Conscious San Jose Festival: Yoga+Culture+Compassion Returns To St. James Park, Downtown San Jose, September 21, 2019
PRESS RELEASE
Third Annual Event Celebrates Culture of Wellness and Community; Sponsored With Support From the Knight Foundation, The City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs, and Local Businesses
Conscious San Jose Festival 2019: Yoga + Culture + Compassion(CSJ) returns in its third year to St. James Park in celebration of our vibrant community. The full-day festival of activities showcases a broad collaboration of local creative wellness, arts, culture, and education to demonstrate new ways to experience and engage compassionately in our city. Conscious San Jose has been bringing accessible and inclusive wellness classes and events to San Jose since 2014, starting with its free yoga and wellness in the park program offered through a partnership with the City of San Jose.
CSJ is a community wellness festival that uniquely blends yoga, movement, and meditation practices with arts, music, and community service. The lineup from some of San Jose’s most acclaimed instructors and practitioners includes over 25 classes and workshops from yoga, sound healing, Qi-Gong, Capoeira, dance, self-care, and more. The event features a free Youth & Family program providing yoga and mindfulness for all ages, as well as an interactive Eco-Village offering sustainability education and resources.
St. James Park was intentionally chosen to hold the festival with no fences to encourage participation to those who are living on the streets of Downtown San Jose and shine a light on a beautiful public space that is underutilized. The festival will feature community resources for residents of the park including free showers, haircuts, meals, and wellness resources; provided by local community organizations.
“As our biggest event of the year, Conscious San Jose Festival is a fun, festive, and peaceful day of celebration and wellness unique to San Jose aimed to inspire positive change,” says Taraneh Sarrafzadeh, CSJ Festival co-organizer. “We are excited about the expanded plans for this year’s event and invite everyone in the community to enjoy a day of personal and social transformation and compassionate living activities.”
Highlights of the Conscious San Jose Festival include a wide range of classes, workshops, food, local wellness vendors, musical and dance performances, and live art from the area’s most acclaimed instructors, practitioners, artists and musicians. Event stages throughout St. James Park will feature two yoga tents offering diverse yoga styles from power to gentle (designed for all levels of ability), an open space stage for movement classes such as Capoeira and dance, and a tent for a full day of sound healing and meditation, and more.
Food offerings from fresh cold-pressed juice to local staples such as Good Karma, fueled by the organic farm-fresh produce of Spade & Plow, will provide attendees a plethora of nourishing options.
Vendors offering products for self-care and conscious living including hand-made jewelry, essential oils, body-care, and clothing will be present throughout the park grounds. In addition, wellness services such as massage and Reiki will be available in the Healing Village for a fully restorative experience.
The CSJ main stage in front of the historic St. James fountain will showcase local musicians, poets, and dancers during lunchtime concert and afternoon/evening performances. Collaborative live art experiences such as an interactive yoga mat mural will provide creative space for all ages and abilities to participate.
For a full line up of teachers, classes/workshops and performers visit the CSJ website.
Location:Conscious San Jose is hosted at St. James Park in the heart of downtown San Jose located at North 2nd St, San Jose, CA 95112
Date/Time: Saturday, September 21st, 2019, 9AM-7PM
Cost:The cost to attend the CSJ festival is free-of-charge. Tickets are available for unlimited, all-day yoga passes at a modest price, and no one is turned away from full participation due to lack of funds. See CSJ ticket page here.
About Conscious San Jose: Conscious San Jose is a social movement that unites communities through collaboration, connection, and compassion. Since its inception, the Conscious San Jose program has provided more than 350 free yoga and wellness events in local parks and public spaces throughout the city. Bringing yoga to public spaces, directs attention and positive energy to places that are often neglected and encourages members of the community to connect with a sense of place and ownership of their city.
About Conscious San Jose Festival 2019: The Conscious San Jose Festival is produced by Be the Change Collective, a volunteer run non-profit festival made possible through grants from the Knight Foundation, The City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs, as well as local business sponsorships. The festival is a part of Conscious San Jose and produced by Be the Change Collective, a fiscally sponsored 501(c)3 under Social Good Fund.
Learn more at conscioussanjose.org.
