SPOTLIGHT FESTIVAL: BULL CITY YOGA FESTIVAL

by iana velez | Mar 13, 2023 | ARTICLES, Festivals, Profiles

SPOTLIGHT FESTIVAL: BULL CITY YOGA FESTIVAL

April 29th, Durham, North Carolina

PROFILES

FESTIVALS

Looking for something to do this April? 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 Ingrid Saddler-Walker, Founder of the Bull City Yoga Festival in Durham, North Carolina 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?
What inspired me to create the Bull City Yoga Festival was that I wanted to create a yoga festival of BIPOC Yoga Teachers in Durham and the surrounding area for a day of community, to empower others for self-care, health and wellness.

What makes your festival unique?
My yoga festival is unique because of the diversity of yoga teachers that teach at our festival. Also the diversity of the different ages and the variety of yoga classes that we offer such as yoga for seniors, dance yoga, kundalini yoga, vinyasa flow, yoga for embodiment etc. We also had featured yoga teachers that are nationally and internationally known such as Dianne Bondy, Yirser Ra Hotep, Michelle Johnson and Faith Hunter.

What offering/presenter or class are you most excited about for this year’s event?
I am excited about the entire spring festival, we have new teachers that will be offering new classes. I am also excited about the location where we will have the Spring and Fall Yoga Festival this year. The festivals will be located at the ZincHouse Winery and Brewery located in Durham, NC.

Learn More:
Facebook and Instagram: Bullcityyogafestival
Website: www.bullcityyogafestival.com

REGISTER HERE

SPOTLIGHT FESTIVAL: HEALTHYMAINE EXPO

by iana velez | Mar 12, 2023 | ARTICLES, Festivals, Profiles

SPOTLIGHT FESTIVAL: HEALTHYMAINE EXPO

May 6-7, Portland Maine Expo

PROFILES

FESTIVALS

Looking for something to do this May? We are thrilled yoga festivals and wellness events 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 Steve Woods, president of Promerica Health and founder of the HealthyMaine Expo who we are thrilled to partner with! You will be able to pick up complimentary copies of our magazine at this event!

What inspired you to create this event?
As a company committed to Maine’s health, we want to educate our community on the many ways Mainers can contribute to their health and well-being. There are so many wonderful local businesses and organizations committed to the healthspan, we felt it was a critical time to bring these groups together to celebrate a commitment to a healthy Maine.

What makes your event unique?
The HealthyMaine Expo will feature six distinct categories of offerings that will showcase the variety of ways Mainers can engage in healthy living. We will be administering an assortment of complimentary wellness screenings for our guests. Additionally, the Expo will also feature a center stage with ongoing presentations and demonstrations throughout the day, a KidZone, Food Trucks and much more!

What offering/presenter or class are you most excited about for this year’s event?
We are most excited about the expo’s multidisciplinary approach and the large variety of exhibitors that will be featured – there is truly something for everyone. Our presenting sponsors, Restore Hyperwellness, SerenityMe and L.L.Bean will certainly have great attractions that you won’t want to miss. As we all adjust to a post-COVID-19 world, there is a clear need and public interest in taking active preventative health/wellness steps – instead of just illness mitigation. We believe that the HealthyMaine Expo is an ideal platform to share this important reality through experiences, demonstrations, and dialogue.

Learn More:
HealthyMaine Expo Facebook page
HealthyMaine Expo on Instagram
HealthyMaine Expo on Twitter

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

LOVE PROFILE: KIMBERLY ALEXANDRESCU

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

LOVE PROFILE: KIMBERLY ALEXANDRESCU

Founder Sacred Space Astoria

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

Kim is the owner of Sacred Space Astoria. A chakra-based yoga teacher since 2012, Kim is also a reiki master, Urban Zen Integrative Therapist, intuitive reader and end-of-life companion. Her scientific background and clinical research experience gives her a uniquely grounded approach to yoga and energy work. Born in Michigan, she’s made Astoria her home since 2006, raising her three children in the neighborhood she so dearly loves.

Share with us what you love about what you do:
I love the connections that Sacred Space Astoria, the yoga studio and healing space I own, provides for both the community and myself. Being in a safe space where we can show up authentically as ourselves and feeling held is so crucial for growth and healing. The feeling I get from meaningful connections and conversations while I’m fully in my body and open-hearted after a yoga practice, reiki session or providing death support is unparalleled!

Share with us what you have learned about LOVE:
When we can show up fully as who we are without risk of judgment, magic can unfold. In my end-of-life work, it quickly became clear that my only job was to show up and unconditionally love the person who was dying; seeing, hearing and supporting their process was all that was needed. Simply put, my presence is enough; I am enough. That understanding facilitated more healing than I can put to words.

What inspired you to support Yoga Love Magazine?
I love to read, and I love the practice of yoga! I’m also a big proponent of supporting small businesses/operations, especially when they are female-run. I think it’s important to be active in AND support our community, so becoming a sponsor of the magazine was an easy choice!

Learn more: www.sacredspaceastoria.com

Festival Spotlight: Catskill Mountain Yoga Festival

by iana velez | Jan 24, 2023 | ARTICLES, Festivals, Profiles

Festival Spotlight: Catskill Mountain Yoga Festival

PROFILES

FESTIVALS

Looking for something to do this Summer? 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 Raegan Reed, founder and coordinator for the Catskill Mountain Yoga Festival who we are thrilled to partner with this July 22, 2023 (Rain Date July 23, 2023). Learn more about the festival here and pick up your FREE copy of Yoga Love Magazine at the event!

What inspired you to create a festival?
Several years ago Northface reached out to me to see if I would host a yoga retreat at Plattekill, for their employees. I was so excited. In the end, the weather turned bad and the company canceled their retreat. I was disappointed, but it gave me the idea to start offering special “Yoga on the Mountain “ classes in the summertime. People would get to ride the lift to the deck at the top of the mountain and I would lead yoga classes there.

Soon after that, I had people contacting me about bachelorette parties and morning yoga before their weddings. It was pretty cool and I thought, hmm…I’ve got something special here! Then I got thinking about all the amazing yoga instructors right here in upstate NY. We are so lucky to have so many amazing teachers here and people were loving the yoga on the mountain classes. My classes always sold out

Another part of this story includes my past as a yoga, dance and fitness instructor.I own The Cardio Club and Delhi Dance Studio. For a decade I would go to these large dance and fitness conventions in NYC or Philadelphia. I loved them and I would take classes all day! It was a dream come true! I thought that someday I would like to create something like this for my community.

I also do a lot of fundraising and events for my community. I am the chairperson for the Delhi Children’s Christmas Fund, I was the founder and president of the Catskill Ladies Association to support and inspire for ten years, the president of the Greater Delhi Area Chamber of commerce for four years and one of the founding members and President of the Delaware Academy PTA. Through these organizations I have gained knowledge and strength in event planning. I love working with my community, bringing joy to people and connecting people too! This helped me find my way as a festival coordinator.

Long story short, after the yoga on the mountain classes were such a big hit, I decided to take a leap of faith and host a yoga festival at Plattekill mountain. The first festival was scheduled for July 2020, then rescheduled for September 2020 when Covid hit. Of course, the September event never happened either. It was the height of covid and people were afraid to gather! we had to cancel the event for 2020, which was pretty devastating, but we bounced back and brought on the fun in July 202, the event was a success! Everyone loved it!! We grew and were even better in 2022 and plan to be the best fest yet in 2023! All of our Catskill Yoga Fest community love us as much as we love them! They keep bringing back more friends and family to join in the fun! We hope that rings true for 2023 too!!

What makes your festival unique?
We bring together instructors from all over the country, but many of these amazing folks reside right in New York State! There were so many amazing instructors in the area. I knew I had to bring them together! Another highlight of the fest is its location. It is located at Plattekill Mountain Ski Center. There is a deck at the mountaintop, which is a special place to practice yoga! It is a humbling experience. Participants ride the lift up to the top and get to practice in the clouds! We have classes for every BODY! Everything from restorative yoga, to focus on inversions, aerial yoga, yoga trapeze and everything in between! We have a hike led by the president of the Catskill Mountain Club, an amazing vendor village, awesome workshops, practitioners and plant walks too!

What offering/presenter or class are you most excited about for this year’s event?
It is hard to highlight just one! All the instructors are unique and bring something very special to the fest! We could not do it without them! Kelly Kamm, a world renowned Yogi, will be headlining the fest with her Mythical Vinyasa and fun, quirky style!

www.catskillmountainyogafestival.com
@catskillmountainyogafestival
www.thecardioclub.com

FESTIVAL SPOTLIGHT: Front Range Yoga Festival 2023

by iana velez | Nov 29, 2022 | ARTICLES, Festivals, 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