Chant at Bhakti Love Reunion in September

Bhakti is the Yoga of Devotion. It is often defined as the Yoga of Love. One of the most visible ways that this is practiced in the world is through music. But not just any music. Chanting. Ecstatic singing. The repetition of the names of the divine with celebratory melodies, often with Sanskrit mantras. With the repetition of call and response between musicians and audience known as kirtan. There is a certain joyous ecstasy to the practice of Bhakti. It is not performance but participation. It is community. It is love. The Bhakti Love Reunion, a brand-new festival bringing Bhakti to life, is an in-person explosion and expression of Bhakti.

During the months and years of pandemic-driven isolation, the festivals that have become part of the expression of yoga in the modern world took different forms. Live-streamed sessions, virtual festivals, people chanting at home.

Joss Jaffe (Kirtan artist) and Johanna Beekman

The Magic of Bhakti Love Reunion

The new festival, Bhakti Love Renunion creators and producers Kenneth Schwenker and Johanna Beekman both embody the values of devotion and community. Kenneth is one of the founders of the first Bhakti Fest, held in 2009 in Joshua Tree, California. Of that groundbreaking event, Kenneth reflects that is was the first festival of its kind to unite many spiritual lineages and practices. In addition, he has put his devotion into action through his work producing many other festivals, including Leaders Causing Leaders and One Love Festival, as well as numerous feature films. Johanna Beekman is a prolific artist, musician, producer, and teacher. She describes herself as a pollinator, traveling the country sharing fairy dust through the magic of song, practice, and community. Johanna’s love of and dedication to collaboration is evident in how she talks about the magic in planning this festival, the Bhakti Love Reunion.

The two of them describe their meeting and connecting around this endeavor as being guided by angels. They reference the magical things that can happen in the cross-pollination of in-person gatherings. There was a bit of magic that came through in finding the location where the Bhakti Love Reunion will be held.

Bhakti Love Reunion Offers a Rejuvenate Festival Experience

The Native Springs Oasis in Weldon, California is at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The sacred land contains a stream and a pond. And there are natural mineral hot springs around 20 minutes away along the nearby Kern River. A couple of hours outside of Los Angeles, the location is accessible from Southern, Central, and Northern California, on land that is welcoming and provides a venue for resetting attendee’s nervous systems as well as recharging and restoring. The event itself will include rituals honoring the land, the water, and the hot springs. Johanna and Kenneth feel that they are offering everyone an open invitation to their second home. This home, this oasis, offers an escape from the cities, the routines of daily life, into a portal of practice. The land itself features plenty of camping and glamping, while nearby hotels and motels are also available.

The heart of it all, the love itself, it found through the practices of Bhakti, of devotion. Through the repetition of song, of mantra, of sharing our voices.

During the festival itself, Johanna describes a schedule that will include an arc or flow of energy throughout a daily cycle, reminiscent of at the rhythm or sequences of a yoga practice. Yoga classes and workshops will be held each morning, allowing people to prepare physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually for the heart opening of the chanting later in the day. “All of the energy will go to the main stage at night.” The invitation of the divine feminine and the gathering of diverse voices from the community are seen on the schedule as a whole, both in classes and workshops, as well as on the main stage.

Sianna Sherman and Masood Ali Kahn

Sacred Practices on Sacred Land

In the schedule, the weekend programming includes topics such as a panel on diversity in yoga. Every evening, sacred fire ceremonies will be held around the fire pit. Each morning, attendees can drop into yoga classes or Breathwork, and can flow throughout the day and night between learning, healing breathing, and moving, interwoven in with the restorative power of sound before everyone gathers at the main stage. Of course, nutritious food, a conscious marketplace, and healers, will all be part of the immersive festival experience.

One of the essential parts of Bhakti Love Reunion is the creation of a family-friendly atmosphere. For example, teacher and musician Reya Manna will be leading the Kids’ Tent, where a safe place for kids will include the “Sing the World Awake” practices for kids.

A familiar list of artists and teachers sharing the love at Bhakti Love Reunion include the following. C.C. White Soul Kirtan, Donna DeLory, Kamini Natarajan, Masood Ali Khan, Sianna Sherman, Saul David Raye, David Newman, Larisa Stowe, Girish, J Brave, DPAK, Joss Jaffe, Nandhiji, Leeza and Humberto Villagomez, Ben Leinbach, Jai Anand, Evan Perman, Annmarie Soul, Reya Manna, Cheri Rae, Manoj Chalam Mashi, Cooper Ladnier, Fantuzzi, Girish, Michael Hathaway, Butter Thieves, Heart Medicine, Dahveed Haribol Das, and more.

From the morning practices, to community yoga classes, to honoring the land, to chanting together as the sun sets, the Bhatki Love Reunion, will truly offer a welcome reunion, gathering a community longing to come together on sacred land in California. The festival as a whole offers a living practice of how we can bring the sacred in so many forms into our daily lives. This is the event we need now, for our collective sacred journey.

Attend Bhakti Love Reunion

Learn more and buy your tickets now at: bhaktilove.com.

Felicia M. Tomasko

Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.

www.blissnetwork.com

The post Bhakti Love Reunion: New Sacred Festival in California appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Attend the Conscious Life Expo February 4 – 7

At this point in time, it is more important than ever for us to connect to whatever allows us to be our best selves, living our best lives, finding community, and experiencing health and well-being. These are also times during which we may be experiencing some of the greatest challenges of our lifetime. The Conscious Life Expo has long been an event and a place where people can come together and explore the edges of consciousness, learn more about energy and experience, partake in the healing arts, and discover things that aren’t easily available anywhere else.

Here are 10 reasons to attend the Conscious Life Expo for one lecture or the entire weekend, February 4 through 7.

1. Inspiring Speakers and Workshop Leaders

Attend Innovative and thoughtful workshops that you won’t find anywhere else. Cultivate sacred sisterhood with Britt Lynn and Hanna Lena Christenson. Learn how to shield and protect your energy. Experience medical mediumship readings with Kimberly Meredith.

2. Free Lectures

Learn about self-healing from a variety of perspectives in the Conscious Life Expo Free Lecture Series. Self-healing, mastering your self, psychedelic integration, medicinal mushrooms and more. Discover how to chose the right diet, practice Chi Gong, and find tools to transform grief, work as a conscious entrepreneur, and tune into the awakening of the divine feminine.

3. Celebrate After Hours

Stay late and imbibe in a Cacao Ceremony and After Hours Experience with an Aura Sound Bath and Embodiment followed by Dancey Downtempo House and Elixir Cocktails!

4. Heal Yourself with Delicious Food

Nourish your body as well as your mind and spirit. Plant-based artisan food from Jummee; warming Chakra Chai, delicious Indian vegetarian from Samosa House, vibrationally active water from Starfire Water, Gaia Tree Teas & Treats, and Auraganic Juicery.

5. Euphoria Fashion Show w/ Conscious Fashion Brands

Be inspired to wear clothing that expresses your most authentic self with brands that are dedicated to making a positive impact. Clothing lines at the Euphoria Fashion Show include Starseed Squad, Namaslay Collective, The Way of the Hand, and more. Show up on Saturday, February 5 at 4:00 PM.

6. Extensive Hispanic Program

In person and online, Spanish language programming and events at Conscious Life Expo widen the availability and accessibility of the teachings and teachers.

7. Connect with Community

We need to surround ourselves with like-minded people who will lift us up and support our ability to be our best selves. Whether you connect with the person next to you at a workshop or lecture, or you meet someone in the hallways, find your community while attending the expo. We need community now more than ever.

8. Conscious Shopping

One of the greatest reasons to attend the Conscious Life Expo in person is to visit the Exhibit Hall. There are some things that we don’t always find in an internet search. Visiting the exhibit hall allows you to discover new and cutting- edge products offered by conscious entrepreneurs. You can support small businesses and artisans. Visit the Exhibit Hall to find solutions for how to live well in the world today.

9. Expo’s Got Talent!

See the Expo teachers, speakers, thought-leaders, and community members showcase their talents in the Expo’s Got Talent show on Saturday night!

10. Livestream Tickets are Available!

If you can’t make it in person….Livestream Tickets are Available for Main Stage speakers, allowing you to tune in from home or even gift attendance to the Conscious Life Expo to far-away friends.

Learn More about the Conscious Life Expo and Buy Tickets! 

Felicia M. Tomasko

Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.

www.blissnetwork.com

The post 10 Reasons to go to the Conscious Life Expo appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Family-Friendly Zen Fest West

Zen Fest West debuted in April 2021 on several hundred acres of private land located at Harrison Serenity Ranch on Palomar Mountain in the Cleveland National Forest of San Diego. Zen Awakening Festival is a small intimate festival experience which began in Florida in 2014, expanded to California in 2021, and will soon be debuting in Japan.

In stark contrast from many music festivals, Zen Fest is rooted in a no-alcohol, no-drugs policy. This is a wonderful respite for this single mama attending with her almost-teen daughter. Zen Fest was our fourth festival experience. In previous years we’ve attended Lightning In A Bottle (LIB), and although LIB created as safe a space as possible for families, there were always areas from whom I had to steer my daughter away from, or folks whose behavior I had to “explain.” At Zen Fest, nothing of this sort happened.

We were delightfully surprised by the community and made a bunch of new friends. In our downtime, we explored the surrounding area. Doing so, we learned a bit of the history of the sacred Pauma land and of Nate Harrison, a former African-American slave born into slavery in the 1830s who began homesteading on Palomar Mountain in 1893 and lived until almost 100 years old!

Origins of Zen Fest West

The origins of Zen Fest arise from a vision Everett Chin received in meditation after returning home from traveling the world.

Everett is a former high-end corporate event planner. His resume includes more than 25 years in the entertainment industry as well as becoming a member of the Rosicrucian Order. Everett describes Zen Fest as an experience of positive triggers that awakens our inner intuition and guidance. “This positive trigger process helps guide people through their personal Zen Awakening, and onto their true path in this incarnation. When the vision came, says Everett, “I was ready to play my part in helping this planet shift to a higher state of consciousness.” Everett describes his life mission as to “help the species evolve into something that we’re meant to be: spiritual, awakened beings that are here to make a beautiful world, instead of destroying it.”

Zen Fest distinguishes itself in that it’s rooted in facilitating a spiritual awakening through the visceral experience of a transformational festival. As a long-time festival-goer, Everett had a clear sense of which elements he wanted to craft and which to eschew. The path was not easy. “I’ve definitely had a lot of ups and downs in the last eight years. It’s been a challenge, and sometimes I question why I’m doing it. If I weren’t guided to it, I wouldn’t be doing this.”

And yet, so often, we hear people say, ‘Oh, I just had a sudden awakening. I just had my awakening! You hear that a lot,” he smiles. “And that makes it all worth it.”

Zen Fest Arrival & Centering

After a short drive of about 3,500 feet up Palomar Mountain to Harrison Serenity Ranch, my daughter and I were greeted by the cheerful Zen Fest Welcome Team. We immediately felt the energy of this quiet, serene, camping-like environment Zen Fest provided, vastly different from experiences I’ve had with dense lighting, massive installations, and constant booming bass.

In contrast, Zen Fest at night is relatively dark. In fact, there was very little lighting at all. The spaces felt like an intimate camping experience with several hundred people spaced out in beautifully crafted areas of interaction. The effect is deliberate, explains Everett, “At night, we don’t do a lot of lighting because we want people to look up at the stars. And the music shuts off at 12 or 12:30am, to give people time to integrate, to just be, to have a connection with nature and themselves.”

Exploring Camp

Our first night at Zen Fest felt like entering a mystical magical foggy paradise. Almost everything was covered in a haze of moisture. We explored Central Camp, which offered places to sit and eat, art, craft, as well as clothing vendors and food. The main food vendor that weekend was the amazing Larry Molina, of Totality Kitchen, whose creative, heartfelt, nourishing vegetarian cuisine warmed our bodies and souls.

Zen Fest featured a single music stage, set in a natural amphitheater which allowed for plenty of space to move freely and not feel constricted. The pathway to the Amphiteatre wandered through several mindfully cultivated spaces. One of our favorites was the recently constructed Labyrinth!

As my daughter and I walked back to our camp that first night, a car slowly inched into camp. It was just after midnight, and no one was manning the entrance. I walked up and offered to text message the driver my festival map, so she could find her camp. We started talking and I learned that her name was Stara Being, and she had driven all the way from Oregon to attend the festival.

A gorgeous costume hung on the passenger seat beside her. It was her Empress Stara character. A “being from a different dimension that travels the world doing dance prayers to assist in the consciousness shift happening in humanity.” Empress Stara debuted in David Starfire’s musical set on Saturday night with a sweet, mystical dance whose beauty reflected the energy that Stara spoke of, a brightness of spirit that saturated our weekend.

Ashtanga Yoga at Zen Fest

By next morning, the fog had lifted and gorgeous views of the valley greeted us. I decided to greet the morning with Ashtanga Yoga, which was taking place on a beautiful outdoor deck tucked in a grove of Oak trees just past the Pyramid and the Aerial dome.

Jason Barniske, a lifetime Ashtangi who studied exclusively under Tim Miller, led the morning class. Jason carries a warm, confident and encouraging energy. He describes yoga as a life-saving practice, “Something that continues to save me from myself, helps me evaluate all the decisions I make and be a better person, every single day.”

“Teaching in the clouds was a glorious experience,” continued Jason. “You could understand why the Paumu people were called the Cloud People, because all you could see just were these islands, which were mountain peaks, surrounded by clouds.”
In addition to Ashtanga, Jason is a Hape´ practitioner and offered several different Hape’ ceremonies that weekend to approximately 200 folks. Jason describes Hape’ as a powdered tobacco mixture with Palo Santo and some other herbs. It’s a medicine that “helps you clear out and open your energy, activate your pineal gland, and really tune into yourself and release. It also helps emotional release.” Hape’ is often combined with a breathing practice “which helps activate the medicine more and release what’s already inside of us.”

Conscious Kids Camp

Natural Tie-Dye

Our next adventure led us to the Conscious Kids Camp, for a tie-dye workshop led by Chandra Mukhi Devi Dasi, a lovely 10-year-old-girl and her parents. Chandra’s mom, Vrsabhanu Nandini Devi Dasi, or Bhanu, for short, helped co-lead the workshop, which featured natural tie-dying by using the water of a boiled red cabbage, lemon juice, and baking soda.

My daughter had an amazing time tie-dying, and right away, made a friend for the weekend. I was so impressed with the beautiful creations the kids came up with, I asked Bhanu to share her the recipe:

Recipe – Cabbage Water Tie Dye

One head of red cabbage, chopped and boiled until water is deep purple and cabbage turns mostly pale, about an hour.
Split into three containers.
While cabbage is boiling, prime clothing with half water and half white vinegar in advance by placing in a bowl for about an hour.
Wring out the clothing and lay flat.

Now you’re ready to tie-dye!
Add lemon juice to change the color to pink (acidic).
Add baking soda to turn the color to blue (basic.)

Sacred Henna Workshop: Crowns of Courage

My daughter later joined another workshop, a Sacred Henna Tattoo experience led by Amanda Joy Gilbert, the founder of Henna Crowns of Courage, a non-profit which offers Henna as Art Therapy for people undergoing cancer. The Zen Fest version of this workshop incorporated connecting one-on-one, sharing life dreams and visions, and henna tattooing as a form of visually and energetically manifesting those visions into reality. As Amanda led the workshop, I could see the light and joy in each participant’s eyes. I asked her to share a bit more about her path and journey.

“I used to deal with a lot of panic attacks and anxiety. When I started doing this art form, I became aware. I started connecting to my subconscious thoughts and realized how rude I was being to myself. I realized that I needed to tap in. So I breathed again. I started to love myself and decided, do I want to keep going down that route? Or do I want to shift my mindset from fear to love?”

The path of self-awareness is one that many disregard as unsustainable and filled with fear of an uncertain future. Amanda described her fear of leaving her regular 9-5 job (one that she didn’t like), and of making money as a henna tattoo artist. All that fear was simply fear, she smiled, “I’m making more money than I ever made at my job. I’m able to travel the world and share what I love with people. And I’m happy!”

Manifesting Miso…and Friendship

Saturday late afternoon, and the sun shone magically upon us. All of a sudden, I knew I needed a little cat-nap and decided to lay down in the grass. As rays of warmth bathed my body, I mused, “Ya know what, honey? I’d really love some miso soup right now.”??“But mom, there’s no miso soup. Larry has curry today, not miso.”??“I know,” I answered with a dreamy smile, “but I bet we can manifest some miso.”
My daughter practically rolled her eyes.

“Come on, honey,” I said, and urged her to lie down next to me.

“This works all the time at Burning Man. Why not, here, as well? Let’s think about what miso soup tastes like… mmmm… salty… warm… little bits of tofu and seaweed…can you taste it?” I asked her.

She nodded.

“Let’s close our eyes and really taste it.” We did, and after a few moments, sat back up.

Not even 15 minutes later, a friendly face pops up behind us and sits down. She commented on how “sweet’ we looked together, mother and daughter. My daughter started telling her a bit about us, and mentioned how I really wanted some miso soup. This woman’s eyes LIT up. “I have miso soup! Back at my camp! In fact, I brought some and didn’t really know why I brought some. I’m not a huge fan of miso, but I figured, why not?”
She laughed. “I must have brought it for you!”
Kaia turned to me and relayed the whole conversation. “Mom! We manifested some miso!!!”

Our new friend headed back to her camp and returned shortly thereafter with a packet of, no joke, organic miso soup powder. In return, I offered her a few squares of our favorite Vegan Paleo chocolate bar. Her eyes lit up in return as she told my daughter, “Oh my gosh, this is my favorite chocolate in the world! It’s the only one I eat.”
Viola! Manifestation complete!

Our weekend included so many of these magical moments…almost too many to count. We kept running into the same beautiful souls, like Joshua Lozada, who graced Center Camp with his singing talent and fire spinning. And Tree…yup, that’s right – Tree, who says that he gave himself that nickname “because I’m 7’3” and because I try to stay very grounded and in the moment.” Tree has attended every single Zen Awakening Fest in Florida, and flew all the way to San Diego to attend the CA Zen Fest debut. I later asked Tree to pose in the grove of trees. Notice the sunbeams, bathing his body in light!

But the most amazing soul I met, without a doubt, was Chief Blackfox of the Lakota Tribe: Wisdom Keeper, speaker and spiritual leader at Zen Fest, and great great grandson of Chief Crazy Horse, the famous war leader who took up arms against the United States Federal Government to fight against encroachment by the white American settlers.

The first time I interacted with Chief Blackfox happened while laying down for a little nap in the sunshine in the amphitheater, just before my daughter and I manifested our magical miso soup!

My daughter was making rainbow loom bracelets to trade/offer by donation, and I needed a few minutes of rest. I had just laid down next to her on the grass when a kind soul offered up his blanket for me to lay down. I graciously accepted. Part of me wondered if this was Chief Blackfox, but since we were both in the moment of relaxing in nature, I let the moment just be.

I had the honor and pleasure to sit with Chief Blackfox in a drum circle the following afternoon. In between drumming, gazing at nature and sharing, he spoke of Life, the World and Consciousness. The warmth and wisdom in his eyes couples with a strength of spirit that I don’t see in many humans.

Chief Blackfox

I asked Chief Blackfox, “How did you become a part of Zen Fest?”

“Everett asked me to speak at one of his events. He’d heard about me and how I turn people’s lives around and help them. I’ve been with him ever since.”

“Ever since then I’ve been talking about the water, the earth, the air, how to protect Mother Earth, how to live with Mother Earth, how to be connected with the animals, how to learn to speak to them again. The animals were our teachers, and when our identity got taken away by the government, we lost our ability to connect to the earth again.”??“Some of us, like myself, didn’t go to school. I only have an eighth grade education, but I have more education than most people because I have the encyclopedia of the Universe, which is the heaven, the earth and the connection between it all. I am able to connect to the rocks, the trees and the animals because we all have the same DNA. I teach people how to be connected to and how to live in harmony, because right now, we need it.”

What would you say to someone who wishes to start on this path?

“It’s better to listen than to ask questions, because if you listen, those questions that you’ve been asking for might come with listening. If you just sit there, you will understand, you will hear the answer.”??He paused for a long time…

“But a lot of people don’t want to listen. They just want to ask questions.”

“The Lakota people believe that we come from the Lightning and Thunder people,” continued Chief Blackfox. ??“God first made the Heaven, and then he created all the animals and all the creatures. Then he made the man and woman.”

“He began by starting a tree on fire. It was alongside this hill, like this mountain here. And then the mud starts rolling down, and that tree rolled with it. And then the ashes and the wood came together. So God used this lightning to put that energy into a body, which made the man and woman.”

“A lot of people are confused about the Creator and Mother Earth because they confuse between the male and the female aspects. But your whole body – half of it (he points to the Right side) is the male. And this side (he points to the Left side) is the female. You’re gifted with both of that.”

“Early men and women only made groaning noises, and ate nothing but fruit. Pretty soon they started eating vegetables. After that, they began to eat meat. Soon after, the animals connected to the humans, and showed them how to be human beings by giving them the language, and that’s where we came from.

So in your beliefs, the animals gave humans language?

“Yeah, that’s how we used to talk to them. We used to understand them. But the government took away that identity from us. And we’re just learning how to speak to them again.”

Chief Blackfox’s words hung deep in my heart…

It was true: only by learning how to speak to the animals, how to listen to the wind, the trees, and the clouds, how to communicate with all of this Creation, could we rebuild our true place as caretakers and co-inhabitants of this beautiful Earth, and as sovereign beings, independent of the influences of materialism and greed.
The path to sovereignty begins with knowing oneself, knowing one’s connection to Nature, Source and Consciousness and recognizing one’s identity and history so that we are able to know ourselves and feel confident in our inner voice and intuition.

Sovereignty is a power that arises from within, and yet is often activated via contact with others, or from without.

We exist on this planet not as digital blow dryers, spouting ideas into the void, but as sentient beings who require connection, contact, joy and experience in order to grow, and to be stimulated into the fullest expression of ourselves. The last 14 months have been extraordinarily challenging for most folks: distanced, hidden, and alone.

This is not our true nature. We need each other.

The power of the human spirit is fed in community, in contact with others, and as life begins to open back up again, in small, incremental amounts, we are gifted with the opportunity to seek out this communion, based on a core understanding that this life involves interacting with others as much as it involves living in one’s own mind.

Yogis and mystics enjoy diving deep into philosophical questions, like, “Why did my soul come here? What is my Divine Life purpose or mission?”

Yet we so often ignore the simple answers that nature and human connection gift us. The ancient texts remind us that our state of attachment is strong because we are in denial of our basic selves, our wholeness, our connection to the All. We live in suffering because we live in Maya, or illusion, and only when we realize that we are all from the same source, everything else, all of our worries, anxieties and even fears, simply fall apart.

As Chief Blackfox speaks of listening, of connecting, of being one with Nature again, I realize that this is his people’s gift to us, the Wisdom Traditions of long ago that must be honored and remembered once again.

Returning Home

Driving off the mountain that Sunday provided a continued space for reflection, laughter and joy. Even amidst the flow of freeway traffic, people and cellphones, both my daughter and I felt energized, warm and at peace.

Being around others of like mind is so healing to the spirit. I encourage us all to remember and to seek out community, joy and conscious gatherings, especially ones in nature and that honor the essence of Life within us All.

Thank you, Zen Awakening Festival.

WC:3211

Aria Morgan

Aria Morgan is a yoga teacher, doula and music lover who finds inspiration in nature: ariamorgan.com.

www.ariamorgan.com

The post Awakening In the Forest: Zen Fest West 2021 appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Join One Love Fest for Music & More in May, 2021

Connection. It’s a basic human need that offers us feelings of being understood, seen, and loved. It’s a bond that helps us relate to one another and is one of the most rewarding elements in life. I believe that transformational festivals like One Love Fest create a pathway for this powerful exchange.

When can we actually attend a festival again? The time is now! Although many of the capstone events of the transformational festival community are not hosting live events in 2021, there is one conscious gathering that will be inviting attendees this Memorial Day weekend.

One Love Fest Invites Attendees to Arizona

One Love Fest will take place May 28-31, 2021. This year’s location is just an hour south of Las Vegas in Dolan Springs, Arizona. It will be the highly anticipated event we’ve all been waiting for — yoga, music, art, and you guessed it: powerful human connection.

The festival will abide by current COVID-19 guidelines. Every concert attendee is required to wear a mask at entry. It’s also advised that everyone keep a mask on them at all times, and to respect personal space and boundaries. If someone requests that you wear a mask, then you put on your mask! (Do note that Arizona is a mask-free state.) Although it certainly is a different approach to connecting with others, it’s also an opportunity to be transparent and communicative with our needs. And that right there, is authenticity, compassion and love at its very core.

Meaning and Connection found at Transformation Festivals

One of the most meaningful experiences I have had at a transformational festival is when I was teaching yoga with my camp at Burning Man. As we were in downward facing dog, an intense dust storm came through, practically knocking us all over! Although I was concerned with how it might affect things, I was pleasantly surprised to find everyone laughing and helping each other up. There was absolutely zero judgment amongst complete strangers. It was in that moment when I realized that there was so much love, acceptance and… connection. What I personally miss, as I’m sure many others do, is this type of magic that can only be felt at a transformational gathering. I crave those moments of unity in intimate settings, spirituality, movement, and freedom in a community of other like-minded individuals.

The Power of Love

“Love is the most powerful thought in the universe,” says One Love’s founder, Kenneth Schwenker. It’s refreshing to hear such a relatable statement from someone who truly understands the need for strengthening community, especially after such a difficult year.
Kenneth, who has a long and storied career in the transformational space, has always held a special place in his heart for immersive experiences where there is a shared love for connection, music, movement, and creativity. Where you can safely arrive “home,” peel back the superficial layers, and ultimately reveal to one another that we are all beautifully the same on the inside.

Good Vibrations!

As a festival go-er and yoga teacher myself, I’ve always appreciated the vibrations that arise from these types of festivals. These events offer numerous moments for us to explore, self heal, learn, and fully embrace our expressive freedom. Festivals allow us to do all this and feel safe and confident in a place of non-judgement and compassion.

Attend One Love Fest

One Love Fest will feature a full complement of music with genres ranging from house to kirtan. There will be multiple stages featuring well-known artists such as as Mikey Lion from Desert Hearts, Paul Oakenfield, and Desert Dwellers. The festival will have us all excited and dancing free under the moonlight! There will be various yoga classes, food venders, workshops, and camping on-site.

Interested in attending this weekend adventure? Visit onelovefest.com for ticket information. Check out One Love Fest’s FAQ Page for any questions you may have leading up to the event.

Kimmy Saracino

Kimmy is an integrative health coach, actress, voice over artist, and world traveling yoga instructor. Her various interests have led her to many opportunities in connecting with clients all over the country. She specializes in mind-body wellness for even the busiest of travelers. Based in Portland, Oregon, Kimmy continues to teach both online and in the studio with “Yoga On Yamhill.”  For more information, or to work directly with Kimmy, please visit her online:

kimmysaracino.com

yogaonyamhill.com/kimmy-saracino

IG: @kimmy.saracino

www.kimmysaracino.com

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If You are Ready for Spiritual Change, Rythmia is Ready for You

“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” There’s truth in that ancient saying, but it doesn’t mean that a white-robed guru will come knocking on your door. Readiness for spiritual change is an internal experience. It can happen to anyone at any time, regardless of external factors. Age, race, gender, or financial status don’t matter. People just know it when they feel it.

One such person who felt ready for that change is a major figure in the entertainment industry. After years of awards and public recognition, he had developed an edgy, ready-for-anything reputation. But one day, he knew that he was ready – really ready — for something more. That’s when he made his way to Rythmia Life Advancement Center in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Along with all the amenities of a five-star resort, Rythmia provides a carefully thought-out combination of plant medicine ceremonies and other personal development resources and opportunities. Visitors include lawyers, doctors, entrepreneurs, university professors, and a diverse selection of people from around the world who are ready for personal transformation. Overall, 93.26% of Rythmia guests report a life-changing miracle during their stay.

Transformation at Rythmia

A stay at Rythmia begins with a comprehensive medical exam, followed by a series of discussions on what to expect from the plant medicine known as ayahuasca, and from the Rythmia experience as a whole. The discussions are led by Gerard Armond Powell, Rythmia’s founder.

Gerry has a clear vision of what Rythmia can be. He says, “In the right setting, with the right preparation and supervision, ayahuasca — plant medicine — can literally revolutionize people’s lives. I’ve seen it happen hundreds of times at Rythmia, so I want to make that experience available to as many people as possible. All kinds of people, because diversity is extremely important to me. We’re reaching out to communities that wouldn’t ordinarily come to a place like Rythmia. That means black and brown communities in America and around the world. Making Rythmia available is a great opportunity, and even a responsibility. Because Rythmia really can transform people’s lives.”

Gerry adds, “The support we’ve gotten for this outreach from the media has been great to see, especially in the wake of Black Lives Matter. There seems to be much less white privilege from newsrooms in terms of how stories like ours are covered and portrayed.”

All told, guests take part in four ayahuasca ceremonies at Rythmia, under the guidance and supervision of an experienced plant medicine shaman. And what is the outcome?

One visitor puts it this way. “Well,” he says, after a moment’s hesitation, “it definitely changed my point of view about things.” Then, realizing that this didn’t go far enough, he adds, “It was definitely one of the greatest experiences of my life.”

The History of the Center

The Rythmia Center came into being after Gerry Powell’s own ceremonies with plant medicine in 2014. As it has been for so many others, the experience was life-changing, to the extent that Gerry invested serious money in purchasing and staffing the resort in Costa Rica and addressing all legal and medical issues.

So-called psychedelic drugs and plant medicine ceremonies have existed for centuries around the world. But in America since the early 1960s, most of the interest originated with highly educated white writers and artists like William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Ken Kesey, and Tom Wolfe. Timothy Leary was the grandmaster of them all with his unrestrained celebration of LSD.

Beginning around 1960, Leary, a Harvard researcher with a PhD in clinical psychology, initially approached LSD and psilocybin mushrooms from a scientific perspective, although he did develop a spiritual side later on. Unlike plant medicines such as iboga and ayahuasca, LSD originated not in a rainforest but in the laboratory of a Swiss chemist named Albert Hoffman. With a few exceptions — Jimi Hendrix was one — white college students, hippies, artists, and intellectuals were taking most of the acid trips until quite recently, when people like Gerry Powell brought a new perspective to plant medicine.

A high school dropout and self-made multi-millionaire, Gerry is neither a hippie nor a chemistry professor. He’s a revolutionary in the sense that he wants to bring about a radical change in consciousness on both an individual and a societal scale, without demographic limits of any kind.

Reverand Michael Bernard Beckwith and Gerry Powell at Rythmia

The Answer is You…

Reverend Michael Bernard Beckwith, founder of the 9,000-member Agape International Spiritual Center, has been a key ally in this effort. For over thirty years Agape’s humanitarian programs have had a worldwide reach, and association with Rev. Beckwith is a tangible statement of Rythmia’s work toward a diverse range of both visitors and staff. Out of 171 current employees, 134 are members of ethnic minorities and/or self-identify as members of the LGBTQ community. Two times a year, Rev. Beckwith personally leads “The Answer Is You,” a week-long onsite workshop. He is also a member of Rythmia’s board of directors.

Alan Floyd and Beyoncé

Life-Changing Adventures

Alan Floyd is another Rythmia visitor with an impressive career in the entertainment industry, including a very demanding role as Beyoncé’s tour manager. With that background, Alan knows how to stay calm and composed. He says, “I’ve had a lot of adventures. In my class of visitors at Rythmia, there I was as one of two African-American guys in the middle of Costa Rica, and the whole experience was completely professional and perfectly done. It really is what most everyone says about it. Life changing.”

With regard to changing your life, perhaps no visitors to Rythmia have gone deeper than Henry and Patti Castro, both of whom are Latinx. Henry had visited Rythmia and had done the ceremony. When he returned home he told Patty that they definitely had to go back together as soon as possible. Although they had already begun to do some spiritual work, Patty was somewhat apprehensive about ayahuasca. But after attending the classes at Rythmia with her husband, she felt well-prepared for the medicine.

Miracles of the Heart

As it turned out, Henry came away from their ceremony feeling that his life was totally transformed. “I felt like my life had just opened up where before there were things that seemed closed. My life was open so that now I could have a whole new beginning. It was like starting all over again.” Patty describes the experience in similar terms. “It was like a door had opened.”

Patty and Henry have not only continued their spiritual work with ayahuasca; they have even purchased land in Costa Rica to provide an optimal setting. More than 95 percent of Rythmia visitors describe the experience as “miraculous.” But it’s a different kind of miracle than winning the lottery. It’s a miracle of the heart, which of course is very difficult to put into words. Maybe you just have to be there.

Mitch Sisskind

Mitch Sisskind has written and edited many books on ancient spirituality, modern science, and the intersection between the two. He lives in Los Angeles.

The post Rythmia Means You’re Ready appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

The 19th Annual Conscious Life Expo presents its first Virtual Event from February 19-21, 2021.

At the Conscious Life Expo! Upgrade your mind through a weekend of special virtual programming that pushes the boundaries of progressive change and innovation. Like a TV show, the Expo will run continuously from 2 pm on Friday with a sacred Opening Ceremony to 6 pm on Sunday with a Closing Ceremony live-streamed directly from the Temple of Osiris in Memphis, Egypt.

The time between is filled with three and four hour themed content segments in healing, prosperity, extraterrestrials, ascension, and science that bring a wide variety of speakers to each subject, in succession, allowing the viewer to purchase a ticket specifically for that content only. There are also a dozen Keynote Workshops and four Free Events open to everyone.

The futuristic custom-designed 3D virtual Exhibit Hall and marketplace for innovative products, Exhibit Hall access comes with any of the ticket purchases.

Inspiration at Conscious Life Expo

Conscious Life Expo Speakers, teachers, and workshop leaders include: Dr Susan Shumsky, Gahl Sasson, Dr Sarah Larsen, Rev Michael Beckwith, James Redfield, Gail Thackray, Deborah King, Yogi Vanessa, Melinda Malone, Kimberly Meredith, Matt Kahn, Atma Nambi, Sat Devbir, don Jose Ruiz, Adrian Vallera, and more.

Some of the themed workshops include: Astrology for 2021, Mystic Journey TV: Awaken the Soul Meditation, Optimum Healing: Reprogramming Your DNA, Spiritual Healing: Goddess Force, Ascension: Into the 5th Dimension, and more.

Read LA YOGA’s interview with Healer Kimberly Meredith.

The Expo!

The Expo is an inspired gathering of life changers and visionaries exploring advancements in the paranormal, science, spirituality, health and wellness with music, healing meditations and ceremony. Connect with the global community through progressive ideas presented in a multi-channel Live Streamed Conference.

Register for the Conscious Life Expo

Register now for an extraordinary, life-changing, and transformative experience:
www.consciouslifeexpo.com

Felicia M. Tomasko

Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.

www.blissnetwork.com

The post Virtual Conscious Life Expo 2021 appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Peter Oppermann, host of the Future Self Summit, pictured on an LA rooftop wearing The Visionary Winged One by Parashakti.

With the future seemingly uncertain due to a global pandemic, social unrest, upcoming elections, and threatening climate change, it is more important than ever to unite people and to catalyze global change.

This effort begins with the Future Self Summit, a free four-day virtual retreat hosted by Peter Oppermann. Taking place from Oct. 1-4, this online event will bring together over 30 pioneers of the future; including speakers, facilitators, artists, incubator graduates, and musicians from seven different countries. These thought leaders will come together to share their visions and solutions for a better future.

The call-to-action for Oppermann’s summit is simple yet poignant: Society is at a tipping point — a catalyst to engineer change is needed. 

An Invitation to the Future Self Summit 

When it comes to future self-actualization, there’s nobody to lead the journey like Peter Oppermann, a brilliant mechanical engineer turned meditation teacher and coach. Oppermann’s decades-long career in mindfulness meditation and spiritual teaching reached its peak when he developed the Future Self Method, a technique that allows individuals to access visions of their Future Selves, allowing them to manifest those visions in the now. 

The concept for Oppermann’s Future Self Summit was birthed from the vision that curating a better future for the collective begins with manifesting improvements in ourselves. Oppermann will facilitate this four-day virtual retreat with the help of more than 30 faculty members and speakers that are experts in their respective fields. 

“We are calling in all pioneers of the future to contribute in their unique ways to a better future we all know is possible,” Oppermann says. 

Notable faculty members will include co-founder of Cafe Gratitude and Kiss The Ground, Ryland Engelhart, composer and founder of MindTravel Music, Muray Hidary, Nicole Landers, co-founder of Community Healing Gardens, and wellness leader, Douglas Drummond. I’ll also be facilitating Conscious Dance workshops based on my Dance of Liberation™ modality to help participants step into their Present selves through the art of movement. 

To view the complete line-up of presenters, visit www.futureselfsummit.com.

This versatile line-up of speakers is part of Oppermann’s goal to explore the future of various societal components. 

“This summit serves as a collective dreamcatcher,” Oppermann says. “That’s why we’ve chosen voices to represent the future of medicine, movement, finance, and so on. Through a panel format, transformation leaders will share their visions and the audience participants will be able to share their idea of a better future, to together explore new opportunities for growth and innovation.” 

Each day of the retreat will follow a different theme, with relevant thought leaders and facilitators assigned to each day based on their corresponding focus. The first day will focus on the Present self, helping participants embrace the totality of their physical and expanded being. 

“Our itinerary begins with the Present self because it is the only state in which we have freedom of choice [as opposed to the Past or Future self],” says Oppermann. “This is where we determine whether we act habitually or respond with intention.” 

Day two of the summit will focus on the Past self, a practice which primarily involves “shadow work”, as Oppermann refers to it. This consists of deconstructing the self: past traumas, limited beliefs, and the concept of time as a linear entity. 

Finally, the third day of the summit will take the concepts learned on the first two days to introduce participants to their Future selves — the version of themselves that they aspire to be and can obtain through study of their Past and Present selves. 

Oppermann applies many scientific principles in his work, particularly when discussing the efficacy of the Future Self Method. He refers to the biology behind its effectiveness as a rewiring of neural pathways in helping individuals condition their coping mechanisms. 

Virtual Feast to Create Community 

The virtual retreat will conclude on its fourth day with a feast, where participants will be invited to prepare a meal and sit down to eat together. While the feast will take place over Zoom, Oppermann envisions it as one long communal table, where multiple dialogues ensue. 

He believes that bringing people together to engage in the simple, necessary act of nourishing themselves is one of the key ways to create connection. It is at this virtual feast that participants will be invited to share their idea of the world they want to live in, and begin the process of actualizing that change. 

“I strongly believe that creating a better, livable, functional future can only happen if everyone realizes their personal dream,” Oppermann says. “When we strive to create a better future for ourselves, we become better equipped to take collective action in our communities.” 

From Engineer to Transformational Leader

Looking at Oppermann’s history as a mechanical engineer in Germany, one might wonder how he ended up down the more spiritual path. However, even his entry into the world of science was driven by his desire to create technology for the betterment of humanity. Unfortunately, he soon realized it was not the most optimal path for him to achieve this goal. 

After discovering the benefits of mindfulness meditation in the late 90s, as well as touring attending meditation retreats all around the world, he decided to pursue a more gratifying practice. He left engineering and began woodworking Japanese furniture, specifically Shoji screens. Production expanded to the United States, allowing him to traverse from Berlin to New York City. 

While his time in woodworking ended shortly after due to his desire to work directly with people instead of materials, it was pivotal to his realization for his true calling. From there, he founded a non-profit called Karmabuilders in the Bronx with the aim of helping former prisoners reintegrate into society. 

“Around that time, I was in a surfing accident that rendered my right shoulder and arm immovable,” Oppermann recalls. “Looking back, I see that event as somewhat of a shamanic intervention, a call to pursue my true dharma and purpose.” 

After the incident, Peter moved to Los Angeles in 2013 and finally began making strides toward beginning a career as a healer. He started off leading large corporate meditations for firms like Netflix. 

“My background as an engineer allowed me to weave scientific knowledge into the world of spiritual practice,” Oppermann reflects. “I think that’s why it appeals to a large group of people.” 

It was shortly after he pioneered his coaching career that Oppermann was introduced to the concept of Future Self through the work of Arjuna Ardagh. Ardagh serendipitously discovered the concept while leading a patient through a past life regression, in which she uncovered her Future Self in the process. 

Oppermann has expanded the concept into a method, by providing the tools so that people can become their Future Selves and live in alignment with their visions of the future.

“To this day, people will come up to me in Whole Foods and say ‘Remember that workshop you led five years ago? Well, I am that person now,’” Oppermann recounts. 

Oppermann’s logical and scientific approach is what keeps people coming back to it. He finds that its measurable and scientific nature allows it to produce tangible and fathomable results. In fact, he’s approached his work with the Future Self Method much like he approached his work as an engineer: by developing a thesis, testing it extensively, and then collecting testimonials from individuals who underwent the process with him — all of which were overwhelmingly positive. 

Future Self Meets Dance of Liberation

For each day, a unique program has been created that reserves time for the introduction of new approaches to personal growth, mindfulness, and inner work — all while allowing enough space for a plethora of art, music, and dance practices.  

Attendees will be invited to embrace their Present selves through dance, riveting music, and vibrant, soul-opening festivities that serve as a celebration of life.  

“Dance is completely woven into the Summit,” Oppermann assures. “We’ll be hosting artists and musicians every evening. Embodiment is the key to transformation.”  

In addition to a powerful Dance of Liberation opening ceremony, there will be other immersive Conscious Dance experiences hosted by DJ Sabo, Nacho Arimnay, Murray Hidary of MindTravel Music, and more.

Peter Oppermann, host of the Future Self Summit, pictured on an LA rooftop wearing The Visionary Winged One by Parashakti.

The Summit will begin with a powerful Dance of Liberation™ experience hosted by myself, in which I will invite attendees to release their inhibitions, accept themselves as they are in the moment, and move mindfully without any qualms, fears, or expectations. 

With dance and music entwined so deeply into my own Dance of Liberation practice and accompanying Winged Ones jewelry line, Oppermann and I can certainly promise a collaboration that provides something for everyone. 

In fact, Oppermann has been a major proponent of my trademark Eagle Medicine practice and beautifully relates the experience to that of uncovering your Future self. 

“The Eagle as a symbol is a very powerful portal to the Future self state,” Oppermann says. “I imagine the journey to Future self discovery being like riding on the back of the Eagle heading toward the sun.” 

Oppermann’s extensive years of experience as a Future Self Method practitioner, Life Empowerment Coach, and overall spiritual healer all culminate to this upcoming Future Self Summit. As Oppermann sees it, it’s finally his opportunity to use this meaningful framework to generate a change that is bigger than all of us. 

“My dream is a future where everyone is found and embracing their full potential. That is what will elevate us as a species and ensure our collective survive. That’s why the goal of this Summit is to weave a new collective story where every voice counts and everybody brings something.” 

CLICK HERE to enroll in the Future Self Summit, Oct. 1-4. This four-day, virtual retreat will explore the concept of creating lasting societal change using the framework of Peter Oppermann’s Future Self Method. RSVP for free before Sept. 30 at 11:59 pm PDT. 

Join Parashakti in the Lineup of Pioneers as she concludes each day’s events with a Conscious Dance experience, based on her modality Dance of Liberation™ and The Winged Ones. She will be facilitating her workshops out of the Integral Yoga Institute in New York, where she acquired her teacher training. SPECIAL THANKS to IYINY for lending this sacred space. 

Starting on Oct. 18, Oppermann will also be hosting the Future Self Incubator, a deeper 8-week journey through the Future Self Method. 

Parashakti

Parashakti’s shamanic healing work is born of more than two decades of experience facilitating workshops, trainings, and retreats around the world, in Los Angeles, New York, Mexico, Bali, Guatemala, Indonesia, Israel, and Greece.  As a lifelong dancer, her path as a healer followed a severe injury – a period of what is often called shamanic dismantling, after which her mission shifted towards healing. Over the last 20 years, Parashakti has developed the Seven Foundations and the Dance of Liberation™, as maps for her spiritual practice, living and breathing these foundations in daily ritual. Dance of Liberation™ has been practiced by over 10,000 dancers around the globe. It’s was born of a mission to help people experience ecstasy – without taking it.
Above all, Parashakti is dedicated to serving community and creating a sacred container where people feel safe enough to experience their deepest essences, honor their voices, and shine their brightest light. Join her on the Dance floor: www.parashakti.org

parashakti.org/

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We can move to create connection in chaos

On a Sunday morning, I find myself quarantined in my West Hollywood apartment, itching to move and shake and find ways to create connection in chaos. My mom, who hasn’t been able to return to her home in Tel Aviv due to the stay-at-home orders, has converted my living room into a studio apartment.

Seeking serenity and a space of my own, I shut the door, throw open my bedroom window, blast my music, put on a blindfold, and let my body heal through dance. I am only one of many. By now, most of us have seen the stir-crazy balcony renditions of song and dance in various parts of the world, such as Italy, Spain, and my place of birth, Israel.

In an effort to form connections with neighbors amid isolation, people from all over the world are taking to their patios to put on an uninhibited show. The Conscious Dance movement and the concept of Movement as Medicine have been part of my life for nearly two decades now. And now, more than ever, my biggest breakthroughs come when I get up and dance. In these times of uncertainty, I come upon a bold realization: Dance often represents a desire to be free.

It’s pure kismet that my participation in OneDanceTribe’s global virtual retreat comes right at this time when people are stuck at home, yearning for a sense of movement and freedom.

A Virtual Healing Opportunity

In this time of separation and social distancing, OneDanceTribe saw an opportunity to heal. OneDanceTribe is a global community committed to furthering the Conscious Dance movement’s reach. As a diligent Shamanic practitioner and Conscious Dance facilitator , I am honored to be co hosting and co-facilitating in their upcoming four-day live online Conscious Dance retreat, OneDanceTribe Global 2020, from May 21-24.

This passionate and proactive response to crisis is typical of OneDanceTribe’s founders, Amara Pagano and Pier Paolo de Angelis. Every facet of this retreat has been carefully coordinated and thought-out by the husband-wife team, who have committed nearly 20 years to the advancement of the Conscious Dance movement.

Amara & Paolo, founders of OneDanceTribe. Photo Jan Frommel

“I think it all comes down to one word, which is ‘transformation,’” explains Paolo. “And when I speak about transformation, it’s not in the sense that there’s something wrong that we need to transform, but because ‘transformation’ in my language is the equivalent to evolution.”

Paolo pictured at last year’s live and in-person OneDanceTribe retreat. Photo Jan Frommel

This is precisely the theme of OneDanceTribe Global 2020: to unite teachers, dancers and healers around the theme of transformation. This transformation can refer to a personal evolution or an external manifestation of one’s deepest desires.

Megha Nancy Buttenheim, founder of Let Your Yoga Dance, hosts a OneDanceTribe workshop. Photo by Ed Fabry.

“I know that right now in the world there is cacophony going on, but here, the work, the dance, the movement of all of us together is really raising our consciousness to quite unknown heights,” reflects Megha Nancy Buttenheim, founder of Let Your Yoga Dance and a OneDanceTribe co-facilitator. “I hope to dance with OneDanceTribe forever and always.”

OneDanceTribe facilitators pictured together at last year’s retreat. Photo by Ed Fabry.

With round-the-clock sessions hosted by 25 international teachers, Amara and Paolo have managed to attract participants from every continent to this online retreat that covers 24 different time zones.

Vincent Martinez-Griego, founder of SoulMotion, hosts a OneDanceTribe workshop. Photo by Ed Fabry.

“Just being with colleagues, being able to enter into an equal space and sharing our triumphs, our terror, and the ways in which we approach movement… is a bonanza,” says Vincent Martinez-Grieco, founder of SoulMotion and also a OneDanceTribe co-facilitator. “It’s a richness I look forward to every year.”

Opening up to Change

Prior to the introduction of OneDanceTribe’s global virtual retreat, I had been reflecting extensively on the uncertainty and sudden changes that overwhelm us all right now. When COVID-19 arrived on the scene, I was in New York preparing to open up a Conscious Dance Movement Center under Integral Yoga, where I acquired my teacher training.

This dream was halted. Yet, in the wake of its pause, I’m discovering my own new beginnings. I’ve centered my focus on my East Gate program and its accompanying jewelry line, The Winged Ones. Ironically, this program dedicated to helping others discover their new beginnings has reached its peak potential during a new beginning of my own.

Furthermore, it’s allowed me to dive head-first into preparing sessions for OneDanceTribe’s upcoming retreat. In addition to dreaming soulful themes for the workshops I’ll offer, I’m preparing once again to offer one-on-one SoulHealing sessions based on the wisdom and teachings of the East Gate.

Though the virtual medium isn’t a new expression of my one-on-one sessions, the idea of connecting with and helping people from around the world thrills me. Since its inception, Amara and Paolo have envisioned OneDanceTribe as an outlet where all the forms of Conscious Dance (and its sister practices of yoga and meditation) come together. As someone whose life has encapsulated all of these components, I’m riveted by the journey that awaits me as a facilitator for their retreat during which we can collectively create connection in chaos.

The Story behind the Movement

Amara and Paolo didn’t simply stumble upon this shared purpose to create a Conscious Dance Movement that unites the community. In fact, the two have remarkably different backgrounds. For Amara, the journey to enlightenment began at a young age.

Amara and Paolo at OneDanceTribe

“I always loved movement,” Amara recalls. “As a child, I grew up dancing quite a bit… I delved deeply into the dance. I wanted to do choreography.”

At 15 years old, Amara was accepted into a prestigious performing arts high school in Philadelphia where she felt set to fulfill her destiny. Her parents, however, did not share her enthusiasm, and extinguished her hopes of enrolling.

This didn’t stop Amara from revisiting the idea in her adult years. At the age of 18, while attending Evergreen State College, she was able to design her own program for exploring movement as a healing art.

It was during her college years that Amara began to realize her purpose for Conscious Dance. At the age of 20, she began an apprenticeship with Gabrielle Roth, the founder of the 5Rhythms approach to movement and dance. Her apprenticeship with Roth took her around the world, honing her skills as a 5Rhythms teacher.

Amara Pagano dancing on the beach for Azul. Photo Yolanda Pelayo

She opened the first movement studio dedicated to conscious dance in Olympia, Washington, and eventually moved to Hawaii where she met Paolo. It is in Hawaii that her own body of work Azul began to form and eventually led to the creation of the School of Azul.

“I took a different route to [Conscious Dance],” Paolo says. “I came to the movement starting with yoga and meditation. I was living in New York City where I had an [event coordination] business, and I was very miserable. Very successful and very miserable.”

For Paolo, the introduction to mindfulness practice came from a consultant who invited him to the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health for a weekend. It turned out to be a weekend that would change the entire course of his personal and professional life. Six years after that experience, he found himself in a two-year stint as Chairman of Kripalu — a career move that defined his future endeavors.

Pier Paolo de Angelis at OneDanceTribe Europe

With his long-established business acumen and newfound knowledge of mindfulness-based education, he decided to open his own institute in Maui, where he met Amara and first experienced Conscious Dance as a mindfulness practice.

“Having come from an experience of yoga and meditation, I had some of the tools that I needed to find that movement was actually a very complete vehicle for self-exploration and healing,” Paolo adds.

From there, the two embarked on a journey that would lead them to the founding of OneDanceTribe. Parallel to the development of this community oriented work, Amara nurtured the birth of a new School of conscious dance called Path of Azul. Azul is a path of personal transformation that utilizes movement as a vehicle for awakening love. Amara and Paolo host a variety of Azul workshops, retreats and trainings, in addition to OneDanceTribe events, encompassing various modalities and forms of Conscious Dance, such as 5Rhythms, Open Floor, Soul Motion and Movement Medicine.

It is this mission of theirs that aligns with the teachings of Sri Swami Satchidananda, the founder of Integral Yoga, who stated: “Truth is one, paths are many.” With this goal to unite the various forms of Conscious Dance under one umbrella, Amara and Paolo encourage their students to embrace acceptance — of each other’s beliefs, healing processes, and experiences.

After several years of teaching this philosophy in their workshops and events, in November, 2019, Amara and Paolo gathered the global Conscious Dance community in an online Conference that reached 14,000 people in 124 countries. For those who can’t afford to take in-person classes or travel to retreats, they bring the practice to their homes — all in an effort to convert Conscious Dance to a mainstream mindfulness movement like yoga.

“It’s healing some of the separations in the [Conscious Dance] field and helping us to understand that we’re actually stronger when we come together,” Amara says. “It highlights and celebrates all our uniqueness, all our differences, all of what makes each branch special. The motion of coming together is very powerful for us to learn. We are one planet, we are one Earth, and we need to figure out how to work together.”

Dance in a way that Creates Connection in Chaos at OneDanceTribe Global

Join Parashakti at OneDanceTribe Global from May 21-24, where she will host virtual one-on-one healing sessions and facilitate online dance workshops. If you’re interested in learning more and signing up, click here.

In the Spirit of transformative experiences, she is also offering 50% off her East Gate program and accompanying Winged Ones pendants for those in need of emotional healing during COVID-19.

Parashakti

Parashakti’s shamanic healing work is born of more than two decades of experience facilitating workshops, trainings, and retreats around the world, in Los Angeles, New York, Mexico, Bali, Guatemala, Indonesia, Israel, and Greece.  As a lifelong dancer, her path as a healer followed a severe injury – a period of what is often called shamanic dismantling, after which her mission shifted towards healing. Over the last 20 years, Parashakti has developed the Seven Foundations and the Dance of Liberation™, as maps for her spiritual practice, living and breathing these foundations in daily ritual. Dance of Liberation™ has been practiced by over 10,000 dancers around the globe. It’s was born of a mission to help people experience ecstasy – without taking it.
Above all, Parashakti is dedicated to serving community and creating a sacred container where people feel safe enough to experience their deepest essences, honor their voices, and shine their brightest light. Join her on the Dance floor: www.parashakti.org

parashakti.org/

The post OneDanceTribe Creates Connection in Chaos appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Community comes together at Newport Dunes for the OC Yoga Fest on Saturday, January 18, from 9am to 4pm. Four different types of tickets feature access to yoga classes, meditation sessions, sound baths, workshops, food, fun, and much much more.

Shop at the Vendor Village at OC Yoga Fest

More than 50 conscious vendors will be offering tools for practice and snacks to nourish the body. Buy a nutrient-rich Sambazon bowl, try free Beyond Meat sliders, and indulge in other healthy and fresh food.

VIP Tickets Have Extra Perks

VIP tickets feature unlimited access to classes, express festival entry, two raffle tickets, mini meditation access, VIP gift bag with exclusive swag, VIP lounge access with Koe Kombucha, Suja Juice, PH Water, snacks, free mini massages, and more.

Special Practices

Plan on a full day of workshops, sound healing, talks, DJs, Paddle Board Yoga, Acro Yoga, and more.

Goat Yoga!

This year, OC Yoga Festival has added Goat Yoga as a separate ticket to enjoy at the festival. There will be three different classes to choose from at $35 per ticket. Enjoy a 45-minute vinyasa goat yoga class followed by 30 minutes of photo opportunity with the yogi goats. (This is a separate ticket and not included in the GA or VIP tickets.)

Free Tickets!

Some groups can receive free tickets to the festival. This includes kids 12 and under, students with ID, and members of the military with ID. Use promo code “student” or “military” for 1 Free GA Ticket. Learn more and buy tickets!

LA YOGA Readers Receive Discounted Tickets

Use the code “bliss” to save 10% (not good for goat yoga). Learn more and buy tickets! 

Felicia M. Tomasko

Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.

www.blissnetwork.com

The post Practice at The OC Yoga Festival Winter Edition appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Why Start out Your New Year at the Yoga Expo? Here are 5 Reasons!

1. Amplify Your New Year’s Resolutions!

Strengthen your New Year’s Resolution with a day of yoga practice! Maybe a consistent, disciplined practice is one of your New Year’s Resolutions. Attending the Yoga Expo can be a jump-start for continuing your positive intentions for both the New Year and the New Decade.

2. A Full Day of Yoga!

Enjoy classes all day starting at 10:15am with the final class of the day at 4pm. Do more than post on Instagram or talk about yoga. Live your hashtags with a full day with opportunities to practice.

3. Ticket Price Deals!

Take advantage of great deals on group passes! Gather your friends for some positive encouragement and the opportunity to practice together. A family pass with three tickets is only $59. (Single tickets are $35 and two all-day passes are $49.) Whether you’re practicing with your chosen family or your family of origin—or both—the tribe that flows together grows together.

4. Superstar Teachers!

Unique experiences with superstar teachers. Some of the Yoga Expo teachers have been featured on 2019 LA YOGA covers, sharing their words of wisdom. These include Natalie Asatryan, who offers a series of practices to reduce anxiety. She gives tips for going back to school with ease, but they are practices we can connect to anytime we need to increase focus and reduce anxiety. YogaFit Founder Beth Shaw, author of Healing Trauma with Yoga: Go from Surviving to Thriving with Mind-Body Techniques, explains how to befriend the body through a trauma-informed yoga practice.

5. Boutique Shopping at the Yoga Marketplace!

Do you want to try on clothes, taste products, and see what you buy in real life when you shop? The Expo offers the opportunity to discover new products and services under one roof.

The Yoga Expo

Learn more about 2020’s 5th Annual The Yoga Expo: A Celebration of Consciousness. The Los Angeles event will be at the Pasadena Convention Center on January 4, 2020 from 10am-6pm.

Felicia M. Tomasko

Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.

www.blissnetwork.com

The post 5 Reasons to Attend the Yoga Expo appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

September 25-30, Bhakti Fest Celebrates in 29 Palms, California

Bhakti Fest is the only festival of its kind that celebrates the devotional path with roots in Bhakti Yoga, Kirtan, and meditation. This festival embraces ancient and modern sacred wisdom and traditional and non-traditional spiritual practices.

This year has been one for change, including Bhakti Fest’s move to their beautiful new location at Roadrunner Dunes in 29 Palms, CA. The City of 29 Palms is the home of Joshua Tree National Park North Entrance and the official Gateway to the Mojave Trails National Monument. Expect skies painted with color at dawn and dusk, and night skies filled with an abundance of stars.

Bhakti Fest will feature two music stages, expanded yoga and workshop villages, a sound temple healing sanctuary, a mantra dome, and a Kirtan School. In addition, families can enjoy Bhakti Kids Land offering a wide array of family programming, plus men’s and women’s sacred spaces for gender specific workshops and more. The location also comes also with some new features, including a lake for swimming and paddleboard yoga and a vast vibrant space for art installations.

Bhakti Fest Celebrates Devotional Music

The inspiration for Bhakti Fest first emerged 50 years ago when Founder Sridhar Silberfein attended the historical 1969 festival event, Woodstock. Promoters Michael Lang and Artie Kornfeld sought Sridhar’s advice on the soon to be legendary art and music festival. Sridhar responded, “Ya got some of the greatest musical acts in the world, but what’s missing is the spiritual component.”

With their to-do lists already bursting, they answered, “Ok you deal with that part.” Sridhar arranged for his teacher, Swami Satchitananda, to be flown to in by helicopter to deliver an invocation. While on stage, together Sri whispered to Swami Satchidananda, “Swamiji, wouldn’t it be great to bring this many people together to chant the names of God?” Swami Satchidananda smiled knowingly and said, “Yes, it would be great if you could do that.” Forty years later, Bhakti Fest emerged and has been a formative force in the rise and awareness of Kirtan and Bhakti Yoga.

Attend Bhakti Fest

Headliners for the 2019 event include: Jai Uttal, Dharma Mittra, Radhanath Swami, MC YOGI, Fannah Fi Allah, Saul David Raye, Sianna Sherman, Mike Love, Mas Vidal, Girish, Govind Das & Radha, Kia Miller, Dawn Cartwright, Ram Das (via video), Zoe Kors, and many more.

Housing options include camping, RV hook-up sites, glamping yurts, cozy trailers, and many hotels and Airbnbs in nearby City of 29 Palms.

Buy your tickets now at: Bhaktifest.com

Natalie Macam

Natalie Macam is a Yoga Teacher who teaches locally in Los Angeles: www.nataliemacam.com.

www.nataliemacam.com

The post Bhakti Fest is the Spiritual Woodstock for the New Millennium appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Shakti Fest: A Devotional Revelation

Stepping into the world of Shakti Fest  was like an invitation into a mother’s sweet embrace. The Spring, 2019, location at the Joshua Tree RV and Campground provided a new level of intimacy to the already heart-filled experience of these weekends.

The festival is centered around a little lake buzzing with animal life: swimming fish, ducklings and dragon flies making their subtle own music. The offerings of movement, stillness, sound and song were all blending with the natural beauty present in the desert. We were hugged in by surrounding mountains and treated to saturated sunsets. The entire nature-based experience is a visual and visceral treat to the senses that supports the ability to sit in meditation to go find center within.

Celebration the Divine Feminine on the Devotional Journey of Shakti Fest

We all were in a state of change together, after having become comfortable in the original festival location (Joshua Tree Retreat Center) that so many of us loved for ten years. Shakti Fest on Mother’s Day has always helped to celebrate the divine feminine — a welcomed rebirth and a long drink for those of us who were thirsty for connection.

Again this year, healers and the teachers came from around the world to be recharged in the sun and light desert rain. A time to be led by love, dance, and play amongst the faces of those doing such profound work in the world. We know it’s important for us to fill our own cups and I witnessed so many cups being filled. Massages, shady naps, breath-work classes, stretching and asana practices, as well as the celebratory and rhythmic collective stomping and dancing feet were all parts of the whole—a cacophony of happenings in one place.

The Celebration of Kirtan

The celebration was both a reminder of and a return to our own oneness. Govind Das and Radha of Bhakti Yoga Shala in Santa Monica kicked off the love fest with a kirtan on Thursday night. The entire gathering was teary-eyed under the stars while Radha’s powerhouse of a voice praised the feminine “Ma” energy of the universe, dedicating the music to each of our mothers.

Harmon Clarke was our energetic Master of Ceremonies, introducing sacred music artists including MC YOGI, Jai Uttal, Fantuzzi, Fannah Fi Allah and many more who inspired us to get on our feet, grooving and shaking on the back of Mother Earth at night after days of practice. The festival offered an abundance of high-vibration nutritious vegetarian and vegan food and drinks to keep us going through it all.

Quiet and cool nights could be spent in a tent, RV, or in a rented colorful trailer on the grounds. Some retired early to rest, while others created their own circles of song long into the night. Shakti Fest was filled with such profound moments. Everything (from the yoga mat to the sound baths) created a magical wonderland for the lover of Bhakti, or devotional practice.

Everyone I connected with was in a state of awe. We acknowledged just how much can be discovered when we are together, sharing, and practicing devotion in our favorite ways. Be it the light or shadows that are revealed to us, everything in the container of the festival experience is all for our benefit: to learn and to help us make our way back to our nature of unconditional compassion.

Gratitude for the Practice

Namaste, Shakti Fest, and to each person whose hearts/hands went into the making of this transformative weekend of motherly love. Jai Ma.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Dawn Sorenson

Dawn Sorenson is an artist/writer, yin yoga instructor and healing advocate with a focus on our emotional bodies. Trained all over Asia and blends eastern/western modalities for a balanced approach of ancient and modern. Based in Santa Monica, she is a lover of life, people and all things transformational. www.rootandrisehealing.com

www.rootandrisehealing.com

The post Reflecting on the Devotional Journey of Shakti Fest appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Photo at Shakti Fest by Sandra Goodin

In 2019, Shakti Fest and Bhakti Fest move to a new Joshua Tree location.

The devotional festivals of Shakti Fest and Bhakti Fest are experiencing some exciting new changes for 2019. The venue that has hosted the festival for a decade has run into site restrictions with San Bernardino County. This has led to a fresh destination for the event’s locale.

Founder Sridhar Silberfein says, “We are so excited that we have found a fantastic place for Shakti Fest 2019 and to be staying in the amazing vibration of Joshua Tree, California. Our new location is the Joshua Tree Lake Campground. The Lake has hosted the Joshua Tree Music Festival for 18 years and offers a beautiful high desert hillside setting with a picturesque lake.”

The festivals are filled with yoga classes, spiritual lectures, vegetarian food, and celebratory singing and dancing to the call-and-response sacred music of kirtan.

Photo of Kristin Olson and Girish at Shakti Fest by Sandra Goodin

Dance, Sing, Eat, Learn

Shakti and Bhakti Fests nourish and recharge the body and mind. At the same time, these sacred events provide the space for attendees to cultivate connections with community, the divine, and the self. Beyond the chanting, a number of features offer a full festival experience.  An extensive healing sanctuary offers bodywork and wellness modalities. The space will also have a sound temple. Be prepared to celebrate at the dance temple featuring top spiritual DJs. Bring young ones to the Bhakti Kids Land and Family Village. Settle in for transformation at the immersive mantra dome.

Shakti Fest Yoga Teachers include: MC YOGI, Shiva Rea, Saul David Raye, Mark Whitwell, Govind Das and Radha, Kia Miller, Hemalayaa, Jaya Lakshmi, Leeza Villagomez, Mas Vidal, Nubia Teixeira, Kristin Olson, and more.

Kirtan artists playing at Shakti Fest include the following. Jai Uttal, Jaya Lakshi and Ananda, Govind Das and Radha, MC YOGI, Saul David Raye, and Amritakripa. The Hanuman Project, SriKala, Sita Devi, Larisa Stow and Shakti Tribe, Gina Sala, Sirgun Kaur, Joss Jaffe, Girish, Donna De Lory, David Newman, and more.

Shakti Fest Workshop leaders include noted teachers and authors. Laugh and learn with Zoe Kors, Lorin Roche and Camille Maurine, Dharma Devi, Josie Keys, and Mas Vidal. Breathe with Michael Brian Baker. Expand your consciousness with Syamarani, Zach Leary, Dawn Cartwright, and more.

Joshua Tree Lake Campground

At the Joshua Tree Lake Campground, the painted sky and lovely lake offer a gorgeous backdrop with the beauty of nature as your devotional décor. The setting makes this heart-centered event an even more sacred experience. Start preparing now for the magical weekend in May.

For more information about tickets, logistics, and lodging options, visit: bhaktifest.com.

 

Natalie Macam

Natalie Macam is a Yoga Teacher who teaches locally in Los Angeles: www.nataliemacam.com.

www.nataliemacam.com

The post Shakti Fest and Bhakti Fest 2019 Celebrate at the Joshua Tree Lake Campground appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Sridhar and Shyamdas at Bhakti Fest. Photo by Mitchell Manz.

The sun is setting on another 110 degree day in the Mojave Desert. Seventy-eight-year-old Bhakti Fest Founder Sridhar Silberfein storms in the front door dripping in sweat. For the past eight hours he has been out under the sun, digging ditches for stage pole covers, positioning 10×10 tents, testing generators, directing cube truck traffic, and otherwise micromanaging a festival set-up crew who have worked together for many years. He swore that this time he was just stopping by to survey their progress. Yea right.

Silberfein swoops through the kitchen, to taste-test tonight’s dinner. “Not too bad. Remembah – five plates without onions and garlic, 10 plates without dairy, and keep chanting ya mantra. Our minds should always be on God.” The young chef nods, appreciating the attention and instruction. En route to the shower, Sridhar pokes his head into the production office where he inquires about ticket sales, airplane flights, and the annual last-minute artist asks. “Yeah, and how many meal tickets they get outta ya?” The new coordinator freezes. Before she has figured out Sridhar is psychic, he is freshly showered, and hollering for everyone to join him on the back porch of his home, built for this very occasion.

Creating Community

The oppressive heat gives way to the cool calm of faintly sparkling stars. Wild coyotes howl in the distance. A  jackrabbit jumps onto someone’s cactus-punctured flip-flop. The sound of bells inside the backyard temple-space ceases as everyone scurries around the table into a circle. A burner on the build crew, still covered in Playa-dust, grabs the hand of the vendor-gal, who just flew in from New York. A young musician who has recently become enraptured with the Hindu god Krishna helps the head of registration adjust her suckling newborn, so she can hold the hand of the old-salty-dog stage manager from the Pacific Northwest. His other arm is wrapped around a 20-something kid with sunstroke who despite being warned, didn’t drink his gallon of water that day. The kid locks elbows with the former rock-star wife who utilizes her extensive knowledge of backstage protocol to run the green room. Her manicured nails are a juxtaposition to the rough hand she holds of the single dad just out of county looking for a second chance. He’s gratefully gripped by the Colorado River rafting guide who has never been to anything like this before and wonders how she got sucked into it anyway. Her silent inquiry is interrupted by Sridhar singing the meal prayer.

The Bhojana Mantra /Om Brahmarpanam Brahma Havir
Bhramagnau Brahmana Hutam / Brahmaiva Tena Gantavyam /
Brahmakarma Samadhinah.

This moment is never lost on me.

Friends of 40+ years, hand-in-hand with those who have just met that day. All inextricably linked through service, karma, and the fire of this revolutionary man.

Possessing Good Fortune

In his youth, Steven Silberfein showed a natural propensity towards spiritual studies. After graduating from CW Post University in Long Island, his aunt recommended he meet a teacher in New York City, referred to as “Rudi.” In a shanty studio space, where Rudi taught open-eye meditation, Steven received Shaktipat from a picture of Bhagavan Nityananda. He studied Hatha Yoga, philosophy, and kirtana with Swami Satchidananda at 500 West End Ave where he became one of Satchidananda’s senior teachers. He was given the spiritual name “Sridhar,” which means “Possessor of Good Fortune.”

By the late 1960s Steven Sridhar Silberfein – now known in the familiar as “Sri” – was a successful businessman and real estate agent. Cronies Michael Lang and Artie Kornfeld sought his advice on an art and music festival they were producing upstate. Sri said to them, “Ya got some of the greatest musical acts in the world but what’s missing is the spiritual component.” With their to-do lists already in overwhelm, they answered, “Ok you deal with that part.”

 

Chanting Mantra at Woodstock

As can be seen in the Warner Bros. documentary, on August 18, 1969, Sri petitioned singer/songwriter Richie Havens to introduce Swami Satchidananda. Still reeling from his legendary set, Richie gave him a “get lost kid” look. So Sri escorted Swami Satchidananda and his entourage onto the Woodstock stage to deliver an invocation. More than half a million American youth were in attendance – the largest peaceful gathering in the West at the time. Swami Satchidananda introduced the power of mantra, inviting the crowd to recite “Hari Om” and “Ramaramarama.” A moment of silence followed. Not even a camera clicked.

While still on stage, Sri whispered to Swami Satchidananda,

“Swamiji, wouldn’t it be great to bring this many people together to chant the names of God?”

Swami Satchidananda smiled knowingly and said,

“Yes, it would be great if you could do that.”

In the following years, a glass jar in Rudi’s studio accumulated enough funds to fly Swami Muktananda over from India. To welcome him, students hosted a retreat at Big Indian in upstate New York. This gathering included Swami Venkatesananda of the Divine Life Society, the Brooklyn psychic Hilda Charlton, and the just-back-from-India, newly-named Ram Dass. At the conclusion of the weekend, Swami Muktananda asked Sri and Ram Dass to organize his tour of the US. Thus, the three traveled together for most of 1973. At the tour’s conclusion, The Center for Spiritual Studies (CSS) was formed. A nonprofit foundation to make available the practices of yoga, kirtan, and consciousness to a wider audience.

The Topanga House

Located on the corner of Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Fernwood Canyon Road, Sri founded California’s first health food store, “The Food Chakra.” Here, Silberfein was reportedly the original importer of tea tree oil into the US. He established Desert Essence (the one you can buy in Trader Joe’s today). Adjacent to The Food Chakra was the CSS Headquarters, a space to learn yoga, mantra, meditation and, in a pre-internet age, access otherwise obscure spiritual texts. When the groups got too large, Sri hosted them in his home. A place of counterculture folklore now referred to as “The Topanga House.” Those walls housed traveling gurus, saints, guides, and teachers. Record companies were forged. Now-famous kirtan wallahs fixed roofs and figured out harmonium chords. New Age icons instructed on Ashtanga and aarti, while cute yoginis clustered in the kitchen. They cooked kitchari, made chai, and experimented with the latest textured vegetable protein.

Sridhar’s eldest son Seth was raised in the Topanga House. Seth’s younger sister Shayne was born onto a set of Swami Muktananda’s sheets. Muktananda renamed the child “Mukti” – after himself. Thirteen years later his son Cody came into the world. Sri and his second wife were instrumental in the early tours of the hugging saint, Amma. The mahatma stayed at the house, receiving students and offering satsang. It’s believed She gifted the couple with a boon, the baby of the bunch, “Little Bella.”

Moving to Joshua Tree

A quick-manifesting Aquarian, Sri’s astrological chart shows the highest spiritual capabilities coupled with challenging interpersonal dynamics. A dharmic blueprint confirmed by the venerable Swami Kaleshwar who came to the Topanga House and asserted, “It has bad vastu for relationships; if you want to have a good partnership you have to move.” Heeding this advice and “feeling the heat” Sri moved to Joshua Tree, California. The expansive quality of the Yucca Valley allowed space for a persistent and nagging intuition to take shape. With Gen-X’s popularization of gatherings like Lollapolooza, the baby boomer kept thinking, “What if we did this without meat, drugs, and alcohol? What if people practiced yoga, chanted kirtan, and learned to meditate?” The prophetic words of Swami Satchidananda echoed through his head, “Yes, it would be great if you could do that.”

Photo of Main Stage at Bhakti Fest by Kristina Clemens

Saying YES to Bhakti Fest

Silberfein who has become known to many as “The Godfather” of spiritual life in Los Angeles, hiked with friends Narayan Mandir, Chris Morro, and the renowned kirtan wallah Shyamdas. He decided to share the seed of this idea. Before Sri finished, Shyamdas exclaimed “YES” setting the festival in motion.

On September 11, 2009, 40 years and three weeks after the auspicious exchange on the Woodstock Stage, Bhakti Fest was born. The first family-run Yoga and Kirtan Festival in the US. Its original incarnation was homegrown, with friends, family and the who’s who of consciousness contributing their energies to the collective bhav. The festival’s finale was like a modern-day “We are the World”, or Sgt Pepper’s album cover. The pioneers of yoga, kirtan, and metaphysical studies in America, singing the Maha Mantra, at the top of their lungs.

The Expansion of Bhakti Fest

Now in 2018, the festival has extended into two kirtan stages, three yoga halls, a workshop hall, a breathwork hall, men’s and women’s tents, multiple sound domes, endless break-out sessions, two healing sanctuaries, a Kidsland, vegetarian vendors, and consciousness consumerism. The September Bhakti Fest hosts several thousand seekers, while Spring’s Shakti Fest and in some years, Bhakti Fest Midwest, in Madison, Wisconsin, welcome about half that.

Newcomers routinely have their minds (and hearts) blown. They take up to five yoga classes a day. Individuals learn easy and intricate chants, receive revolutionary bodywork, keep their channels clean with high-vibe food, and plug into the power of nature. You’ll often hear someone say, “Bhakti Fest changed my life…no seriously….!” And then they ramble into some tangential story, ultimately proving the power of dharmic paths.

Donna De Lory, Bhakti Fest Founder Sridhar Silberfein, Shiva Baum and David Newman. Photo by Kristina Clemens

The Cosmic Container of Bhakti Fest

Within this cosmic container, people regularly spark with soul recognition. Individuals meeting for the first time frequently exclaim, “I feel like I know you from somewhere.” Wishes are spontaneously granted, questions answered, and lives rerouted. Old hurts surface and release, hard shells crack, molten skin sheds, hearts burst with devotion, joy rises, souls meet, and no one leaves the same version of themselves that came.

With some 20+ festivals produced by the organization, attendees slip into a familiar rhythm. As the desert moon rises over the main stage, a former punk rock singer prays to Krishna before zipping up her merch-booth. The friends she sees just a few times a year who were snuggled inside scatter to the showers, food court, and campgrounds. Young kids ages four and seven zip past. Their mom and dad are about to sing together on stage.

An anesthesiologist from Palm Spring kicks off his shoes before finding a spot up front. He “randomly” wandered into the festival a few years back and since then has taken 500+ hours of yoga teacher training and opened his own studio. Back in the green room friends of 50 years skip over the small talk and current event catch-up to speak of recently deceased partners and changing times. A new crop of fresh sevites (volunteers), help the sound crew get the band set up.

Sridhar Behind the Scenes

As the opening prayer of this set begins, one of Sri’s sons races a golf cart back to headquarters. The other son tinkers with the audio-input cord for the livestream audience. His two daughters stride past with clipboards in hand. They’re reviewing tomorrow’s crew list, distributing checks, and cracking up with laughter. Old-timers, ex-girlfriends, and staff who have come and gone greet the patriarch at the front-of-house soundboard. He plunks down into a precarious plastic chair. Within seconds a grand-daughter jumps onto each knee. He closes his eyes, and joins in the mantra for just a moment.

Those close to him hope he’ll chill here and watch the thousands in front of him whose lives he’s affected sing, dance, and chant the names of God. But before anyone can catch their breath, he’s back on his walkie talkie, getting wrap-out reports from security guards about to go off-duty, checking fuel levels in the generators, finding out how many coconuts went into the dumpster despite strict orders to throw them in compost. He’s reviewing tomorrow morning’s breakfast menu, today’s ticket sales, and what was left in the lost and found. Some teens walk past and point to Sri saying, “I heard that dude produced a part of Woodstock.” And in every crevice of the festival grounds, the words reverberate, “It would be great if you could do that.”

Be Part of the Community at Bhakti Fest

Attend Bhakti Fest! For more information, visit: bhaktifest.com.

Amy V Dewhurst

To Check Out Amy’s Work Go To; Sense + Color, You Can Reach Her At IG:  Amy_V_Dewhurst  + AmyVDewhurst@SenseAndColor.co #PutYourGoodWhereItWillDoTheMost

www.senseandcolor.co

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Lightning In A Bottle (LIB) unites the worlds of yoga, dance music, self-improvement and social awareness. This fusion of worlds and ideas in one, easy-to-attend location creates a profound experience.

2018 was my third LIB. Each one I’ve attended, I’ve had my daughter with me, starting at age five, then seven, and now nine. Being a single parent at a festival is limiting in many way. For example, I don’t get to see the late night acts, nor do I cram myself up into crowds, especially once night falls. My daughter and I stay on the periphery as we explore.

But in so many ways, LIB provides an infinite canvas of possibility, learning opportunities, inner growth, and absolute fun, even when I’m attending solo with my youngster. It’s truly incredible to walk through a space and never once feel out of place, to feel that my child is safe and welcome wherever we go, and to simultaneously enrich my life through immersion in ritual, learning, and via alternate lenses of life experience.

Lightning in a Bottle–an Overview of the Experience

LIB combines music, yoga, meditation, consciousness, social justice, ritual and learning. Multiple massive stages featuring artists like Sofi Tukker exist alongside Burning Man-esque DJ zones where art and self expression collide. Ample areas for rest, play, food, and fun are found all along the yoga grounds. The space includes not one, but two yoga stages. They are equally beautiful and spread apart from one another. The two stages offer hours of back-to-back yoga practices, from early morning until late night.

The Family Love Village allows kids an absolutely separate place to explore, make art at ArtClave, listen to stories with Dr. Solar and Friends, and even enjoy family yoga.

All along the festival’s walkways are food vendors and a festival-themed artisan marketplace. The festival itself borders a lake bed which was empty for years. In 2017, rains filled it in and for the past two years, revelers are out on the lakebed, floating, swimming and enjoying nature’s beauty. The camping areas skirt the edges of the festival, circling the lake. In addition, RV camping areas as well as boutique glamping options are on offer.

Family Camping

In our three LIB visits, my daughter and I have stayed in Family Camp. I don’t think that regular camping is appropriate for a child. Why not? Well, people party and stay up late in the regular camping areas. For the most part, everyone is very considerate. But ya never know. Festival partying can be a bit much for young ones.

At least in Family Camp, everyone settles down at a reasonable hour. However, and this is an important however, this is not to say that it’s quiet in Family Camp. The bass travels on, folks. So, bring your earplugs or simply exhaust yourself so much that the thud-thud-boom-boom up until 4am doesn’t keep you from sleeping. We generally don’t sleep so well the first night, even with the earplugs. By the second night, nothing keeps us up. It’s a good thing we slept, since there were a number of don’t miss moments every day–including our exploration of awareness and activism with engaging speakers.

The Compass as a Center of Citizen Activism

In the center of LIB is the Compass, a multi-space area whose intent is to bridge the gap between festival culture, ancient arts, mysticism and activist culture and in doing so, foster citizen activists, inspired by causes that ignite their souls.

The Compass is specific to LIB and a concept partnership of Living Village Culture, which believes in galvanizing the activist potential within transformative festivals by partnering with social, environmental and political movements. Living Village Culture was born out of the latent desire of festival-goers to participate in some form of village life, and the need to do something with the energy and potential created through the social communion they experience while at a festival.

With an eye to balancing the five elements, LIB’s The Compass speaks to our contemporary desire to experience village life, and that longing deep within our DNA that calls upon us to unite with others of like mind. The Compass consists of tented areas intermixed with outdoor ritual spaces and indigenous-minded cultural offerings.

Workshops at the Compass

Each area invites festival-goers into an array of experience and workshops. These areas include Memory Palace, with the Grandmother Tree in the center, which offer opportunities to sit with elders and learn. Crossroads offer interactive cultural workshops. Last Supper Club, aka the Nightcap, offers storytelling, performance and fine dining by evening, morphing into fine drinking through early dawn. Healing Arts, Cultural Hub, Earth Arts & Crafts, and The Learning Kitchen offer an array of interpersonal/cultural workshops, self-betterment through nutrition and social-environmental awareness.

The Cauldron became my favorite exploratory space. Energetically held in the middle by a water fountain altar combination, The Cauldron featured several distinct areas with workshops on topics ranging as far wide as psychic protection from the dark forces, indigenous art, an apothecary and a witches’ hut, along with opportunities to witness fire tenders who light sacred fires and keep them burning, as well as water ceremonies which incorporate the central water altar.

Women Protectors of Mother Earth Across the Americas

The Beacon was the largest of the Compass spaces. Tented, it contained an array of astounding speakers and workshops focused on social, political and environmental change. I was so excited about this workshop and to attend it in peace with my nine-year-old. We made a bargain. As much time as I spent at this workshop, I would give her back, having water gun fun at the Woogie Stage. During the workshop, I let her use my camera to take pictures and she had a notebook to draw on. Half the time, she ended up playing with a ladybug that landed on her arm.

I had the honor of listening to Amy Goodman moderate a panel: Women Protectors of Mother Earth Across the Americas. The panel consisted entirely of indigenous women who have risen up to create social change and who are all a part of the Indigenous Environmental Network.

This Network is a collaboration of many groups focused on one similar goal, “To Protect the Sacredness of Earth Mother from contamination and exploitation by Respecting and Adhering to Indigenous Knowledge and Natural Law.” The panel included Leila Salazar Lopez (AmazonWatch), Pennie Opal Plant (GatheringTribes), Erial DeRanger (IndigenousClimateAction), and Violet Cavanaugh of the Northern Chumash Tribal Council and a representative of Indigenous Women Rising.

Be Steadfast when Saving our Planet

The women encouraged us to remain steadfast and focused on saving our planet. “We’re here to defend Mother Earth against the extraction of oil. This is her blood,” said Leila Salazar Lopez. In fact, not only must we get involved, said Violet Cavanaugh, but, “This is a time of prophecy being fulfilled, wherein the feminine rises and it is the women across the world who will save our planet.”

“Transition is what’s going to save our planet, not just driving a Prius or installing solar panels. We don’t have the same definition of wealth. We’re wealthy in knowledge and spirituality,” Eriel DeRanger continued. “We need to challenge white supremacy, capitalism, and colonialism. We’re talking about reharmonization of everything and everyone on this planet.”

And to those who are polluting our planet? Pennie Opal Plant responded, “They need our prayer

[as much as they need our action.] We pray that they are alert…..Our enemies are not people. They are thoughtforms…The Prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor coming back together is happening right now.”

Powerful, potent, beautiful feminine energy is rising everywhere. It’s nurturing our planet in exactly the way that she needs right now. This message struck deep inside my heart, bringing me to tears at the beauty and simplicity of it all. These educational and soul-igniting opportunities are part of the ethos that sets LIB apart.

Comparing LIB and Burning Man

When you compare LIB to the massive, non-structured, and radical Burning Man, which seen by many as the grandmother of transformational festivals, LIB is relatively easy to experience.

LIB is family-friendly and attracts a different festival goer than at Burning Man. Still be conscientious; even though nudity is not permitted at LIB, there is still a lot of skin on display. If you’re easily offended by the sight of partial breast or tushie, this festival may not be for you. Or you may opt to stay strictly within the Family Love Village area.

When it comes to logistics and supplies, water on site at the festival is abundant and free. (Bring your own bottles for easy refill and portability.) In theory, you don’t have to bring anything other than your clothes. You could, if you wanted to, eat out every meal, and sleep in a luxury tent or an RV. LIB’s marketplace vendors may sell handmade crystals next to Doc Martin boots and flashy fairy wings, just in case you forgot your festival outfit at home.

For the Burning Man purists, this is absolute commercialism since Burning Man promotes radical expression and radical self-reliance. It is a part of Burning Man’s culture. Everyone is a participant. There are no spectators. Everyone brings all their of water, food and every possible thing they might need for the week. The only items on sale at Burning Man are coffee and ice. When I first went, in 1999, you couldn’t even buy those.

Aria Morgan and her daughter at LIB

Family-Friendly Considerations

For families looking for the immersive experience who simply cannot commit to the intensity that is Burning Man, LIB is heaven. In addition, LIB offers a profound space for social-political change that is much more accessible than Burning Man. Don’t get me wrong, Burners: Burning Man offers far greater radical, artistic self-expression than anything else on this planet. But LIB is not trying to be Burning Man.

Behind the Scenes Fulfillment at LIB

Everyone I spoke to at LIB, from the volunteers at the Woogie stage to world-renowned yoga teachers and DJs, all agreed that their work at LIB feeds and nurtures them. It’s far more than simply a job, a gig, or a campout party. Everyone alluded to the same thing. In fulfilling whatever within them that needs to be expressed, they fill themselves with the expansiveness of being in alignment with their inner self. It’s this expansiveness and inner light that gives them the energy to keep going and keep offering more and more of themselves to others.

When I asked people about their experience. I received different versions of same response. “It’s part of who I am,” said yoga teacher Cristi Christensen. “I can’t not do what I do. I resisted teaching for years. And then it go to the point where it was selfish not to share my life because yoga was changing me in so many ways. I want to wake people up and shake people up to the power that’s inside of them so they can celebrate this gift of life they’ve been given.”

DJ Joshua Heath, aka ‘Lonely Boy’ said, “It allows me to be the best version of myself. When I’m performing, the energy exchange is really what does it for me. Afterwards, hearing people’s stories of how something I did affected them in this really positive way — that is the fuel.”

This energy of sharing who we are is like a massive ball of positive self-expression that transmits itself to everyone.

What’s the Why

Dede Flemming, CFO of the DoLab and co-creator of LIB, says that it’s the smile on people’s faces that still does it for him. “I’m fed by what I do because of the stories that we hear from people–whether they’re an attendee or they’re working–about how their lives have changed. They are different people because of this festival. A local vineyard manager in his 70s wrote to me that he had a life-changing experience in a few hours because of the people and the energy of this event. And that is what keeps me going.”

Nasty Neil, who is the Woogie stage assistant manager and provider of Woogie Water Gun fun, said that it is the A-ha moment in people’s eyes that nurtures him. “When it’s all said and done, whenever anyone comes up to you and says, ‘Thank you for that magical experience,’ that’s why I personally attend these things and am a part of it.”

Marques Wyatt, creator of DEEP and co-creator of Deep Exhale with Cristi Christensen, remarked that LIB was his “absolute favorite festival. I remember them as being one of the first to incorporate health and wellness as part of the festival while all the other stuff was going on. I can’t tell you how many people hear me at LIB and find me at DEEP after that.”

People are exposed to somethings that they may normally not ever have noticed. Says Marques, “People that go to LIB to dance, they might know me from the clubs and they think, ‘Hey, I wonder what Marques is doing with this yoga thing,’ and they show up. I can see it in their faces. They’re blown away. They’ve had an experience. LIB makes it easy for people to try it out. To take their first yoga class, to hear their first talk. And vice versa – for a yogi to go – hey, lemme check out some of this dancing.”

Shiva Rea taught at Lightning in a Bottle with her son Jai serving as DJ

Shiva Rea at LIB

Shiva Rea is so committed to LIB that she came in the day before surgery back in LA. She spoke to me 10 days after her surgery, “Festivals, particularly LIB, are a way of giving back to the spirit of collective gathering; and for me, the diversity at a festival is very different than when I’m going to teach in a specific community.

We have a choice to see the challenges of the day as a challenge or as a creative potentiality. As you know, I came to LIB and the next day I went into surgery. Not many people do that. My son and I were looking forward to it. I was nurtured by that. It wasn’t draining for me. I went in with joy and circulation in my body.

This feeling allows me to taste the best moments of life and that nurtures me. I’m a Rasika. I’m one who goes with the Optimal Flow of Life.”

What’s My Why

And what about me? What’s my WHY? WHY do I spend hours packing up my car to drive for hours to wait in line for hours to unpack for hours to festival with my nine-year-old, when, clearly, booking an Airbnb somewhere out in nature would be far more relaxing? What is it about festivals and crowds and music and yoga that draws me in? Why do I interview people and write about them?

I’m completely intrigued by those who share themselves freely, without tempering their spirit. In fact, the sharing of who we are serves to brighten our inner light even more. As someone who struggled for years trying to fit into a mold that wasn’t me, I understand the powerful nature of being present with people who are completely themselves. It’s inspiring to us all.

Shining Our Lights

There’s that famous quote about shining one’s light allowing others to shine theirs. My light is my life. This includes: teaching, writing, dancing, writing, teaching, coaching, parenting. I share by experiencing and relating my experience to others. That is what nurtures my soul and brings me joy. If I can touch your life through this article and inspire you to attend a transformational festival like LIB, and if that festival shifts even one iota, one inkling of a thought that later on cascades into a complete shift of self expression, then I, too, have become a part of this infinite space of being and existing and bettering not only ourselves but the world around us.

LIB 2019

You can buy tickets for LIB 2019 up on their website very very soon. Super early bird. LightningInABottle.org

You can find me @yogawitharia

And the beat goes on…

Aria Morgan

Aria Morgan is a yoga teacher, doula and music lover who finds inspiration in nature: ariamorgan.com.

www.ariamorgan.com

The post Lightning In a Bottle 2018 – What’s your WHY? appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

I knew Shakti Fest was the yoga festival for me when a one hour conversation with its founder left me wanting to be a better person. Sridhar (Steven by birth) Silberfein is a man who has walked his talk for so long that now he’s simply talking his walk.

Steeped in the rich traditions of yoga since 1968, Sridhar considers the moment he introduced Swami Satchidananda to the stage at Woodstock in 1969 to be what started him on the path that led to the creation of two major yoga festivals that are in full swing. Bhakti Fest as of 2009 and its sister Shakti Fest as of 2011.

The Importance of Service

According to Sridhar, these festivals are acts of service, or seva. (Seva is the Sanskrit word for selfless acts that are performed without any regard for reward or repayment.)

You cannot talk to Sridhar for more than a few minutes without realizing that service (seva) is woven into the fabric of his being. Whether it is helping his friend and spiritual luminary Ram Dass or taking flowers to someone in an old age home, for Sridhar service and transformation go hand in hand.

Ram Dass Offers Wisdom

Every year, the festival features an exclusive interview with Ram Dass and Sridhar. (If you’re not at the festival, you can watch the videos on YouTube).

Sridhar says, “You can’t do anything for the planet unless you change yourself. How much seva are you doing? It’s easy to quote phrases and give lines, but what are you really doing? How deep are you really going? Going deep inside the process, really surrendering and getting to the next round, that’s the work. And that requires discipline. It takes everyday focus. You have to get up every morning and do the work and not talk about it. There’s no more time to talk. Discipline is the key. You break through much quicker if you have a discipline.” He credits his understanding of discipline to what he learned from Swami Muktananda.

Swami Muktunanda was Sridhar’s guru from 1970 through 1982. It is known among yogis that certain individuals can transmit the energy of Shakti or Shaktipat and Muktananda was one of them. For my skeptic readers, before you “woowoo” this away, let me say I’ve known several incredible people who attribute their reception of Shaktipat to Muktunanda and they are some of the most balanced, loving, and successful people I know. This tells me there is something very real about this phenomenon.

The Power of Shakti

According to Sridhar, “Once Shakti starts moving in your body, there’s nothing you can’t do or accomplish in life.” This spiritual energy is something Sridhar hopes that everyone has the opportunity to experience at the festival. Nurturing, love, understanding, and compassion are just a few of the words he uses to describe what attendees can expect to experience. With non-stop workshops, yoga practices, meditation, kirtan, and super healthy food—transformation is available and accessible.

A Family-Friendly Festival

What makes it even better is this is a completely green event. It is also a drug, alcohol, and meat-free event. Sridhar who has been a vegetarian for 48 years is committed to keeping the festival true to the traditional values of yoga. Sponsors, vendors, and presenters are carefully chosen with this in mind.
Sridhar is also very candid about the fact that this is not the place to drink, drug, and hook up. He has no qualms in saying if you want that, don’t come to Bhakti Fest. “Yoga is not about escaping from yourself. It’s about connecting with and going deeper into yourself,” he says. He’s also delighted that people have been bringing their families, so all can grow together.

A Festival of Community

These words come from a man with a belief in service. He still stands on his head daily, engages in meditation, spiritual study, and who knows he needs a guru. After Muktananda’s passing, Sridhar found Amma, the hugging saint. He’s been a devotee of hers now for 28 years and considers her “the highest female presence on the planet.” (You can learn more about her on her website Amma.org and in the 1999 film, River of Love.)

Sridhar describes both Shakti and Bhakti Fest as being about “Getting out of your comfort zone. It’s a gathering to celebrate, to go deeper into devotion. Which is a spark that will help us ignite into a deeper spiritual and biological transformation.”

Buy your festival ticket today for Shakti Fest in May and Bhakti Fest in September. Make your plans to travel to Joshua Tree Retreat Center. At the very least you’ll have fun, eat delicious vegetarian food, dance, and sing your heart out all in the company of like-minded people. And beyond that you may catch a spark that changes you forever, leaving you transformed and ready to serve the planet.

Alison Bristow

www.alisonbristow.com

The post Bhakti Fest and Shakti Fest: Devotion, Service, and Transformation appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Photo courtesy of La Quinta Resort & Club, A Waldorf Astoria Resort

A New Version of an Old Model: Wellness Tourism 2.0

Embedded within the burgeoning $16 billion dollar a year yoga industry is a new version of an old model that has become increasingly popular: Yoga and Meditation Retreats, aka Wellness Tourism 2.0.
 
The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) estimates from the period 2015-2020, the largest projected growth sector in the five main categories of wellness (Spa, Wellness Tourism, Thermal/Mineral Springs, Workplace Wellness, and Wellness Lifestyle Real Estate), will be Wellness Tourism.
 
It is expected to grow annually by 7.5% (compared to conventional tourism’s 3.4% annual growth rate) and will account for $808 billion dollars in the United States alone by 2020. Naturally, this increase in popularity for wellness retreats can directly, or perhaps indirectly, be attributed to the rise of interest in yoga and meditation practices and retreats worldwide.
 
Just pop into any local yoga studio and you’ll see a collection of flyers for upcoming retreats. Headlines frequently read, “Join us on an unforgettable, magical, and transformational yoga journey to _____ (insert an exotic paradise-like location) where we’ll do yoga twice a day, eat yummy, nourishing, organic food, meditate and participate in other wellness-based and fun activities, and escape into a world where you can become the person you’ve always wanted to be.”
 
Sound familiar?!?
 
Whether it’s an adventure-based shamanic yoga and surf retreat in Costa Rica, a spiritual delight for the senses in India or Bali, a decadent culinary and wine get-away in Italy, or a peaceful local relaxation sanctuary at an oasis like Palm Springs, yoga and meditation retreats offer a plethora of experiences and opportunities to help people find themselves.
 
Yet, yoga and meditation retreats are actually nothing new within the field of wellness travel. They’re simply a modernized rebranding of something that already existed for a long period of time.
 

 

The History of Wellness Retreats

According to researchers Melanie Smith and Catherine Kelly, wellness retreats are “One of the most ancient forms of tourism if one considers the scrupulous attention paid to well-being by the Romans and Greeks, the quest for spiritual enlightenment of Mediaeval pilgrims, or the medical seaside and spa tourism of the 18th and 19th century European elite.”
 
Whether people retreated for health or medical purposes or for spiritual enlightenment, it can safely be assumed that this concept has been going on since Western societies became civilized.
 
Moreover, the latter falls in line with India’s storied tradition of spiritual seekers. Growing up in the Kriya Yoga tradition of Self-Realization Fellowship, I was personally raised on some of the stories of the great saints of India like Ramakrishna, Neem Karoli Baba, Mahavatar Babaji, and, of course, Paramahansa Yogananda. Yogananda-ji, author of the famed classic, Autobiography of a Yogi, often wrote about how he longed to visit the Himalayas to search for and find the Holy Ones of India’s mystical traditions high up in the mountains.
 
This type of existentially motivated tirthayatra (pilgrimage) retreat has interested many spiritual seekers throughout history. According to Richard Sharpley and Priya Sundaram in Tourism, A Sacred Journey, pilgrimage “has been an element of Indian social life since ancient times.”
 
What’s more, the Kerala region of Southwestern India has been a haven for healing people’s physical dukha (suffering) since the tradition began. It is said to be the place where Ayurveda was born at least 5,000 years ago. Centers there have provided medical escapes and extended panchakarma wellness retreats to rehabilitate people’s overall health since time immemorial.
 
Furthermore, Kerala-based Ayurvedic and yoga retreats have currently reached a historical pinnacle of popularity.
 
Thus, whether in ancient India [in the East] or in ancient Greece and Rome [in the West], the concept of a retreat, or of escaping from society for health, healing, or holiness, is deeply rooted within each of us as human beings. They’ve been an historical hallmark of self-care and wellness before statistics on these kinds of practices even existed.
 

 

The Evolution and Expectations of a Yoga and Meditation Retreat

People often have preconceived notions of a yoga or meditation retreat. These commonly include images of long-haired hippies dressed in white, eating dhal and rice and drinking komboucha, chanting all night near a nag champa incense and sage-scented fire. However, in today’s modern yoga environment, the actual picture is far different.
 
Each retreat is unique and carries a specific energy and theme. When choosing your adventure, ask yourself: What’s your ideal theme? Becoming clear on your focus, knowing the topography or scenery you’re seeking, and aligning with the details of what’s being offered are essential steps to ensure you choose the right retreat for you.
 
A number of factors may be considered when retreat decision-making.
Location: Do you like the desert, the beach, the mountains, the forest, or the open lands?
 
Accommodations: Do you prefer five-star, rustic, something in between, or something truly unique like a treehouse, an ashram, or an ancient castle?
 
Distance of travel: Do you have to fly to the retreat and spend extra time away from life or is it close enough for you to drive?
 
Excursions: Do you want to relax and practice yoga on a beach in Malibu? Have a side of yoga with skiing up in Mammoth? Or enjoy desert yoga and meditation after hiking in Joshua Tree and visiting the eco-conscious wind and solar farms? Lots of fun excursion choices await you!
 
Spa Treatments: Do you want to channel the Vedas through a Himalayan Salt Stone Ritual? Or maybe Zen out with a Find Your Zen Ritual? Maybe you prefer a more traditional massage? Or a Hydrafacial? Perhaps a Lomi Lomi, which is a Hawaiian “loving hands” massage? How pampered do you want to be?
 
Food: Do you want to eat vegetarian or vegan food while you’re away? Or maybe you want to have a sattvic (pure) or Ayurvedic diet while on retreat? Is it time for a juice cleanse? Is the food served at a food hall or in the ambiance and atmosphere of a restaurant?
 
As you can see, there are many ways to personalize your retreat experience. In Tourism, A Sacred Journey, the authors state that tourism, “Is functionally and symbolically equivalent to other institutions that humans use to embellish and add meaning to their lives.
 
It may be understood either as a regular secular ritual (the annual vacation) that acts as a counterpoint to everyday life and work, or as a more specific rite of passage, or ‘personal transition,’ undertaken at particular junctions in peoples’ lives.”
There’s truly something for everyone!
 
If you’re a Type A person, going on a Yoga adventure may be fun, but it may be more of the same Type A energy of constantly being on the go that you normally experience. Maybe a digital detox would be better? Consider asking yourself what’s going on in your life and how your chosen retreat might lead to greater balance or inner harmony for you since the time spent on retreat can, quite literally, change your life.
 

 

The Retreat Process

On retreat, don’t be surprised if your stuff comes rising to the surface, especially if it’s a retreat with deeper training involved. If you’re constantly active with life and work, when you finally have some free space, subconscious emotions may come up. Take the time and space you need in order to honor your feelings and be with yourself. For some people, this is a natural part of the process of slowing down.
 
Sharpley and Sudaram describe three stages of the retreat process:
 
Separation Stage: This is the time when people decompress and become freed or distanced from their ordinary routine as they enter the new retreat surroundings.
 
Liminality Stage: The transitional phase of entry into a sacred state of anti-structure in which the structure and order of normal life dissolve, everyday obligations cease to exist and new forms of relationships are created based upon a leveling of statuses. This can produce feelings of excitement and bonding between participants.
 
Re-integration Stage: Described as the process of returning home to everyday existence in society where the techniques and practices that were done on retreat become, as HuffPost writer Ariston Anderson calls it, “a vacation souvenir.” People return to their individual worlds with these souvenirs.
 
This is one of the greatest distinguishing features between a traditional vacation and a retreat. Travel and retreats both provide you with methods of relaxing and taking care of yourself while away. But, yoga and meditation retreats offer you tools to take home that can help you grow, both inside and outside.
 
This experience can inspire people to find more satisfaction in their lives if they stay consistent with the practices.
 

 

What the Research Says About Wellness Travel

A groundbreaking study in complementary and alternative medicine from the University of California San Francisco, Harvard Medical School, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai sheds more light on what makes wellness travel distinct.
 
Originally published in Translational Psychology, a group of researchers analyzed blood samples of 94 healthy women ages 30-60 separated into two groups. There was a control group consisting of non-meditating women randomly selected to enjoy their vacation at the La Costa Resort in La Jolla, California, and a group of novice and experienced meditators who were instructed in mantra meditation and yoga at The Chopra Center led by Dr. Deepak Chopra’s instructors.
 
To maintain consistency between the groups, both were fed a similar Ayurvedic, anti-inflammatory diet and had similar, comparable lodging and accommodations.
 
The results? Both groups showed positive gene activity in their blood samples for specific markers related to cellular health and aging. This was measured by their regulation of the stress response, telomerase activity, and amyloid beta (A?) metabolism.
 
The greatest biochemical changes between the groups were related to measurements of stress and immune function. Novice meditators showed fewer symptoms of depression and less signs of stress for a longer period of time following the structured retreat compared to the vacationers.
 
The regular meditators showed the greatest improvements in antiviral and immune function activity of all groups; they also showed the most significant increase in peripheral blood mononuclear cell telomerase post-retreat. This measurement is predictive of decreases in diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers.
 
Overall, the study led the researchers to differentiate between what they referred to as “the vacation effect” versus the more powerful “meditation effect” found on retreat.
 
Other studies have shown similar findings. A June 2017 study published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience found that after a three-month yoga and meditation retreat, people showed increases in Brain-Derived Neurotophic Factor (BDNF) and the cortisol awakening response.
 
These are markers that signify the reduction of anxiety and depression. People also experienced decreases in inflammatory processes due to higher levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokine, Interleukin-10.
 
A 2016 study published in the Journal for Psychosomatic Research made the following conclusion, “Meditation retreats are moderately to largely effective in reducing depression, anxiety, stress and in ameliorating the quality of life of participants.”
According to current scientific research, the right kind of vacation can be good for your health.
 
What’s the right kind? Well, a Yoga or meditation wellness retreat, of course!
 

Types of Wellness Retreat-Goers

There appear to be several tourism-based yoga and meditation archetypes. These include: The Dedicated Yoga and Meditation Tourist, The Corporate Yoga Tourist, The Religious Yoga Tourist, The Ashram Yoga Tourist, and The Medical Yoga Tourist.
 
The Dedicated Yoga and Meditation Tourist: This traveler is interested in detoxing from the constant bombardment of the digital world. They’re seeking to dial down the intensity of worldly commitments (especially if they have kids). At the same time, they’re seeking new and improved lifestyle patterns that lead to less stress and more ease.
 
Often, this traveler wants to set aside their established identity in order to re-invent themselves. They may choose an instructor or studio-led retreat for 3 to 7 days. This category is also for the traditional yoga festival-goer.
 
Destinations include Bhatki Fest, Wanderlust Festivals, One Love Fest, Esalen in Big Sur, Rythmia Life Advancement Center in Costa Rica, or a retreat with their yoga teacher to a beautiful location like Hawaii, Mexico, Chile, or Bali.
 
The Corporate Yoga Tourist: Someone who works a high-stress, high-paying job will fit into this category. They need a few days to separate from responsibilities (including their cell phone!). They may go on retreat to re-acquaint with themselves, prioritize life values, and re-assess their role in society, work, and family. Often, they may seek a retreat with structure as well as free time to roam and daydream.
 
If this person happens to be in a leadership position, they may even inspire their company and/or team to include yoga and meditation programming into their annual corporate meetings. There are a number of scientifically proven benefits and advantages of a corporation offering these practices to employees.
 
These include improvements in physical health and cognitive performance, enhancements in social connectedness and leadership capacity, decreases in work-associated stress and anxiety, better quality of communication and interpersonal relationships. Other benefits are heightened strategic focus, increased productivity levels, and emotional intelligence skills like empathy, agreeableness, and self-control.
 
Destinations include properties like the 1440 Multiversity in Northern California, Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara, or La Quinta Resort & Club, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, in the Palm Springs area where they have special yoga and mindfulness programming for companies that want to enhance their corporate meetings and provide additional resources and lifestyle support for their employees and their families.
 
The Religious Yoga Tourist: Yoga and religion are classically different. Yoga is a spiritual practice while religion is, well, a religious practice. The Religious Yoga Tourist, however, is typically someone with religious fervor who wants to empower their relationship with the Divine in a kind and loving way. Humorously titled ‘Homo turisticus religiosus’ by Vukonic, Religious Yoga Tourists have many avenues to explore and ways to worship depending on the denomination.
 
Destinations include church groups heading to a remote location like Questhaven Retreat Center outside Encinitas to meditate on Christ, a Jewish group sharing Old Testament values in a modern context at a place like Alpine Meadows in Angelus Oaks, Kriya Yoga devotees of all religions practicing at the non-denominational Self-Realization Fellowship Hermitage & Gardens in Encinitas, or a Buddhist group doing mindfulness practices at a Dharma Center like Spirit Rock in Northern California.
 
The Ashram Yoga Tourist: The ashram-goer typically takes to heart the meaning of India’s tourism advertising campaign, Incredible India. They may seek out longer experiences or sign up for a yoga teaching certification as part of the retreat.
 
While some of these seekers travel alone, they may also connect with other kindred spirits while on the road or even a group seeking transformation. This tourist often travels with a backpack, a trusty Lonely Planet guidebook, and even a musical instrument. In addition, they are driven by deeply profound and existential quest for liberation and soul freedom.
 
Destinations include the Sivananda Yoga Farm in Northern California, Mount Madonna in the Santa Cruz Mountains, SRF’s Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisades, the Himalayan Institute in Pennsylvania, the Omega Institute in upstate New York, the Art of Living Retreat Center in North Carolina, Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in the Berkshires, or the Parmath Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh, India.
 
The Medical Yoga Tourist: Some travelers seek healing. This person is typically looking for a peaceful, tranquil, and supportive environment that will encourage healing and recovery. This can include the Ayurvedic cleansing practice of panchakarma.
 
The Medical Yoga Tourist may be seeking relief from psychological or psychiatric challenges or traumas, treatment for autoimmune diseases, integrative medicine for cancer, or even cosmetic surgery away from home. In some situations, this traveler will choose a personally inspired retreat perhaps under the care of doctors and nurses.
 
They may incorporate yoga, breathing, and meditation techniques. The medical treatments often take place in a hospital or a nearby rehabilitation or yoga therapy facility.
 
Destinations include the Health and Longevity Institute at the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida, Rancho La Puerta in Mexico, Miraval Life in Balance Spa at Monarch Beach Resort, The Jiva Grande Spa at Vivanta by Taj in Madikeri (India), Ananda in the Himalayas (India), or the Beverly Hills Waldorf Astoria (which offers programs to heal in luxury after medical and surgical procedures).
 
Know Yourself: Ultimately, the type of tourist you are will depend on the type of experience you are seeking. Gently investigate with awe and curiosity what your motivations are for your retreat and you’ll likely find that you fit into one of the categories above. Once you do figure it all out, you’ll be on your path to finding some fun, serenity, and/or healing. Happy travels!
 

Yoga is the Essence of Modern Wellness Travel

Yoga and meditation retreats have found their way into our global culture as the modern version of Wellness Tourism. In 2017, over 80 million people are expected to try or practice yoga in the US alone.
 
Across the globe, this number likely tops hundreds of millions. Millions more (including about 12–15% of the U.S. population) are meditators. Many of whom practice regularly at home, in spiritual centers and churches/temples, or on apps like iRest, Headspace, and Simple Habit.
 
Not surprisingly, industries like tourism, hospitality, and healthcare are increasingly integrating these supportive lifestyle practices from yoga and meditation into people’s stays. Yet, the main distinction between a typical vacation and a retreat may be that the latter not only impacts you and your inner world while you’re there, but provides you with a ‘vacation souvenir’ that will have an effect and express itself all the way down to the level of your blood and genes long after you depart.
 
The popularity of these practices continues to grow as people immerse themselves in the profoundly transformational cultures on yoga and meditation retreats. An increasing number of options are available for any type of wellness travel experience. Whatever type of traveler you are, the retreat you choose will offer you something unique, powerful, and meaningful.
 
Focusing your travel on your heart, spirit, and health can have long lasting effects. This is where the magic of the “meditation effect” is experienced. Ultimately, a yoga and meditation retreat isn’t just about the vacation experience, the tools you learn and the shifts you make help support you to become the best version of yourself in your day-to-day life.
 

Eden Goldman

Dr. Eden Goldman, D.C., C-IAYT, E-RYT500, is Director of Yoga and Mindfulness at La Quinta Resort, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, where they host 5-star teacher and studio led retreats, along with corporate retreats, and feature an Ayurvedic-inspired vegetarian menu, Manduka mats and props, an enchanting desert and mountain backdrop, 41 swimmable pools for guests, and one of the newest installations in Amanda Giacomini’s 10,000 Buddhas street art series. Professionally, Dr. Goldman is also Director of The Yoga and the Healings Sciences at Loyola Marymount University Extension and co-author of Yoga Therapy and Integrative Medicine: Where Ancient Sciences Meets Modern Medicine. He can be found online on Instagram at @dr.edengoldman

www.YogaDoctors.com

The post Wellness Tourism 2.0: The Benefits of Yoga and Meditation Retreats appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Los Angeles Events: Classes and Workshops

Accessible Yoga

 
Learn how to make classes welcoming to everyone and to approach students in a trauma-informed way with Accessible Yoga Founder Jivana Heyman.
Details
7-10 Sep 9am-5pm $550
Spiral Path Yoga, 3115 Foothill Blvd, Suite F, La Crescenta
 

Transformation with Kyle Cease

NY Times Bestselling Author and Comedy Central headliner, Kyle Cease, uses his 25 years of performing, creating, and letting go of what other people think to help people move past anxieties, limitations, and self-doubts into a new vision of what is possible.
Details
9-10 Sep $199/adv
Alex Theater, 216 N Broad Blvd, Glendale
 

The Wisdom of Ayurveda

Carry Kim shares the intuitive wisdom of Ayurveda to teach us how to understand nature through our five senses to learn to heal and nourish ourselves.
Details
9 Sep 12-2:30pm $45/adv; $50/door
Lotus 7 Yoga & Pilates, 22521 Avenida Empresa, Ste 116 & 117, Rancho Santa Margarita
 

Shamanic Trance Dance

Transformational Trance Dance experience led by Siberian Shaman Ladamira and Medicine Women Sarah Eaglewoman.
Details
10 Sep TIME $50LOCATION Malibu
 

Yoga and 12-Step Recovery

 
Nikki Myers shares how to combine cognitive and somatic approaches to recovery from addiction using yoga and the 12 steps.
Details
15-17 Sep $550
Fri 8am-4pm, Sat 1:30-8:30pm, Sun 12-8pm
YogaWorks, 740 S Allied Way, El Segundo
 

Core, Floor and More

 
Sarah Court addresses the relationships of the abdominal diaphragm and the pelvic floor and everything in between, using the soft Coregeous ball.
Details
16 Sep 2-4pm $50
Yoga House, 11 West State St, Pasadena
 

Find Your Voice

Belgian sound therapist Annika Vandevelde teaches people how to develop awareness of their own and others’ voices.
Details
17 Sep 2-5pm $50
Goorus Yoga Studio, 15327 W Sunset Blvd, Pacific Palisades
 

One Day Detox Retreat

A comprehensive day-long rejuvenative detox includes superfood juice smoothies by ??????Juice Served Here, detox elixirs and juices, signature detox soup by Soupure, led hike in the Santa Mountains, detox yoga classes, Restorative Yoga and I AM Meditation. Third Sunday. Full or half days available.
Details
17 Sep $115 (half day) $195 (full day)
Aziam Yoga, 13050 San Vicente Blvd, Suite 202, Brentwood
 

Ecstatic Dance LA at Aziam Yoga

World-class DJs and free-form movement.
Details
22 Sep 7:30-10:15pm $15/early; $20/door
Aziam Yoga, 13050 San Vicente Blvd, Suite 202, Brentwood
 

One Day: Access to the Best of Your Life

ONE DAY is for women 35+ to discover new ways of being, create practices for a vibrant, integrated self that has you lit up in a new way of life. By Soul Bella Retreats.
Details
23 Sep 10am-6pm $175Calamigos Ranch Resort, 327 Latigo Canyon Rd, Malibu
 

FREE mini yogis yoga for kids class!

A fun and engaging introduction to yoga for children ages 4-8. This class is totally free and totally cool, incorporating meditation, breath, and asana in a uniquely kid-friendly way.
Details
24 Sep 9:30-10:30am FreeISKF Santa Monica, 1218 5th St, Santa Monica
 

Accessible Yoga Conference

Noteworthy workshop leaders address topics related to allowing yoga to be accessible to a diversity of populations.
Details
6-8 Oct $395City College of SF Mission Center, San Francisco
 

Los Angeles Events: Spiritual Teachers and Teachings

Sri Prem Baba

Sri Prem Baba makes his first teaching trip to LA. Talks include relationships “Love and Be Free” (Sat Sep 2), purpose “Finding Your Place” (Sun Sep 3) and “A New Way of Living Life” (Fri Sep 1). Sign up for the entire weekend or for individual workshops.
Details
1 Sep 6:30-9:30pm $20, 2 Sep 10am-6pm $125, 3 Sep 10am-6pm $125Santa Monica Bay Woman’s Club, 1210 4th St, Santa Monica
 

Sattwadharman Benefit & Art Auction

Enchanting evening of art and culture, featuring a healing Ayurvedic dinner and silent auction of sacred Indic art. Keynote address by Himalayan monk Swami Vidyadhishananda. Support heritage-revival projects of the nonprofit Self Enquiry Life Fellowship.
Details
9 Sep 4-9pm $125/ticket, sponsorships availTemple Emanuel, 300 N. Clark Dr, Beverly Hills
 

Kriya Yoga Program

Phil Goldberg, Craig Marshall, and Marydale, owner of Param Yoga Healing Arts Center, host a rare visit by Paramahamsa Prajnanananda, spiritual leader of Kriya Yoga International, in honor of Paramahamsa Yogananda and his 125th birth year. This is an evening of spiritual discourse, wisdom, insight, and music.
Details
11 Sep 7pm FreePoverello of Assisi Auditorium, 1519 Woodworth St, San Fernando
 

Navaratri

Celebrate the nine nights honoring the various forms of the energy of the goddess–the Divine Mother with pujas (ceremonies), meditation, chanting, and community.
Details
21-30 Sep Times Vary Sivananda Center LA, 13325 Beach Ave, LA
 

Los Angeles Events: Yoga on the Pier

Yoga on the Redondo Pier

Bring your mat for an outdoor yoga class on the Octagon.
Details
9 Sep 10-11am Free Redondo Beach Pier, 500 Fisherman’s Wharf, Redondo Beach
 

YogaWorks 30th Anniversary

Desi Bartlett and Sean Grey teach Silent Disco yoga classes (via headphones). Cohosted by The Xanadu Life and Bender. Post-class socials with snacks and giveaways. Bring your mat.
Details
10 Sep 2pm Check in for level 1 w/Desi Bartlett $454pm Check in for Level 2-3 w/Sean Grey $45Santa Monica Pier
 

ROGA on the Santa Monica Pier

Arrive early for the 8am run (drop off your mat and it will be delivered to the yoga class site) or come for the 9am all-levels yoga.
Details
Fall series Sep 9-Oct 21. 16, 23, 30 Sep; 7, 14, 21 Oct 8am run, 9am yoga, Free Santa Monica Pier
 

Los Angeles Events: Food

California Vegetarian Food Festival

 
Food samples, meals for purchase, educational displays and program, live entertainment, and family-friendly activities focused on a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.
Details
16-17 Sep 10am-5pm $20/dayRaleigh Studios Hollywood, 5300 Melrose Ave, LA
 

Los Angeles Events: Special Events

Bhakti Fest

Kirtan, yoga, workshops, ceremony, community, vegetarian and vegan food in this transformational family-friendly event.
Details
7-11 Sep $325 full festival (discounts for military, seniors, and kids)Joshua Tree Retreat Center, 59700 Twentynine Palms Highway, Joshua Tree
 

Bhagavad Gita Convention

Learn how the Bhagavad Gita is a historic document and universal guidebook on achieving balance in the art and science of living beyond religion or philosophy.
Details
9-10 Sep; Sat 8am-6pm; Sun 8am-2pmCrystal Cove Auditorium, Student Center, 311 W. Peltason Dr, UC-Irvine
 

LMU Yoga Day

This free celebration of the traditions, experience and expressions of yoga is suitable for all levels with asana classes, meditations, workshops, and music. Concert at 7pm is Phoenix Rising: A Mantric Journey of the Heart by Yuan Miao.
Details
16 Sep 9am-9pm Free LMU Campus 1 LMU Dr, Los Angeles
 

Los Angeles Events: Music and the Arts

Simrit Kaur

 
Sacred music artist and Kundalini Yogini Simrit Kaur and her band will share mantras infused with energy, musicality, and devotion.
Details
30 Sep 7pm $25-40Ann and Jerry Moss Theatre, New Roads School, 3131 Olympic Blvd, Santa Monica
 

Tzu Chi

Thousands of Helping Hands Healing Arts Performance features the Disabled People’s Performing Arts Troupe. Funds support the international spiritual nonprofit Tzu Chi’s charitable programs.
Details
1 Oct 7pm (doors at 6) $58-198Microsoft Theater, 777 Chick Hearn Ct, LA
 

Los Angeles Events: Books and Authors

Gretchen Rubin and Daniel Siegel

Best-selling author of The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin discusses her upcoming book, The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles that Reveal How to Make your Life Better (and Other People’s Lives Better Too).
Details
19 Sep 8pm $20-40Ann and Jerry Moss Theatre, New Roads School, 3131 Olympic Blvd, Santa Monica
 
Daniel Goleman on Benefits of Meditation
Bestselling author of Emotional Intelligence, unveils new research that shows what meditation can really do for the brain in his new book, Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body.
Details
27 Sep 8pm $20-95Ann and Jerry Moss Theatre, New Roads School, 3131 Olympic Blvd, Santa Monica
 

Los Angeles Events: Fashion

ActiveWear & Lifestyle Trade Show

Discover the latest in fashion-forward and functional activewear and lifestyle clothing. Meet designers and participate in special events.
Details
9-11 Oct Free for qualified buyers California Market Center, 110 East Ninth Street, LA
 

Felicia M. Tomasko

Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.

www.blissnetwork.com

The post Los Angeles Events: The Best of September 2017 appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Tips for Booking the Catalina Island Trek

Offered in the off-season, fall through spring, the Yoga/Hike program can be booked through the REI website. Your adventure departs from the Long Beach Catalina Express Ferry Terminal at 7:45 am.
 

Tip #1

Our tip #1, stake out a spot on the deck and keep eyes trained for dolphins during the hour-long transit.
 

 
Upon disembarking at Avalon, participants are shuttled over to Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden for the three-mile “Garden to Sky” hike led by a member of the Catalina Island Conservancy. The senses immediately tune in to the beauty of the desert and endemic plant collection, as well as views extending across both sides of the island.
 
Another visual delight is a monument honoring William Wrigley Jr., the chewing gum magnate who was devoted to the development of Catalina Island. An element seen throughout the town can be spied here – handmade glazed tiles from Catalina Pottery.
 
Following the hike, a perfect cool-down is a personalized, one-hour yoga class. As if winking from a fork in the road, the historic El Encanto Building lures travelers for this very purpose, along with a side dose of pampering.
 
Indeed, it’s currently the home of Island Spa Catalina. Yoga/Hikers will make a beeline for the Wellness Studio, replete with views of Avalon Harbor. The studio’s regular schedule includes yoga classics that range from the basics to Balance & Flow.
 

Tip #2

After class, there’s free time for lunch (not included in the package price) and exploring the historic town of Avalon. Our tip #2, stick around Island Spa Catalina for a treatment (reserve in advance), lunch, and pool time. Go for the Island Deep Tissue Massage (there’s a 60-minute version, but spoil yourself by choosing 90 minutes) paired with Heated Quartz Sand Therapy enhancement.
 
Tight bodies are lulled into submission on a quartz table of warm sand that can be ergonomically adjusted to relieve muscle, arthritic and joint pain. Post-treatment, have lunch delivered to the Vista Deck Terrace and take in its swoon-worthy Pacific views. Later, cool off with a dip in the pool and a fresh juice elixir.
 

Tip #3

At 5 pm, the REI Yoga/Hike program concludes and participants return on the ferry. Our tip #3: Don’t leave! Plan ahead for an overnight stay and spend more time luxuriating island-style.
 
Check into ideal waterfront accommodations at Pavilion Hotel Avalon. Just 14 steps from the beach, this retro-hip hotel has a favorite gathering spot – its firepit. Here, hotel guests grab a cup of joe or a glass of wine and share stories. Breakfast provided daily as well as a wine and cheese hour at day’s end. Where to practice asana? In the lush courtyard within the u-shaped structure.
 

Tip #4

For evening entertainment, our tip #4: dinner and a movie. Avalon Grille has an offering that combines both (restrictions apply). The open-air venue serves up American fare.
 
Movies begin nightly at 7:30pm. Current-run films are showcased in a work of art unto itself – Catalina Casino. Stay late for the new Twilight at The Casino Tour to take in the theatre’s art deco magnificence, such as the 50-foot domed ceiling, hand-painted murals, 1929 Page pipe organ and a ballroom where big band acts continue to play in the new millennium.
 

Tip #5

The next morning, rise with the Sun. Tip #5, let spirits soar while communing with nature. Options for doing so abound, Catalina is, after all, home to bald eagles, American bison and garibaldi. Float on the clouds during a Descanso Canyon Zip Line Eco Tour, or take on the Catalina Aerial Adventure.
 
Embark on a Jeep tour of the island’s interior to spot local critters like foxes and buffalo. Give the element of water its fair due with an afternoon of snorkeling or SCUBA at the Underwater Park.
 

 
A time-sensitive experience not to miss – the Dale Chihuly exhibit at the Catalina Island Museum runs through December 11, 2017. On view are Chihuly’s most iconic works, including Seaforms, Red Reeds, Mille Fiori, Macchia, Baskets, Sea Blue, and Green Tower.
 
What better way to conclude a getaway than inspired by boundary-breaking, gravity-defying art? From tuning into nature, to engaging the senses through cuisine and the arts, this “yoga retreat” is certain to imbue at-home practices with fond memories and the desire for repeat visits.
 

REI Hike/Yoga Information to Catalina Island

Prices:

• $135 member
• $155 non-member

 
Tip: spring for a $20 REI lifetime membership, which can be purchased online, over the phone, or in person.
 
Package includes round-trip ferry (outbound departure is 7:45 am with a 5 pm return). Those looking to upgrade to Commodore Level tickets can do so at the ferry terminal. Also included is the three-hour hike and one-hour yoga class. Yoga mats provided.
 
Participants are encouraged to bring two liters of water and closed-toe shoes for hike. *Limited to 15 enrollees. Sign up here.
 

Bekah Wright

The post Catalina: An Island Retreat for Yogis appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

This was my first retreat and I put a lot of work into it.  But I had powerful assistance from this land. It created the space for transformation and truly aided in the experience.

For thousands of years, people have traveled to global power spots like Machu Picchu and the Egyptian pyramids to investigate the mysterious energy of lands said to help heal the body, increase creativity and awaken the soul’s purpose. For those looking to visit a domestic destination of equal transformative potential, The Feathered Pipe Ranch in Helena, Montana, is one of these sacred sites, and just so happens to host some of the best yoga retreats in the country.

Feathered Pipe Ranch in the Rocky Mountains

Surrounded by more than 100,000 acres of natural forest, the Feathered Pipe Ranch sits in a valley on the Eastern side of the continental divide, an energy vortex nestled tightly within the Rocky Mountains. With untouched wilderness and abundant wildlife, spring water flowing from every faucet and clean, crisp air, natural order is protected at the Ranch.

“People of all walks of life have been making pilgrimage to this spot since the 1970s to experience the power of the land and the nature,” says India Supera, Founder and Executive Director of the Feathered Pipe Ranch. “Montana connects heaven with earth, and we attract the greatest teachers and guides.”

Teachers at Feathered Pipe

Many of today’s foremost voices on yoga, meditation, wellness, and health have come through the doors at the Ranch: Joseph Campbell, Seane Corn, Dr. Andrew Weil, Dr. Jean Shinoda Bolen, Rodney Yee, Patricia Walden, Erich Schiffmann and Judith Hanson Lasater, to name a few.

One of the newest additions to the Ranch family is J. Brown, a yoga instructor, writer and founder of Abyhasa Yoga Center in Brooklyn, NY. As a city boy, Brown admittedly wasn’t sure what to expect for his first retreat, yet signs continued to confirm the calling to Montana. “I was doing a podcast with Erich Schiffmann and mentioned to him that I had been contacted by the Feathered Pipe Ranch,” says Brown. “He basically said – ‘You have to go. Don’t ask questions, just go’.”

Brown quickly understood Schiffmann’s advocacy. “When I arrived, it felt like my body began operating on a totally different frequency than what I’m used to in New York City,” Brown says. “It is so remote, away from everything – even the definitions of who and what I am.”

J Brown: Gentle is the New Advanced

Brown’s non-dualistic approach is revolutionary and refreshing on the modern yoga scene. His mission is to transform the mindsets of his students, or friends, as he refers to those who attend his classes. Brown begins his ‘Gentle is the New Advanced’ program with the history and philosophy of yoga to supply context for practice then introduces attention to the breath, the most tangible source of life. Asana postures are at the bottom of the to-do list, creating a space free of competition and physical expectations. The goal of his teachings? To be gentle, find balance and joy, and learn to set healthy boundaries and stay within them.

“Everything about our world encourages us to strive for more, to progress and push ourselves past our edges to attain some unknown thing,” says Brown. “If we take a step back and see that we are all mystical beings on this earth, surrounded by infinite space, we don’t need liberation, enlightenment or to be realized. We are whole, and yoga can help us to live that and be okay in our lives.”

Brown begins the dialogue by sharing his own story, offering a transparency and trust that trickles into every discussion thereafter. “I was 16 years old, standing in a hospital room where my mother had been for months, battling terminal leukemia. Until then, I had not been emotionally capable of seeing her this way, but was forced to go because they thought she might not make it through the night. My mother and sister were panicked and hysterical, and I suddenly had a moment of clarity and calmness, a sentiment that I had never felt before as a hyperactive and scattered kid. I grabbed my mother by the gown and locked eyes with her. I said, ‘Mom, I love you very much and I’m going to do great things in my life and make you proud of me.’ Then I walked out, and it was the last time I saw her.”

In the years following, Brown moved from LA to New York and graduated with a Fine Arts degree from NYU. He fell into a state of disillusionment and despair, searching for the poise and soberness he had felt at his mother’s bedside. “I hit a very low point and the only two things that made me feel slightly better were yoga and bass guitar,” says Brown. “I dove into them obsessively because they were preventing me from ending my life, and I couldn’t break the promise to my mom.”

Brown practiced and taught Ashtanga and Iyengar Yoga for years, yet he was in chronic pain, still grieving his mom’s death and was, by all accounts, miserable. “If this is how I feel as a yoga teacher, how was I supposed to help anyone?” he recalls thinking.

On the cusp of quitting yoga, Brown traveled to India, where he found a rare and special teacher in Swami P. Saraswati, and through many meetings learned that yoga practice is not a linear progression towards achieving certain poses, but rather a process of learning how to take care of oneself as a whole. “Swami had me do simple wrist rolls then stopped and asked me how I felt,” says Brown. “Each time I would wax poetic about anatomy and expect more challenging poses (that never came). On the third day, we did the same thing and upon being asked how I felt, I blurted out, ‘I have no idea!’ Swami smiled widely, and it dawned on me that the poses didn’t really matter. Up until that moment, I hadn’t associated yoga with my emotional being at all. I was so disconnected from it.”

Brown ultimately found his way to an entirely therapeutic orientation in the tradition of TKV Desikachar and T Krishnamacharya, and currently studies with Mark Whitwell, Leslie Kaminoff, Amy Matthews and Gary Kraftsow. “By simplifying, slowing and centering my practice on breath, I was able to cultivate a more measured and patient mode of engagement and a different context for my practice where I was no longer trying to transcend my difficulties but rather learning how to ease them and just enjoy the fact that I am here,” Brown says.

The Experience at Feathered Pipe

Enjoying life isn’t hard to do at The Feathered Pipe Ranch. Prayer flags – some bright and crisp, others faded and wind-ripped – wave between the ponderosa pines at the Stupa that overlooks the lake. A resident rabbit – aptly named ‘Buddha Bunny’ – inhabits the rocks and watches over morning meditations and quiet contemplations. Tents, cabins, tipis, and yurts dot the mountain terrain and are connected by easy foot trails and solar lamps.

The Ranch hosts one retreat per week in the summer months, creating intimate and heartfelt connection with plenty of down time to canoe, hike, nap and hear stories from long-time staff members – tales that shift the most skeptical minds to believe in divine intervention.

Anne-Marie Corley, a yoga teacher, writer and veteran of the United States Air Force, describes her time at the Ranch as a huge sigh of relief. “This week gave me permission to relax, to not need to do anything but be alive, because I am whole, and I just needed to see it,” Corley says. “Having come with a fair amount of distress, I felt really held by the entire group, by the retreat space, by the incredibly nourishing meals and by J.’s philosophy of breathing and moving to get us into our lives, not doing so to escape them. It was just all so beautifully woven together.”

Creating space for guests to have their own experiences goes far beyond the idea that there is one correct way to do things. Brown actively encourages students to incorporate props when necessary, modify poses and even change the shape of or avoid certain poses altogether. “We’re looking for a balance point rather than a maximum,” says Brown. “If you can’t have facility of breath with the movement you’re doing, ease up. This may not make for the best Instagram photo, but it’s safe, strengthening and functional.”

Zane Williams, a photographer who has been visiting and working with the Feathered Pipe Ranch for 25 years, gravitated to Brown’s teachings immediately. “I knew after the first morning class that J. was unlike any other teacher I have had in my 35-plus years of yoga,” Williams admits. “Breath was the work of the practice, the teacher-student relationship entered a new post-lineage time, and seeking or striving for ‘advanced’ poses would be placed on an ‘only-if-joyful’ basis. J. teaches yoga that is about self-discovery and developing a truly personal (home) practice.”

By the end of the week, Williams recognized that moving forward, his yoga will no longer be primarily a pursuit of form, but a practice centered around breath facility, with form following. “This was beyond any expectation I had going into the retreat,” Williams says. “Everything will be different now.”

Brown describes his own recent transition, moving from New York City to Easton, PA and preparing to close his Brooklyn yoga studio after 10 years. His personal practice continues to evolve and with it, his approach to teaching. “As a teacher, I get to witness others as they reconcile their situations and come to reverence for life’s majesty,” Brown says. “Playing some role in facilitating people discovering yoga and health reaffirms everything I hold dear.”

The author at sunset.

Neil Boyd, Vice President of the Feathered Pipe Foundation, says, “Once you’ve been to the Feathered Pipe, you’re family.” In alignment with this accolade, Brown has scheduled his retreat for 2018 and plans to return with his wife and two daughters, to share in the magic, and to hold space for old and new friends with nurturing intimacy, humor and individual care.  “This was my first retreat and I put a lot of work into it,” says Brown. “But I had powerful assistance from this land. It created the space for transformation and truly aided in the experience.”

Images courtesy of Zane Williams

Andy Vantrease

Andy Vantrease is a writer, wanderer and holistic health enthusiast. She is currently traveling throughout the Western United States, deepening her connection with the earth through simple living, spiritual practice and play. Follow her adventures on Instagram: @andy.vand

The post Finding Balance and Joy at The Feathered Pipe Ranch appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Photo of Wanderlust High Camp by Adam Hawes

The festival hangover is that moment when you wake up on day two or three in your tent with symptoms similar to a hangover: Your body is aching and throbbing as if you have run not just one marathon, but a few back-to-back. It hurts to sit on your mat and your energy level is at all-time low. You feel that you need some serious support to drag your tired body, mind, and soul to your first class, and chocolate and coconut water become your friends. Fortunately, with a little pre-planning, there are some ways to prevent the festival hangover.
 

Festival Hangover Prevention Tips

Be Selective

Festivals are soul family gatherings where we get to see and connect to our heart family. Community connection is one of my biggest values so I’ve overloaded in the past. Choose wisely and decide which events resonate the most.
 

Choose Fun

We’re super stoked for all the fabulous teachers who happen to be scheduled back-to-back, leaving us rushing from one class to another. Rushing does not allow our body and mind to fully integrate all the information. We’re short-changing our savasana when we rush from class to class.
 
Be careful of falling into the mentality of, “I must get my money’s worth!” which can be overwhelming. Festivals are abundant in experience, connection, healing, learning, and celebration; so ask yourself, “Am I choosing fun and ease? Or I am choosing stress and rush?”
 
Enjoy the experiences in the sweet pauses between classes. We go to festivals for the overall experiences and soul connections we make.
 

Balance Balance Balance

There is a fine art to creating balance when it comes to designing the ultimate festival experience. I like to tune into my body, mind, and spirit to see if I need some restoration or some time to wildly dance it out. Be honest with yourself when you check in so you can nurture yourself.
 
Think about striking a balance between music and classes during the day. If your favorite group is jamming at night and you know you’ll be shaking your booty, you might want more laid-back classes during the day such as sound healing, meditation, or restorative so you won’t be wiped out when night comes.
 

Fuel

What we choose to put in our bodies can make or break our experience. Decide if you are looking for a more indulgent vacation or are you seeking transformation? You’ll need supportive food and beverages. Pack some of your own snacks and select meals well.
 
Some of my festival food faves include:

• Avocado is a fast and easy meal that travels well.
• Seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, or sesame) are a great tasty and lightweight protein source.
• Raw crackers and kale chips provide crunch and salt replenishment.
• Green powder makes instant green juice. (My fave is by Dragon Herbs).
• Chia seeds nourish the body from the inside with protein and omegas. Combine with coconut milk, spice, and stevia and shake in a Mason jar for a light breakfast.
• Cucumbers are hydrating and refreshing, I buy the long English cucumbers for snacking.

Hydration

While many festivals have water stations or bottled water available, it may not be as good as spring water. If BYO spring water isn’t an option, I recommend adding trace minerals and a prayer of intention.
 

Step Away

Being in festival bubble with hundreds or thousands of other beings and their energy can be exhausting. If you wake up energetically drained and you didn’t stay up too late the night before, you may be experiencing an empathic overload. Just step away for a moment to reconnect. Try taking some time in the morning to meditate, do your own practice, bathe or swim, or perhaps take a drive into town and explore a local café for breakfast. The break away from the festival bubble can reset and recharge you.
 

Connect and Celebrate

Choose love and honor so we may have memorable experience experience without the hangover!
 

Here are some of my favorite festivals to say yes to:

Wanderlust
Wanderlust’s mission is to create an experience for you to find your
true self. As they describe it, “Our mission is to help you find your True North — to cultivate your best self. your true north.”
Vibe: Yoga by Day, Party at Night.
 
Bhakti Fest
Are singing and dancing food your soul? If the answer is yes, then Bhakti is a festival to say yes to. Bhakti Yoga is the practice of devotion, of opening your heart to the divine, the great mystery. Some people call it the universe. The explosive feeling of love at Bhakti is known as the bhav. There are neither alcohol nor drugs as part of the scene here; everyone is high in the bhav.
Vibe: Spiritual Love Fest
 
Beloved
Beloved is a charming festival tucked away in an enchanted forest in
Oregon where participants gather by a fire to pray and set intentions that flow throughout the entire festival. From the reusable plate token system to the compostable toilets, it demonstrates what is possible in terms of eco-consciousness.
Vibe: Cosmic Soul Family in an Enchanted Forest
 
Bali Spirit
If you need an excuse to go to Bali, this is the one. The setting alone supports this epic festival. The land’s high vibration provides the container for a transformational experience that includes everything from cacao ceremonies to yoga to breathwork journeys.
Vibe: Balinese Magic
 

Athena Eagle

Athena Eagle shares girl empowerment circles and is passionate about inspiring the next generation of emotional intelligent rainbow warriors.

The post Festival Hangover Prevention Tips appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Aria Morgan and her daughter celebrate family and fun at the Lightning in a Bottle Festival

Festivals and the State of Flow

A self-labeled “conscious music and yoga festival,” Lightning In a Bottle (commonly known as LIB) presents an impressive conglomeration of performers, artists, vendors, speakers, large-scale art installations, and interactive experiences. Over the past eleven years, LIB has continuously exploded, growing to capacity and changing locations several times.

Enter the festival. Enter the world of Lightning In A Bottle.

The state of flow is feminine, ever-shifting, and hard to pin down. To enter her chambers requires the temporary dissolution of some of the filtering or judgmental activities of our pre-frontal cortex accompanied by the simultaneous disengagement of the ego, both of which are nearly impossible to achieve on a consistent basis in our hyper-adrenalized modern world.

In its current incarnation, LIB welcomes attendees every Memorial Day Weekend at the San Antonio Recreation Center in Bradley, CA, about three-and-a-half hours from either SF or LA. This year, LIB reached maximum capacity, selling out at 20,000 tickets a week before the event began. The line of cars to enter and exit the festival took over two hours and spanned for miles. Car camping passes, which allow campers to bring their car into the campground, sold out months before the event began.

When you consider the effort it takes to get to the site, you may ask, “Why spend so much time prepping for an outdoor camping music festival?” It’s not as if the conditions are that friendly: there are burrs all over the camping ground, intense heat during the daytime, and chilly nights. The answer is simply because the experience as a whole allows us to enter the state of flow and therefore it is tremendously nurturing to our soul.

No matter how much energy we put into attending a festival like LIB, the amount of energy received is always greater than what we have invested because what we receive is long-lasting. It warms our hearts. It inspires our spirits to live our dreams. It inspires us as human beings on this planet to live better than before. The festival becomes our opportunity to recharge, to live in that state of flow.

If you’re an artist or a creative person, you already know that you require these flow states in order to feel fulfilled. You might choose activities like yoga, ecstatic dance, lovemaking, prayer, chant, or plan medicine to bring you back into that highly charged flow state. For those of us who may not consider ourselves an artist, our soul nonetheless craves regular doses of the flow state in order to be content in its current human experience. We intuitively sense that without regular contact with the flow, not only the spirit, but our body begins to suffer disease.

The Family Experience

My daughter (age 8) and I were showered with joy, community, and art. Energetically, people are at their best throughout the festival. Of course, LIB isn’t all butterflies and rainbows and unicorns (though unicorns did make a strong presence this year!). But rather, people are at their brightest in terms of how they communicate and share with others.

Our experience began on a Thursday evening, when our new camping buddies/neighbors came out of their tent and offered to help me – a single mommy – set up camp. “Come on, mama,” said Jaime, a massage therapist and chef from Washington DC. “Let us help out.” With Jaime and her husband Stuart’s help, my tent and Easy Up were unpacked before dark. For the next few days, we ended up sharing meals with Jaime, Stuart, and their son Devin. Insta cool neighbors and friends. That’s the kind of energy that exists at LIB. Giving. Joyful. Community.

A few nights later, when a couple was having an argument in family camp and the argument grew louder and louder, five different folks, women and men, came over to counsel and check in on the couple. They offered an extra tent for the father to sleep in. The argument quieted down and everyone went back to sleep. Prior to this incident, no one knew the couple personally and many of the people who came out to help did not even know each other. But the community came together for people to care for the couple and ease their stresses. The next morning, the mother acknowledged and thanked her neighbors for their support.

Outside of Family Camp, everyone was just as giving. Our first night at LIB, we passed the Favela Bar, and my daughter dragged me over to the dance floor, right up against the speakers. She LOVED DJ Diva Danielle’s set. “She loved DJ Diva Danielle’s set, but because I had forgotten her protective ear headphones, which mute the volume and make it safe for little ones to experience a show, I had to move her away from the speakers and over to a group of gals, hula hooping off to the side.”over to a group of gals hula hooping off to the side. Less than a minute later, one of the gals gave Kaia her glow-in-the-dark LED hula hoop. A small crowd gathered and cheered. One of the gals told me she’s just flown in from Missouri to be at LIB with her sister, who came in from NorCal. “It’s so amazing that you are bringing your daughter here,” she tells me. “I love festivals. My mom helped me pack for this one. It’s such a beautiful festival.”

I agree. Bringing kids to a place like LIB, if done with integrity and respect for their little bodies and sometimes cranky minds, is an experience like no other. It is beauty and connection to art, humanity and free-form artistic expression. Kids are invited in. We were never once pushed away.

At LIB, I saw people of all ages, enjoying life like a child again. Smiles, laughter, and the genuine gift of sharing lives all around us, all the time. At festivals, in the absence of the stressors of life, we see it even more clearly everywhere. People are allowed to be themselves and in doing so, JOY is created. That joy is infectious and it permeates LIB. They high-five each other on the bridges over the ravines that connect one part of the festival to another, and they hug each other in the yoga tent.

Inspiration

Every single minute of the day LIB at presents multiple options for entertainment, education, spirituality, rest, dance or social communion. If the idea of enjoying killer DJs, yoga classes with the best in the world, shamanic healing ceremonies, sound baths, art installations, opera singers, dancers, and performers — all within a 15- 20 minute walk of each other — makes you happy, then LIB is for you. And that’s just the start. Everywhere you go. Everything you see if created from pure joy. We are invited, compelled to experience that joy, experience her as sways and swishes and fills our hearts with a newfound sense of purpose. This year, for example, LIB Co-founder Josh Flemming created, by hand, a 1.5 mile string of lights that connected the festival from one end to the other. He made the string of lights himself and rigged the lights to stretch from pole to pole, over 1,000 poles that had to be installed the ground. If this is the kind of dedication that goes into this festival from the top, it’s no wonder that as attendees, we feel the love, the art, and spiritual inspiration it brings.

The Music

The music was insanely gorgeous, spread out over five unique spaces, each with their own vibe. Imagine two massive concert-like stages: The Lightning Stage and Thunder Stage, alongside a Burning Man-esque art-directed outdoor spaces with killer sound – the Woogie Stage. Spread throughout are three were smaller music spaces: The Grand Artique, The Favela Bar, and the Pagoda Bar.

The Woogie stage drew the serious dance lovers. Think funk, deep house, tech-house and even vaguely glitchy ambient house, alongside a fundamental spirit of breaks and dub. The 2016 headliners included the amazing Lee Burridge, Josh Wink, Four Tet, Sacha Robotti, Jami Schwabi, Jonas Fathsman, and Lane 8.

The Lightening Stage offered an array of musical experiences and talent that included a transcendental music/yoga experience known as Sonic Shamanic with Nicole Doherty and Marques Wyatt, alongside the incredibly talented Marian Hill, Jamie xx, Lucent Dossier Experience, William Close and the Earth Harp, Chet Faker, Grimes, and Big Gigantic.

The Thunder Stage blasted bass-heavy hitters like pantyraid, Cashmere Cat, TOKIMONSTA, Mila, The Polish Ambassador and Desert Dwellers Life. If you party at the Thunder Stage, earplugs are highly recommended.

The Favela Bar was perhaps the surprise sleeper hit of the festival. It was always going off. Diva Danielle kicked off the weekend. On Sunday, “Favela Gets DEEP” brought it home, with DEEP DJ’s all day long including DEEP founder Marques Wyatt closing down the festival, surrounded by the warm energy of blissed-out dancers, hearts swaying and body-shakin’ with the spirit of funk.

Pagoda Bar artists like A Sol Mechanic, Datphat and Oscure offered hip hip and dub and bass-heavy dance music, alongside mellower R&B influenced grooves.

The Grand Artique also provided a similar showcase of stunning, unique, and hard-to-pigeonhole-in-one-category talent. Most of the acts at The Grand Artique involved stunning acoustical talent and singing. My favorites included Chris Brochu, and Whilk and Misky.

At LIB, Yoga is as Important as the Music

Yoga and movement always steal my heart at LIB with styles as diverse as Tai Chi, Tantra, Belly Dance, Ecstatic Dance, Contact Improv, Sound Healing, Forrest Yoga, Vinyasa Flow, 5 Rhythms, Tibetan Yoga, and even a David Bowie Tribute Flow. The three classes that inspired me the most were:

Jo Tastula, with DJ Tasha Blank, Friday morning, 10am

Jo teaches from a grounded, uncomplicated space. She does not rush or hurry her class. She’s talented at holding space and allowing what needs to unfold to become known. We began with breath and body-centered meditation, followed by Sufi grinds, the combination which released pent-up energy and created a space to discharge static emotional baggage. Tastula invited us to quiet our inner mind and critic, continuously posing the question, “Who is watching us but ourselves? Who is criticizing but our inner critic? We are not that critic,” she reminded us, and invited us to release that inner critic. The core and body activation sequence involved beautiful circular movements and Shiva Rea-inspired flow sequences. Beautifully accompanied by DJ Tasha Blank, Jo’s Friday morning class was a real treat, a beautiful way to begin a weekend of unwinding and joy expansion.

DEEP Exhale with Cristi Christensen and Marques Wyatt. Saturday morning 11:30am

Cristi and Marques have offered the DEEP Exhale experience for four years running, now, and it never disappoints. The DEEP Exhale Tribe co-creates seamlessly, transitioning body, mind and spirit in and out of physical and sonic joy. Cristi’s teaching style is also influenced by Shiva Rea and includes flowing, dynamic sequences that gently build heat while dissolving tension. At certain points, Cristi deliberately stopped the yoga flow and asked us to “shake it all off.” She stood on the stage, shaking one leg at a time, one hip at a time, her shoulders and her body. With such a gorgeous inner spirit that’s not afraid to be silly, Cristi invites us to dive deeper into a sacred childlike space of free-form movement and creative expression, a space that has no boundaries. Her spirit is joyful and ecstatic. Equally skilled as a navigator of energy, Marques is the musical shaman accompanying the yoga journey. His gifts us inspiring, truly beautiful music. A devoted yogi, Marques understands the power of music and yoga and honors the sacred flow between the two.

Guru Singh – Sunday morning 10am

Guru Singh’s class was not a planned excursion for me, but it ended up being the most spiritually well-rounded class that I attended, and coming from someone who isn’t normally drawn to Kundalini, that says a lot. Guru Singh rocked my inner world. I was floored by his wisdom and his energy, his compassion, his exuberance towards life, and his ability to inspire, unite, and free others from their deep inner limitations. He moved our hearts, mind, and bodies with a combination of simple yet very powerful mudras, kriyas, and songs.

One of his offerings included the simple phrases, “I am love. I forgive myself.” Though there is nothing new about the practice of self-love and forgiveness, but when offered into the combined energy of a group state and sung over and over again for 10-15 minutes, the effect is beyond powerful. People cried, hugged each other, and experienced a safe place to be with themselves.

Forgiveness was a key component of Guru Singh’s message. He emphasized that we came here to be with ourselves, to be in power with who we are. If we but forgive ourselves and step into our power, people will flock to be around us. People are attracted to those who fully inhabit themselves. The only way to inhabit ourselves fully is to forgive ourselves. His explanation of forgiveness will forever stay with me:

“To forgive is to give forwards,” Guru Singh explains. “it means to give forward from a memory into the present moment.” Forgiveness does not mean that we should take back our abusive ex, or involve ourselves in relationships that are damaging to our sense of self. Forgiveness is not merely the acceptance of something harmful. Forgiveness is not passivity. Behaving like a victim and in passive, perpetual “forgiveness” actually binds us to the past and prevents us from moving forwards. Try forgiveness is giving forward to our heart. It is the ability to give forward to ourselves, to free our body, mind and spirit from past entanglements and energy drainages. “Giving forward is truly healing because it releases us from the past. Forgiveness is giving this moment forward into the next one.”

LIB’s Workshops and Community Building Opportunities

LIB offers outstanding workshops that span day and night: healing ceremonies, meditations on the mount, chocolate cooking classes at beautiful locations like The Pineal Playground, The Mystery School space, The Community Lodge, Casa Sagrada, EO Learning, Ancestral Arts, Mentor Hub, The Haven, and The Learning Kitchen. The Temple of Consciousness offered larger-scale workshops in areas like yoga, dance, and sonic healing. The Village area also hosted its own community engagement offerings.

What is LIB?

This is a festival for those who crave life, love, and joy. There is something for everyone here! Have kids? Stay in family camp and enjoy art, story-time, and interactive games at Family Love Village, all day long. Don’t want to be around kids? Stay up all night and party to the best artists in the stratosphere. Want to meditate and infuse your life with a non-stop dose of spirituality? You can! At LIB, like life itself, we are invited to do everything that our spirit desires so that we can dive back into that state of sacred flow, so that we can return to our regular daily lives and be better lovers, friends, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and human beings on this planet we call home.

LIB invites the “Movers, Shakers, Dreamers, and Doers” of this world to commune, create, and be inspired. Thank you, Do-Lab, and thank you Josh and Didi Flemming and Dream Rockwell for co-creating this amazing visionary festival.

Check out Lightning in a Bottle on their website.

Staff Writer Lakshmi

The post Lightning In A Bottle Rejuvenates and Inspires appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Rebecca Benenati is known for her ability to nurture her students and serve as a guide for practice and for life. She is a yoga teacher, mother, massage therapist, childbirth educator, doula, and former co-owner of City Yoga who now teaches at Rising Lotus, YogaWorks, and Earth Baby Boutique. In this weekend getaway, she will be facilitating an immersive experience to inspire students to nourish themselves and engage in restorative self-care. Practice yoga and meditation in an Ojai mountain sanctuary and enjoy meditation and the art of stilling the mind to relax and rejuvenate.

Retreat with Rebecca Benenati in Ojai

May 20-22

getgurud.com/event/retreat-with-rebecca-benenati-in-ojai/

Tiffany Palazzini

Tiffany Palazzini is on the Surfrider Executive Committee team as an earth lover & tree hugger recycling one butt at a time.

The post Retreat with Rebecca Benenati in Ojai appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Immerse yourself in the ancient wisdom of feminine healers during a week in Ojai.

Join a group of Siberian healers and shamans in an immersive weekend-long retreat exploring love and relationships, filled with mystical rituals, ancient wisdom, blessings, laughter, sensual dancing, and yoga for rejuvenation. Learn the ancient art of harmonious relations for business and personal life, methods to use feminine charm to attain goals, energy practices for relaxation, techniques to strengthen psychological defense mechanisms and how to reduce emotional stress. Embody divine feminine power, which is the energy of beauty, clarity, harmony, and love through the healing of the second chakra and the power of the divine feminine to unleash creative potential and discover hidden talents, charisma, and sensuality.

Sacred Feminine Retreat

May 13-15, Ojai

guidetojoy.com

Tiffany Palazzini

Tiffany Palazzini is on the Surfrider Executive Committee team as an earth lover & tree hugger recycling one butt at a time.

The post Sacred Feminine Retreat: Guide to Joy appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.