Yoga

Stretch Your Body, Mind, and Spirit: Top 7 Reasons for the Yoga Community to Attend the Joyful Yoga Conference This August

By Sejal Shah | Posted: June 05, 2018

The path of the yogi is an ever-evolving journey, and yoga conferences and festivals are aspecial and often life-changing experience. It’s no wonder that there's a yoga festival happening almost every weekend in the US and Canada over the summer.

The Art of Living Retreat Center in Boone, NC is hosting, for the first time, the unique Joyful Yoga Conference on August 10-12, 2018. With so many yoga conferences happening around the world, this is going to be a very special weekend of immersive celebration where you will experience the joy, power, and wisdom of yoga through rich and varied master classes, the soul-stirring sounds of kirtan, and lot more!

If  you’re still not sure whether this weekend yoga celebration is the right for you, here are my top 7 reasons to join us for this wonderful weekend of learning and growth.

 

 

1. Master Teachers specially selected from leading yoga centers across six southeastern states will bring you the best in authentic and engaging teaching.

The Joyful Yoga Conference is a wonderful opportunity to connect with fellow practitioners and become inspired by some of the most influential and engaging teachers in the south east. Whether you are just stepping into the world of yoga and holistic living, or are a seasoned practitioner, come and experience this rare mix of authentic thought leaders and soulful togetherness in the serenity of the mountains.

This conference is a platform to meet and practice with many different expert yogis. By listening and learning from these passionate teachers who live what they teach and teach what they live, you will feel immensely inspired and motivated to delve into the depths of your true, beautiful, whole self.

These master teachers are here to make a difference through their personality, charisma, wisdom, years of experience, connection, and most importantly – their originality.

While I haven’t had the pleasure of personally interacting with all of the master class teachers, I have been fortunate enough to experience at least a handful of them and their teachings.

These teachers –  Krishan Verma, Dr Bharti Verma, Valerie Midget, Medha Garud, and Kim Rossi – are real, authentic people. They don’t endorse or pose for any fancy yoga brands or yoga jewelry, or anything materialistic at all, for that matter. They are humble, caring and genuine individuals and are here to give, contribute and share their authentic knowledge. Krishan Verma, for example, has trained thousands of yoga teachers globally and is highly respected as an enlightened being in his yoga community.  

Find out more about all the passionate yogis and master class teachers here.

2. Experience an eclectic range of self-empowering, enriching experiences and discoveries.

Coming from an ancient lineage through to modern evolving yogis, the conference teachers and leaders will be offering diverse master classes ranging from philosophy to practice, from sacred chants to silence, from hatha to bhakti, from simple movements to deeply therapeutic and healing practices, yoga, and Ayurveda. They will be offering many different styles of yoga known to modern practitioners, and honoring all levels and experiences of people with yoga and holistic medicine.

You will discover some of the most beautiful dimensions of yoga that can enrich the quality of your yoga practice and your life in general. No matter where you stand in your yoga journey, you will feel uplifted and deeply empowered to reach to new heights and depths.  

When I asked Luna Ray, one of the master class presenters, what the Joyful Yoga conference means to her, she said, “Joyful yoga is oneness, connection, inclusivity, freedom, and a deep community experience of love.  We remember who we are, and we see others in their uniqueness, purity, and depth. We uplift and are uplifted. This event will inspire each soul, lift our spirits, and give us an experience that we can draw from again and again to remember truth.”

Come and choose from 18 90-minute master classes over the weekend. Find the schedule of the conference here.

3. Explore a variety of yoga styles, including Sri Sri, Ashtanga, Iyengar, Jivamukti, restorative, and more.

There is a class for everyone! The Joyful Yoga Conference invites all beings, regardless of yoga experience or style preference, to come and be part of this initiative. In just two days, you will be offered many epic classes to further expand your knowledge in this field.

Most importantly, you will experience the real and authentic spirit of yoga which transcends all these different styles of practice. You will leave with an overflowing, renewed sense of love and passion for the practice of yoga.

4. Explore new ideas and connect with fellow yogis.

Stephanie Kohler, who is going to lead the master class on Yoga for Intuition and play music for the Planetary Alignment class, says, “Joyful Yoga is the practice of embodying joy, the liberation from suffering into joy. I'm excited for the unique container of Joyful Yoga Conference. The shared meals and focus on regional teachers and musicians will foster powerful connection.”

Most of us in everyday practice and life like to stick to our one or two beloved and favourite teachers and routines, and are not inclined to try out something new. Yoga conferences and festivals are a great opportunity to explore new ideas and styles. It also gives us the opportunity to connect with a wider yoga community and network with like-minded fellow yogis.

Although we need certain routines to remain disciplined and go deeper, this can sometimes bring boredom, and our practice can become mechanical. A weekend of exploration can encourage us to step out of our comfort zone and our boredom. Meeting new people and exploring new ideas can inspire us towards a new perspective on our practice and on our life.

5. Deepen and expand your practice and develop your teaching skills.

In words of Leia Jones, presenter of the master class Blossoming Heart,  “The Joyful Yoga Conference offers a chance to immerse in transformative kirtan, yoga, meditation and joyful community all within the beauty and peace of the Art of Living Retreat Center. It is devoted to lifting your heart up with  movement, stillness, and song to reach the depth of your being and awaken it more fully with love and joy. Sometimes it just takes one yoga class, one mantra, one song, one concept put in the right words to unlock your heart. Let this be an opportunity to open your heart more fully to let more joy radiate from your being!”

By being with these master teachers, even just for a weekend, you will deepen and grow as a yoga teacher. You will grow at all levels – body, mind and soul. You will expand your physical as well as mental abilities, and strengthen and awaken your spiritual depth.

Through hours of holistic yoga practice, interactive lectures, and thought provoking discussions, your personal practice will improve, your studio practice will get better, your teaching skills will be sharpened and enhanced, and your relationships with your students and fellow teachers will become deeper. You will emerge as much more authentic and centered yogi.

Many of the yoga teachers are also Yoga Alliance certified Continuing Education Providers, and so you also have the opportunity to earn CE credits during the conference.

6. Music, Kirtan, and Celebration with renowned artists.

Internationally acclaimed teachers and artists like Sean Johnson and the Wild Lotus Band, Blue Spirit Wheel, and Luna Ray will leave you spellbound with their soul-stirring chants and kirtan. You will experience an amazing element of Bhakti Yoga that can rekindle the innocence, purity, and sanctity of your heart.

Sean explains the beauty of Bhakti: “The yoga tradition that I love to practice and will be sharing at the conference that has brought me the most joy is called Bhakti Yoga. Bhakti is a Sanskrit word that is translated as “devotion,” “belonging,” “participation,” and “faith.” Many of the practices of Bhakti are art forms that open the heart and stir our emotions. One of the most powerful of these practices that we'll be offering to the community at The Joyful Yoga Conference  is kirtan-- singing mantras together in community.”

Through kirtan we kindle the connection with the sacred presence within us through the sincerity of singing. Just as we stretch our bodies with yoga asanas, kirtan stretches our hearts, and cultivates emotional flexibility. In kirtan, we celebrate the longing and thirst for god-- we sing from that place-- because it’s that hunger that milks the heart. We can sing our love, sing our doubt, sing our anger, sing our fear, sing our passion, sing our compassion—all these raw emotions are offered up to the divine.

7. Location, Location, Location. Join us at a pristine mountaintop sanctuary with serene forested hiking trails and an award-winning Ayurvedic Spa.

The location of the Joyful Yoga Conference is as unique as the conference itself. Set amidst 380 acres of pristine forest high up in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Art of Living Retreat Center is the largest center in the US for yoga, meditation, and Ayurveda. With magnificent panoramic views stretching to the horizon, fresh mountain air, highly supportive staff, delicious, wholesome food, and a nurturing, relaxing environment, everything put together will ignite and fuel your inner yogic fire! If your time and pocket permits, be ready to get spoiled and nourished by the highly trained therapists at the award-winning Shankara Ayurveda Spa.

Earn a special Early Bird Discount in celebration of International Day of Yoga

Yes, these events can be pricey—but they don’t always have to be. The Joyful Yoga Conference  is committed to making your journey as affordable as possible. Starting at $423, packages include comfortable accomodation, nourishing meals, and the yoga experience of a lifetime.

Dedicate your weekend to this celebrative yoga immersion. If reading this blog got you super interested and inspired in attending, the retreat center is offering a special Early Bird discount in honor and celebration of the International Day of Yoga which is on June 21st. To claim this discount, register yourself between June 15 - 24 using the code AJYC.  

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to the retreat center at info@aolrc.org or to Bob, the conference coordinator, at bob.m@aolrc.org

Come, experience union

The word “yoga” means “union” in Sanskrit: union between your mind, body, and spirit, sure, but also between yourself and all the beings in the universe. Going to conferences like this and practicing alongside hundreds of other yogis--all of whom will be doing the same asana while breathing your same breath, all of whom will be meditating together, all of whom will be singing and chanting together--is a great way to experience the sense of union that is the very essence of yoga.

Come with an open mind and get soaked in the beauty of yoga wisdom in its different flavors.

Enjoy the union and let yoga happen!

By Sejal Shah, E-YRT 500 Sri Sri Yoga and Art of Living Teacher, YACEP, NYU Post Graduate Medical School approved Yoga-CME Art of Living retreat facilitator, Mind-Body Wellness Writer, Homeopath

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