venue in central Kentucky and Gabriella’s beautiful donation-based yoga studio is in Louisville, KY. Together we combined our talents and our connections to produce MYPATH, which is an acronym for Mindful Yoga Practice At Terrapin Hill. We wanted to bring people out of the city and into the beautiful Kentucky countryside, to step away from their regular lives and enter a world where they can focus on themselves, fine tune talents, learn new ones, and come together in a supportive, inclusive community. MYPATH has been called the place where healers come to heal, but it is open to people of all ages and no experience is necessary to attend.
We also wanted to create an opportunity for people to experience the deeper meaning of Yoga. Yoga is far more than just the Asanas (poses), which are what people generally think of when they hear the term. We wanted to introduce people to the great variety of styles, lineages, and approaches, recognizing that it’s much easier to try new things when it’s presented all in one place. When combined with the benefits of being fully immersed in nature, you have an extraordinary opportunity to connect with yourself and others.
What makes your festival unique?
MYPATH is actually more than a yoga festival and more than a yoga retreat – It brings together the wonderful aspects of both – uniquely combining the structure of a festival with the intimacy of a retreat. A great variety of classes are offered throughout each day, there’s a bonfire and drum circle every evening, and one night there is a farm-to-table community meal and a musical performance. Most attendees camp onsite and there are art installations, food vendors, merch vendors, and bodywork available.
Classes take place on stunning handbuilt stages, a comfortable pavilion, or on top of a grassy hill that overlooks surrounding farms and has amazing sunrise and sunset views. MYPATH takes place in the spring and fall of each year and is tuned into the seasons. The spring event has a fresh, outward, energetic yang energy, and the fall event has a slower, introspective, yin energy.
Each MYPATH also has a unique theme interwoven into the classes and participants are invited to reflect on the theme throughout the weekend…and discover how it relates to their own journey.
As our yoga journey deepens, we find that Yoga is a way of living…a way of being. When everything you do is supportive of your Yoga practice, then everything you do becomes Yoga. Building a fire, eating, dancing, singing, laughing…this can all be Yoga, doing whatever you do, acting from your center. Entwined into the event is the suggestion that you can take home what you learn at MYPATH and incorporate it into your everyday life.
What offering/presenter or class are you most excited about for this year’s event?
With more than a dozen talented instructors, it’s hard to pick one. There are several styles of yoga offered, plus meditations, sound healing, dance, nature walks, drumming classes, qi-gong, satsang, discussions, philosophy, kirtan, and so much more. Most classes are offered more than once during the weekend, so you can try almost all of them. There’s plenty of free time to enjoy the farm as well – wade in the river, swim or paddle-board in the spring-fed lake, enjoy evenings around the campfire under starry skies. Plus, the community meal is always delicious and a great time to connect with others and afterwards, there’s a fun local band with dancing. We honestly can’t think of one thing we’re not excited about when it comes to MYPATH!
Learn More:
Mypathfest.com
mypathfest.com/tickets
facebook.com/mypathfest
instagram.com/mypathfest