Bhakti Fest Midwest, the region’s only major yoga festival in the now booming yoga festival scene is returning for its second season, July 5-7 at Willow Island, Alliant Energy Center, in Madison, WI. As the only major festival in the region, the event brings yoga, kirtan music and wisdom workshops to America’s heartland.
2012 saw an explosion of yoga festivals, and the Bhakti Fest Midwest lineup is handily holding down the nation’s midsection in the 2013 season with a stellar line up of the yoga world’s top instructors including spiritual activist Saul David Raye, Bhakti Yoga Shala founders Govind das & Radha, and noted NOLA yogi and kirtan leader Sean Johnson. Breakout stars of the Midwest yoga scene teaching at the event include Chicago Yogis Daren Friesen, Rich Logan, Steve Emmerman & Talya Ring, and Joe Yonek & Kat Evans; Wisconsin teachers Pam Bliss and Aubrey Saia; Michigan’s Eric Paskel, Katherine Austin, and Abby Bechek Hoot & Dave Tomaszeski; Columbus’ Laurel Hodory, Indianapolis’ Nikki Myers, and more. For the full yoga line up please see http://bhaktifest.com/category/festivals/bhakti-fest-midwest/bfmidwest-yoga/.
According to Sridhar Silberfein, founder and producer of the Bhakti Fests, “Bhakti Fest is proud to bring the top national and regional yoga teachers to our Midwest festival featuring yoga, kirtan and other yogic disciplines. The devotional spirit of kirtan permeates every aspect of the festival giving the yoga classes a joyful heart opening spirit that deepens attendee’s practices in a unique way.”
The kirtan (a.k.a. chanting) artists at Bhakti Fest Midwest include international superstars of kirtan Jai Uttal, Wah!, The GuruGanesha Band, and Dave Stringer, plus regional favorites including Milwaukee’s Ragani, Columbus’ Mike Cohen, Minneapolis’ Kirtan Path, Wild Moon Bhaktas and Sitara & Kalyani with Pavan Kumar, Chicago’s Amy and the Bliss Tribe and many other inspiring performers.
The workshops at Bhakti Fest Midwest span inspirational speakers from near and very far. One of India’s most revered and beloved spiritual leaders – H.H. Pujiya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji Maharaj is giving the keynote address in Madison. From closer to home, David Haberman a professor of Religious Studies at Indiana University, will speak on Revelations of Divine Love in the Bhagavad Gita. Fifteen other workshops will also take place.
Bhakti Fest Midwest also presents extensive breathwork classes. Additionally there is a marketplace with eco-friendly vendors offering delicious, high vibrational raw, vegan, and vegetarian foods and beverages, yoga gear, clothing, musical instruments, crafts and more.
Saul David Raye will present a pre-festival intensive in Madison. For information and tickets please see http://bhaktifest.com/category/festivals/bhakti-fest-midwest/bfmidwest-intensives/.
Picturesque ponds create a natural boundary for the plush green grass and limestone walkways that make Willow Island the ideal outdoor event venue for Bhakti Fest Midwest. Large, elegant Willow trees outlined by the Madison skyline craft a stunning backdrop and unmatched ambiance for the event.
Tickets for the event, including a $50 discount for seniors and college students, $75 tickets for teens, and FREE admission for active duty military, veterans, and kids under 12, plus the full lineup and tons of info are available at http://bhaktifest.com/category/festivals/bhakti-fest-midwest/.