Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Bhakti Fest in Joshua Tree May 17-19

 Bhakti Fest, the originator of yoga and kirtan festivals in the now wildly popular yoga festival scene is pleased to announce their 2013 festivals. BhaktiVentures will produce three festivals this year, the fifth anniversary of Bhakti Fest West in Joshua Tree, California taking place September 5 – 8, the third annual Shakti Fest also in Joshua Tree May 17 – 19, and the second annual Bhakti Fest Midwest in Madison, Wisconsin July 5 - 7.

With an increasingly crowded schedule of yoga festivals and conferences each year, Bhakti Fest differentiates their events with an elevated focus on yoga beyond asana, bringing in an extensive focus on devotional chanting known as kirtan, along with breathwork or pranayama, and workshops that incorporate a variety of spiritual traditions and other modalities.

Bhakti Fest debuts their season in May with Shakti Fest at the incredible Joshua Tree Desert Retreat Center, with a three day event that celebrates divine feminine power. Taking place a week after Mother’s Day, Shakti Fest brings a spirit of creation and empowerment through kirtan headliners Wah! and Donna De Lory, yoga teachers including Shiva Rae, Kia Miller and Sara Ivanhoe, Laura Amazzone’s Shakti and the Tantra Wisdom Goddesses workshop, and Mirabai Devi’s Living in Light: Anchoring the Power of the Divine Feminine seminar.

 

Bringing the Bhakti vibe to the Alliant Energy Center in Madison for the only major yoga festival in the region, Bhakti Fest Midwest brings national yoga names including Saul David Raye and Govindas & Radha together with regional favorites Laurel Hodory, Darren Friesen, and Nikki Myers. Jai Uttal is the kirtan headliner in Wisconsin and an incredible teacher from India -H.H. Pujiya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji Maharaj is giving the keynote address.

 

The original, and largest event, Bhakti Fest West takes place over four days in September at the incomparable Joshua Tree Desert Retreat Center. The festival has evolved into a must attend event on the yoga calendar and brings together top yoga teachers including Bryan Kest, Mark Whitwell, Micheline Berry, Sienna Sherman and Elena Brower, with kirtan superstars Krishna Das, Deva Premal & Miten, and Snatam Kaur, along with workshop leaders Google’s Gopi Kallayil, Zach Leary, authors Radhanath Swami, Phil Goldberg and many more.

 

Sridhar Silberfein, founder and producer of the Bhakti Fests notes, “Bhakti is devotion to love. Shining within and without like the sun. We emanate pure love whenever and wherever we go, giving unconditional love to everyone, especially our personal relationships. This year’s Bhakti Fest events will be a total immersion in this love for all involved.”

Attendees will experience independent thriving communities complete with eco-friendly vendor villages offering delicious, high vibrational raw, vegan, and vegetarian foods and beverages, yoga gear, clothing, musical instruments, crafts and more.Bhakti Fest is a vehicle for evolution of human consciousness through a heart-centered revolution, building a community of people drawn to follow the path of the heart – a devotional, prayerful, loving, healthful, respectful family.

About Bhakti Fest

Bhakti Fest is a festival series which celebrates the devotional path that has its roots in yoga, kirtan, and meditation. It embraces ancient and modern sacred wisdom and traditional and non-traditional spiritual practices. All the artists, presenters, and vendors embody, practice, and share the spirit of Bhakti through a variety of ways, including continuous kirtan, yoga classes, meditations and prayer, teachings and workshops, fire ceremonies, an eco-friendly, holistic marketplace, vegetarian, vegan, and raw vegan cuisine, a wellness sanctuary including massage, bodywork, energy work, intuitive readings, and other unique life enhancing modalities. Bhakti Fest encourages the spirit of service and offers a work exchange program. The festival donates monies to a variety of non-profit organizations which provide food, education, and environmental beautification programs around the world.

Bhakti Fest is supported by the following sponsors: New Chapter,Reeds Kombucha, Coconut Bliss, Namaste Interactive, Desert Essence, Earthrise Spiralina, HealthForce Nutritionals, Organic India, and White Swan.

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