Asheville Yoga Festival, in its fourth year, expands offerings

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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The Asheville Yoga Festival has announced that it’s returning to town for its fourth year (July 27), but with a few changes. The event is under new ownership, it has a new name, it has landed Ingles Markets as a big sponsor among others, and it has an expanded line-up of presenters and practitioners. Here’s the press release:

Asheville Yoga Festival is pleased to announce its dates for 2017. The Festival, formerly Asheville YogaFest, is in its fourth year and is now under the ownership and direction of Asheville residents and veteran yoga practitioners Amanda Hale and Sara Levine LaStella.

The festival will feature over 30 presenters and 70+ offerings, including yoga, music, outdoor activities, and unique health & wellness vendors.

There are many changes in store for the Festival this year. The location of the festival has transitioned from the Montford neighborhood to the heart of downtown Asheville. The increased footprint utilizes multiple indoor and outdoor venues, including Pack Square Park, the YMI Cultural Center, Hilton Garden Inn, Hyatt Place, the Masonic Temple and the AC Marriott.

Additionally, the festival will offer a variety of experiences and personal enrichment opportunities beyond intensive yoga practice, like guided nature hikes, a farm to table dinner, and evening concerts. There will also be a Vendor Village that will be open to the public, allowing everyone to explore an exceptional mix of health and wellness businesses, both local and from across the country.

Asheville Yoga Festival continues its evolution into the preeminent yoga festival in the Southeastern United States. The festival will continue to highlight many of the amazing local teachers, while also bringing in more nationally recognized presenters to offer new perspectives on the practice of yoga. Notable Asheville presenters include Stephanie Keach, Adi Westerman, Michael Johnson, Sierra Hollister, Shala Worsley, Brooke Tyler, Joe Taft, and Cat Matlock, who will align with many of the country’s best: Rusty Wells, Chelsey Korus, MC YOGI, Anton Holmes Mackey, Krista Cahill, Taylor Harkness, and Chelsea Jackson Roberts. The objective is to create an immersive experience and expose festival goers to a wide variety of yoga styles, while also taking advantage of the opportunity to explore the vibrant culture of Asheville.

Giving back to the community is also an important component of Asheville Yoga Festival’s guiding philosophy. A portion of the festival’s proceeds will be donated to local non-profit Light a Path. Conceived as an “expression of service” by a group of Asheville-based yogis and other practitioners, Light a Path’s mission is to create community and resilience in underserved populations of WNC through offering yoga, mindfulness, and other somatic therapies at no cost. For more information visit lightapath.org.

Full information is available at ashevilleyogafestival.com. Follow @AshevilleYogaFestival
on Facebook and Instagram.