festival time Show at Wanderlust in 2010. 2010. in Wanderlust at Show Road Dogs Yard perfomers Burlesque Terschelling. of island the on event weekend relaxed a is Festival Yoga Dutch The experience 6 8 experience yogajournal.com.au flock to the Californian Californian the to flock Yoga and music lovers lovers music and Yoga mountains for for mountains Wanderlust. Wanderlust. BaliSpirit Festival. Festival. BaliSpirit at ages all for Yoga hosts the International International the hosts The ashram Parmarth Parmarth ashram The Niketan in Rishikesh Rishikesh in Niketan January 2011 Yoga Festival. Festival. Yoga PhotograPhy clockwise from toP left: tinywater PhotograPhy; courtesy of BaliSpirit festival; lotte stekelenBurg (www.lottestekelenBurg.nl); courtesy of Parmarth niketan; tom ONeill PhotograPhy clockwise from toP: seth lightcaP; Julianne reynolds/ www.romanskifilms.com; courtesy of asia yoga conference January 2011 Conference in 2010. 2010. in Conference Yoga Asia the at Corn Seane teacher Yoga thanmightyou think. international towards yoga-filledfestivals,yogaa 2011isaccessiblemore dreamedom-ming of aroundEver theworld? way your With thetrend By Sue White Govindas at Bhakti Fest. Fest. Bhakti at Govindas teacher yoga and artist Kirtan y ogajournal.com.au Yogis at Wanderlust celebrate celebrate Wanderlust at Yogis their high-altitude location location high-altitude their with Virabhadrasana I Virabhadrasana with (Warrior I Pose). I (Warrior 6 9 experience www.australianyogaretreats.com.au The International Yoga Festival (iYF) 6 Day Iyengar Yoga Retreat July 20 - 25 2011 has a spectacular location on the Eco Beach Wilderness Resort from $1790 banks of the Ganges, at the Broome WA acclaimed ashram Parmarth Niketan. Australian Yoga Retreats Ojeya Cruz Banks teaching West African dancing at BaliSpirit Festival in 2010. Yoga surf weekends, treks & adventure retreats A passionate New Mexico. It’s hot and dry and everyone camps. It’s a Inspirational teachers, different traditions, one path audience at Bhakti Fest. Kundalini yoga festival so people dress in white, creating a sea of 2000 white yoga angels. The first couple of days it’s m Journey with yoga, discover Australia co . overwhelming, as the toxins and energy are released, but you S lm walk away elevated and transformed,” Wilson says. Yoga Surf Weekend Retreats Although many attend a yoga festival to work on Weekend Surf Coast Retreat April 2 - 3 & Nov 26 - 27 2011 anskifi m their Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Bells Beach VIC from $390 ro . Pose), it’s not always the teaching that’s the only appeal. www / “The surroundings, teaching and the food in Bali were amazing, ds l but I also made a very good circle of friends—we’re all going back eyno this year together. It’s that sense of community that will keep R Bhakti Fest me going back year after year,” says Cooksey. Mark Gibson Iyengar Yoga Retreat celebrates kirtan, ianne It’s no surprise that being surrounded by writhing 6 Days Eco Beach Wilderness Resort July 20 - 25 2011 yoga and meditation masses ranging from the spaced out to the immaculately over four days. Broome WA from $1790 ; 2 x Jul clad for days on end can eventually override our tendency to stick to the practice we know and love. for Brisbane iketan vinyasa teacher and studio owner anything from a day to a week of yogic overload. h N “I went to Bali really excited to study with [prana-flow Keren Cooksey, signing up for her first international Contrary to popular belief, festivals aren’t only for the bendy art yoga teacher] Shiva Rea. That was fantastic, but one of my m y o g a f e s t i v a l w a s s o m e w h a t o f a n a c t o f f a i t h . or long-time practitioners. Beginners programs feature on most ar favourite teachers ended up being Canadian yogi, surfer and P Desert Stars Yoga Camel Trek of l. “I decided to attend last year’s BaliSpirit Festival, but I didn’t jam-packed schedules, as do a wide range of yoga styles. Part environmentalist, Eoin Finn. In his classes we moved our mats 10 Day Yoga Camel Trek Retreat August 15 - 25 2011 know what to expect,” Cooksey admits. of the joy is that no two festivals approach the experience the to the side, jumping back from Chaturanga Dandasana [Four- rtesy Flinders Ranges SA from $2170 festiva u “I travelled on my own to Ubud and when I got there, every same way—you could be camping on an island, bedding down Limbed Staff Pose] like we were on a surfboard. Anyone taking co : cafe and restaurant was filled with yogis from across the world. in a luxury hotel room or tucked up in an ashram dormitory, pirit it seriously soon broke down in giggles,” Cooksey recalls. S I top l A I sat down in a cafe for a chai and immediately made friends,” but regardless of the sleeping arrangements the intensity will m Given the plethora of options on offer, Wilson says her recipe B fro of she says. be similarly addictive. for a successful yoga festival goes beyond location, teachers and If there’s a trend sweeping the yoga world at the moment, Sydney-based Kundalini teacher and student, Kimilla musicians, to a sense of openness that gets to the heart of the practice. Grampians Space to Breath Retreat rtesy u ockwise festivals are it. It seems every country, or indeed city, worth Simranjeet Wilson also knows full well how compelling l “Festivals are for everyone, so I appreciate it when they have styles co C Yoga hike in rugged wonderland September 9 - 11 2011 : Y Y >> h its yogic salt is starting to ride the festival wave. While some the yoga festival circuit can be, having recently arrived h for everyone. It’s time on the planet to merge,” she says. Grampians VIC from $390 are sticking with traditional conference models set in urban home from what she describes as a yogic fairytale. locations, recent years have also seen swags of yoga festivals “I spent last summer in California going to festivals. Sue White is a Sydney-based freelance writer and a long-time otograp otograp Ph take over deserts, parks, islands and mountain ranges, for My highlight was summer solstice held on a mountain in Ph practitioner of hatha yoga. 7 0 yogajournal.com.au January 2011 January 2011 www.australianyogaretreats.com.au experience 2011 a year of yoga June 5th Annual Asia Yoga baliSpirit FeStival conference 23-27 March 9-12 June ubud, IndoneSia Wan chai DiStrict, Hong Kong July ubud may have always been the home of as it enters its fifth year, asia-Pacific’s artists and creative types, but every answer to the busy yoga conferences dutch Yoga FeStival march it becomes yoga-fied. with seen commonly in the us is broadening local yogis 1-3 July numerous outdoor venues making the its reach. under the banner of "many get a taste of terSchelling, The NetherlandS most of ubud’s tropical environs, the yoga practices, one intention", over 4000 YogaFest in Brsibane. arriving on the dutch island of community is abuzz with the word that yogis will head to the hong kong terschelling, it’s hard not to be relaxed— Balispirit may just have found the perfect convention and exhibition centre for four 3ho Summer SolStice tickets to the dutch yoga festival include festival recipe. expect plenty of options days of everything from ashtanga to The inauguration Sadhana Celebration all workshops, meals from australian chef ceremony of the IYF. from local, regional and celebrity teachers ayurveda. while the current yoga-focused 16-25 June lauren windsor, yogi teas and, of course, (prana-flow yoga teachers shiva rea and recipe has worked for participants, Espanola, USa a bicycle. about 100km from amsterdam, twee merrigan were two of the biggest organisers are broadening the event to this celebration in new mexico packs it’s a 45-minute ferry ride across to the names in 2010), a relaxed schedule that have a wider wellbeing focus in 2011, a January March kundalini asana, chanting and meditation 30km-long island, where wide beaches allows you to pick and choose classes move we’ll be watching with interest. into a transformative eight days, with up and sand dunes host numerous festival >> yoga Journal Conference: international depending on your mood and that Jivamukti yoga devotees will be pleased to 2000 people attending. But don’t tents. english is the language of the San FranciSco yoga FeStival (iyf) mandatory yoga festival diversity: the event has managed to lure Jivamukti expect any sleep-ins or luxury amenities. weekend, so opportunities abound for 13-17 January 1-7 March laughing yoga, water yoga and world- founders sharon gannon and david life “you get up at 3am for a cold shower,” aussies to meet their european San FranciSco, USa riShikeSh, India music evenings could easily be as much a to attend. says wilson, who attended last year’s counterparts over drum journeys, shakti every January, the hyatt regency bursts thanks to its inspiring location on part of your festival memories as the coSt: tBc. 2010 pricing was $685 for festival. highlights of the celebration dance, therapeutic flying (think acroyoga with more than 100 classes from a the banks of the river ganges and more traditional asana classes. the four-day pass ($515 for early birds). include a daily morning sadhana, with with a twist), and classes from swiss, veritable who’s who of the western-yoga host, the well-regarded ashram, coSt: from $580 for a five-day pass WebSite: www.asiayogaconference.com people like acclaimed kirtan artists swedish and (mainly) dutch teachers from world (vinyasa-expert seane corn, Parmarth niketan, the ($450 for early birds).