SPOTLIGHT FESTIVAL: LITTLE ROCK YOGA FESTIVAL

by iana velez | May 30, 2023 | ARTICLES, Festivals, Profiles

SPOTLIGHT FESTIVAL: LITTLE ROCK YOGA FESTIVAL

Oct 8th, 2023
Wildwood Park for the Arts, AR

FESTIVALS

❤️ Yoga Love Magazine readers
can use the code LOVEYOGAMAGAZINE
for 10% off discount on a full-day ticket❤️

Looking for something to do this Oct? 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 Cassandra Benning, Susanna Creed and Katlyne Gilliam who co-lead the Little Rock Yoga Festival at the Wildwood Park for the Arts, AR who we are thrilled to partner with! You will be able to get complimentary copies of our magazine at this festival!

What inspired you to create a festival?
Cassandra brought the Little Rock yoga community together in 2019 to plan a yoga festival for 2020. Her goal was to bring the central Arkansas yoga community together for a day of unique, one-of-a-kind yoga classes that would be co-taught by various studio owners from the region. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic that started in March 2020, Cassandra put a halt to the festival planning as she wanted the event to come to fruition naturally if it was meant to be. That is exactly what happened when Susanna Creed and Katelyne Gilliam joined her team in 2021, and the first Little Rock Yoga Festival happened in October of that year.

What makes your festival unique?
This festival is a way for all of us to come together to love and embrace our differences and similarities as teachers and practitioners, without judgment. We have such a beautiful array of experienced teachers in this city, it’s amazing. We are blessed that we can UNITE, GROW and EXPLORE together! Experience your own growth at this inspirational event. Attendees have many opportunities to grow and explore during any one of the amazing offerings, including unique yoga classes, meditations, wellness discussions, sound baths, intentional hikes, dance parties, and more! Connect with yourself and others in your community while taking advantage of the classes, enjoying the delicious local food trucks and exploring our talented vendors’ wares. Find yourself deeply immersed with inspiring and motivating presenters in an intimate, natural space with gorgeous and inspiring views of Arkansas Nature at her best! The event is housed at Wildwood Park for the Arts, which is home to Little Rock’s unique botanical gardens and Lucy Lockett Cabe Festival Theatre.

What offering/presenter or class are you most excited about for this year’s event?
We’re very excited to welcome back Embassy of Sound’s Daman Hoffman for another amazing Lakeside Sound Bath! This is always such a fan favorite! We’re excited to have several returning teachers as well as getting the chance to uplift other yoga and wellness instructors in our community.

Learn More:

Facebook: LRYogaFest
Instagram: @lryogafest
www.lryogafestival.com
Contact: grow@lryogafest.com
Tickets on sale June 1st!

❤️ Yoga Love Magazine readers
can use the code LOVEYOGAMAGAZINE
for 10% off

SPOTLIGHT FESTIVAL: INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY FEST

by iana velez | May 30, 2023 | ARTICLES, Festivals, Profiles

SPOTLIGHT FESTIVAL: INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY FEST

June 21, 2023
Carlin Park, FL

FESTIVALS

Looking for something to do this June? 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 Heather Viniar, visionary of International Yoga Day Fest (one of Sunshine Wellness Fests) taking place in Carlin Park, FLA who we are thrilled to partner with! You will be able to get complimentary copies of our magazine at this festival! The event is free for all to attend, and classes at International Yoga Day Fest are donation based, with proceeds going to Paws 4 Liberty. Here’s where to RSVP and donate

What inspired you to create a festival?
I was inspired to create a festival because I’m a connector. I connect people with their breath, with their body, and with one another. There’s nothing more fueling for me than generously listening to those around me and hearing ways I can connect them to people which miraculously just brings people together in a way that supports and benefits all.

What makes your festival unique?
What makes Sunshine Wellness Fests unique is that they create community, support local businesses, create healing, wellness, and FUN for all, and most importantly, each event gives back to a local organization that deserves a little extra love for what they do. International Yoga Day Fest 2023 is donating a portion of the proceeds to Paws 4 Liberty, a local non-profit that trains service dogs for Veterans at no cost. They are up to something so special, providing a valuable and meaningful service for the community.

We have some amazing sponsors supporting the event this year including TruWellnessMD, Bill Barbosa Photography, Collaborated Wellness Cryo, and more to be announced soon!

What offering/presenter or class are you most excited about for this year’s event?

The aspect I’m most excited for at International Yoga Day Fest 2023 is that the location the event is facing and the time of day it’s at, the sun will be setting while classes go on, especially our final class which is a community sound bath/meditation. It is going to be an incredible sight to see, and an incredible energy to experience.

SOCIAL:

IG @igniteyoursunshine
FB @igniteyoursunshine

SPOTLIGHT FESTIVAL: BHAKTI FEST

by iana velez | May 29, 2023 | ARTICLES, Festivals, Profiles

SPOTLIGHT FESTIVAL: BHAKTI FEST

September 15-17, 2023
Joshua Tree, CA

FESTIVALS

❤️ Yoga Love Magazine readers
can use the code yogalove
when they check out for a
10% discount on ticket purchases❤️

Looking for something to do this 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 Bella Silberfein, the producer of Bhakti Fest taking place in Joshua Tree, CA who we are thrilled to partner with! You will be able to get complimentary copies of our magazine at this festival!

What inspired you to create a festival?
The festival was founded in 2009 by my father, Sridhar Silberfein. The inspiration for the festival came in a meditation, the idea to create a space where people could gather in community and Bhakti to celebrate, dance, love, and dive deeper into their spiritual practice.

What makes your festival unique?
Our festival is unique because of the feeling of devotion and love that radiates from every aspect of the festival. The drug and alcohol free environment coupled with the vast array of workshops, classes, and music creates an atmosphere and experience unlike anywhere else.

What offering/presenter or class are you most excited about for this year’s event?
Too many to choose from! I am especially excited about the “Bhakti as an inclusive path for Social Enlightenment” panel hosted by Indy Singh. As well as all of the workshops in the Regenerative Village, which is a new space dedicated to teaching attendees about what it means to live a regenerative life.

Learn More:

Tickets can be purchased HERE

You can find us on social media on Facebook and Instagram .

SPOTLIGHT FESTIVAL: OM

by iana velez | May 15, 2023 | ARTICLES, Festivals

SPOTLIGHT FESTIVAL: OM

July 26th – July 30th, Arlington, Vermont

FESTIVALS

Exclusive discount code for our community: YogaLoveOM
10% off general admission tickets

Looking for something to do this July? 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 Samantha Grout, Founder of the OM festival in Arlington, VT 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?
Hi my name is Samantha Grout, I am Executive Producer and Co-Founder of The OM Festival, Experience, and Summer Retreat. I am the Founder of a wildly successful Yoga Fun Day which is The Premiere Yoga Festival in South Florida. I wanted to bring some of the magic up north to my home in Vermont and have a destination festival retreat experience take place in the mountains of Vermont.

So many people right now are elevating their level of consciousness, and yet we are so scattered all over the USA and the world. The OM Festival is intended to help all of us gather together and find our tribe. We are holding sacred space for enrichment, mindfulness, self-awareness, socialization, yoga, hiking, exploring nature, music, great food, and frankly a whole lot of fun!

What makes your festival unique?
The OM Festival is being held at The historic West Mountain Inn in Arlington, Vermont. This charming, enchanting hidden treasure of a town was once the capital of Vermont. With 150 acres of open untouched woodlands and fields, you truly feel at peace and one with nature. The Mountains are calling, it is time to go OM.

We also are having a special opening and closing ceremony at our festival that are sure to connect our tribe. Sound healing, daily hikes and tubing down the famous Battenkill River are sure to be festival attendee favorites not to mention the resident Alpaca and Goat Yoga classes that we will have going on at the event.

Now add to this all the wonderful incoming “OMers” who will be arriving. Each brings its own unique vibrant energy to the mix along with vendors, musicians, teachers, and farm-to-table cuisine all accompanied by nature exploration you cannot experience anywhere else in the world. This promises to be a one-of-a-kind, not to be missed retreat!

What offering/presenter or class are you most excited about for this year’s event?
Picking just one is next to impossible. That is like asking a parent which of their children they love the most! We are thrilled to have in our lineup, DJ Taz Rashid, DJ Ifa Halima Bumi, Jovie and The Honeysuckle, DJ Mark Longnecker, Shannon Roy, Flint Blade, Karina Skye, Shelley Herlihy, and Dana Kaplan, myself (Samantha Grout), Anthony Profeta, Janie Larmour, Jo Kirsh, Sudir Shah, Suzanne Gundersen, and Diane Rivera. We are also adding more presenters as the festival nears and there is still time to apply to teach and or perform as applications are due by April 26th 2023.

If I had to choose one, I personally am very excited about world renowned DJ Taz Rashid as one of our featured musicians. He brings a high vibrational energy to wellness and yoga events instantly with his mixed beats of love and rhythm. A mix of ancient new world, devotional, and house all in one massively powerful cosmic sound.

I am excited to dance, set my soul on fire, feel the energy of the crowd, and let the music take me away! The Mountains are Calling. Time to go OM. See for yourself in Vermont this July.

Learn More:

IG @theomfestival
FB @theomfestival
www.TheOmFestival.com

WEAVING INSPIRATION TO THE HEART

by iana velez | May 8, 2023 | ARTICLES, Yoga

WEAVING INSPIRATION TO THE HEART

By Ingrid Baquero @ingridsolbaquero

YOGA

Storytelling is a powerful tool to engage the heart.

During the Sedona Yoga Festival this past April, I had the pleasure to sit in and learn from Rachel Scott, yoga teacher trainer and professional instructional designer, through “The Art of Theming,” workshop.

In yoga, some teachers practice opening an emotional connection through dharma talk, centering students through a universal theme before the journey unfolds on the mat. The practice of dharma talk allows students to elevate their awareness and movement with a personal intention based on the theme provided by the teacher.

Rachel shares that, “Theming provides a ‘why’ for the ‘what’, which then informs the ‘how’. It provides a pathway to bring heartfelt philosophy into the physical body, and provides us with a tangible way to live our yoga – both on and off the mat.”

Weaving a theme into class might feel overwhelming, but if we take time to reflect as teachers, our everyday experiences can become relatable learnings to share with others, awakening the Shakti energy in our students beyond just the physical asana practice.

Rachel’s workshop provided a helpful process with questions to guide teachers on theming and inspiring the heart. Here’s what we learned to create a positive ripple effect through sharing our own experiences.

The Story: What’s your story? What is life teaching you right now? Reflect on a recent experience that taught you something. Share your short story, and make sure it has a relatable context for others. It must be a resolved experience. Very important! Our story is to be of service for others for positive learning.

The “AHA,” moment from an “I,” standpoint: What did I learn from this experience? Be specific on your theme. Some examples: Be Present. Listen to the Heart. Accept Surrender.

The “Find the Light,” from a “We,” perspective: How is my reflection a universal truth learning that can apply to all? We all go through similar experiences that make this theme relatable. What should we keep in mind?

The Application & Tools: How can this theme be expressed through language, mudras, poses throughout the physical or philosophical practice? Create a theme toolbox.

The Close: Reiterate your theme with a closing statement. Could be a quote, a gesture, or a closing mediation that channels your theme.

Overall, theming is a creative and meaningful way to connect with your students.

Rachel is launching several “Summer School” opportunities. Check out her 4-month long Sequencing Mentorship, the 60-Hour Program, Integral Anatomy for Yogis, or her full 300 hour YTT. To find out more, check her website and follow her on IG @rachelscottyoga.

Happy weaving!