SPOTLIGHT FESTIVAL: BHAKTI FARMS YOGA FEST

by iana velez | Mar 14, 2023 | ARTICLES, Festivals, Festivals 2023, Profiles

SPOTLIGHT FESTIVAL: BHAKTI FARMS YOGA FEST

May 19-21, Covington, LA

PROFILES

FESTIVALS

Exclusive discount code for our community: LOVE20 for 20% off weekend passes

Looking for something to do this May? 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 Johnny Johnston and Caroline Williamson of the Bhakti Farms Yoga Fest in Covington, LA 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 saw an opportunity to create an annual event that brought the healing community in south Louisiana together to celebrate each other and to inspire us to continue or begin on a path to find peace through healing arts. The yoga festival was a small vision but grew larger than we could have ever expected, drawing musicians, teachers, and attendees from all over the country.

What makes your festival unique?
Our unique festival hosts a wide variety of classes and concerts throughout a three day weekend which includes camping and activities for the whole family. Bhakti Farms Yoga Fest has big festival offerings with a small town vibe.

What offering/presenter or class are you most excited about for this year’s event?
I’m most excited about Ananda Das and Max Ribner. Two incredible artists who will be interweaving themselves throughout the festival weekend lending to a very unique experience. If you haven’t met them, you’ll get a chance to.

Learn More:
Website
Instagram
Tickets

REGISTER HERE

Crystal Borup

by iana velez | Mar 13, 2023 | TEACHERS

Crystal Borup

LOCATION:

Idaho

TAGS:

Yoga
Meditation
Coaching
Retreat Leader

MEMBERSHIP:

Three memberships to choose from:

The Essential Membership
- First Month Free
- crystalborup.com/essential-plan
Soulful Living Community
- 50% Discount for up to 3 months
- Use the code: COMMUNITY-50
- crystalborup.com/community
Align with Your Soul Program
- SAVE $500
- crystalborup.com/6-month-program

CONTACT:

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.crystalborup.com

BIO:

Crystal is a teacher of spirituality, meditation, and yoga (E-RYT 500). She is a subtle energy activist, a reiki master, author of Yoga Beyond the Physical, and co-founder of the Teton Yoga Festival. She has been teaching, guiding, mentoring, and coaching students for over a decade.

Dedicated to enhancing and enriching the lives of others through soul level experiences, Crystal’s life’s work is to bring people together to experience the frequencies of love, light and truth, facilitating the expansiveness of and alignment with one’s soul. Her main focus is on her Soulful Living Retreats, online offerings, and building community.

Check out our chat with Crystal Borup, founder of Soulful Living and the Teton Yoga Festival.

FESTIVAL SPOTLIGHT: Front Range Yoga Festival 2023

by iana velez | Mar 9, 2023 | ARTICLES, Festivals, Festivals 2023, Profiles

FESTIVAL SPOTLIGHT: Front Range Yoga Festival 2023

PROFILES

FESTIVALS

Looking for something to do in 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 Rosanne Lockhart, organizer of Front Range Yoga Festival who we are thrilled to partner with! We are thrilled for this exclusive discount for our community: use Yogalove15 (Starts: 1/1/2023)

What inspired you to create a yoga festival?
Ten years ago, at the Telluride Yoga Festival, I laid in savasana while a girl with purple hair played “Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley on the harp. Before that moment I liked yoga but after that class, I knew that yoga would forever be a part of my life. Five years ago, I moved to a small town in rural Montana and shortly thereafter I got my 200 hour YTT certificate with YogaKoh and started offering classes. The town, Choteau, was so responsive and grateful to have access to yoga that I thought this would be the perfect place to host a yoga festival. It was inspired by my experience at the Telluride Yoga Festival and the apparent need for yoga in rural Montana. And plus, I just thought it would be fun to do! Choteau is also a perfect location because it sits along the inherently beautiful Rocky Mountain Front Range and it is equi-distant to Missoula, Kalispell and Bozeman.

What makes your festival unique?
The Front Range Yoga Festival aka Yoga Fest is unique because it has a very home-grown and down-to-earth essence to it. Choteau is a town of about 2,000 people and it is surrounded by mountains, farmland and ranches. When you’re here, it somehow feels like time slows down. There’s no rush, no traffic, and nothing to worry about other than choosing what class to go to next. The Yoga Fest team rents spaces throughout downtown Choteau, we turn them into studios, and then we run classes Friday through Sunday. There is a ton of class variety and all the studios are walking distance from each other. We don’t have big city amenities, but we have a few charming restaurants, great little shops, and a welcoming atmosphere. And most importantly, we offer high quality yoga classes by high quality instructors! We also like to encourage people to explore the nearby reservoirs and adventure into the mountains while you’re in town.

But what really makes this event special is the people—it’s the yogis who come back year after year, connect with one another, all while deepening their practice. It’s also the townspeople of Choteau who welcome the yogis with open arms by keeping special restaurant and shop hours to accommodate our guests. It really feels like a group of new and old friends having a yoga family reunion every 2nd weekend of June!

What offering/presenter or class are you most excited about for this year’s event?
This year I’m most excited for Jimmy Wheeler! Jimmy teaches at The Practice Power Yoga in Bozeman and I first came to know about him on Instagram back in 2019. He has a beautifully strong, graceful and creative practice. Watching him over the years has been inspirational and we are pumped to have him teach at Yoga Fest 2023!

Learn More:
@FrontRangeYogaMT

WEAVING INSPIRATION TO THE HEART

by iana velez | Mar 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!

LOVE PROFILE: NICOLE BYARS

by iana velez | Mar 6, 2023 | ARTICLES, Profiles

LOVE PROFILE: NICOLE BYARS

Founder Honest Yoga

PROFILES

As we prepare for our June release of our print issue themed LOVE, we reached out to our amazing community to share with us a few thoughts on love. Our feature celebrates Nicole, owner of Honest Yoga in Plymouth, MN. Nicole describes herself as a struggling overachiever turned yoga educator and studio owner and shares: “Not to be dramatic or anything – but yoga saved my life. If we rewind a decade you would find me struggling with an eating disorder while balancing first-time motherhood and an unhappy marriage. Yoga was ultimately what got me through that challenging time. I ended up getting my teaching certification, started training other teachers, and built Honest Yoga to be a space for all of us to heal, evolve, grow, and thrive together.”

Share with us what you love about what you do:
There is so much variety in what I do, which is why I love it! I am a yoga and barre teacher, a studio owner, a trainer, a studio cleaner, a community builder…you get the picture! Every day looks different and each day keeps me on my toes. I love being able to guide a more serious and intentional yoga class, and then crank up the music and dance in high energy barre class. Some of my days are spent working in the studio which allows me the opportunity to tap into my creativity by creating blog and social media posts. Honesty, I love the energy of the community we have created at Honest Yoga. There is a vibe that I bottle up every time I leave. It’s a vibe of light, fun, and love. It’s my home away from home.

Share with us what you have learned about LOVE:
LOVE is a big word with a lot of depth, yet it is so simple. My journey with love has been through many ups and downs. In my 20’s I was at war with myself and was seeking love outside of myself. I was looking for love anywhere but myself. My yoga practice is what opened my eyes to loving me again, which was an ever-so-slow practice and a practice that ebbs and flows. I believe that we must love ourselves wholly and unconditionally before we can truly love those around us. Every morning I wake up I say, ‘I love. I am love. I choose love.’

What inspired you to support Yoga Love Magazine?
I love Yoga Love Magazine and the editor Iana and fully support their mission to celebrate diversity, to inspire, and create community. Who wouldn’t want to support that mission! And, I love their social media page. It always makes me smile. 🙂

Learn more: thehonestyoga.com