Jul 22

Jul 22 Another Magical Experience At The Telluride Yoga Festival

This is my 4th time attending the Telluride Yoga Festival and each year seems to top the last.

The Telluride Yoga Festival began in 2007 and was bought by current co-owners Erika Henschel and Albert Roer in 2013. The festival brings over 1000 attendees to Telluride each June with over 100 events throughout the weekend both in the town of Telluride and at their campus located in Mountain Village.

Let’s start with Telluride…as my friend said “there is no other place in the world like it” and I agree.

The town of Telluride is quaint yet so majestic and incredibly beautiful. The little town is surrounded by huge lush mountains, with the great Bridal Veil Falls sitting at one end of town and numerous smaller falls sprinkled throughout. The powerful San Miguel River runs through the town offering several spots to take a refreshing dip, get whisked away in a tube, or sit for a meditative moment. Especially at this time of the year there's an abundance of colorful birds and wildflowers, along with herds of elk and deer, marmots, and if you’re lucky you may even spot a bear. One of the most unique features of Telluride is the gondola that takes you on the most breathtaking ride from the town to Mountain Village where most of the festival takes place and also hosts various lodging, restaurants, shops, biking and hiking trails, and a panoramic view of the entire town and surrounding area. Telluride is a mecca for hiking, biking, and skiing enthusiasts and also provides plenty for the boutique shoppers and foodies.

What I love so much about the Telluride Yoga Fest is how they really utilize all parts of the town, the mountains, nature, the waters, everything surrounding. With hikes, forest bathing, paddle boarding/sup yoga, tea treks, free community yoga in the parks, concerts, sunrise and sunset classes at an overlook, e-biking, movies in the park, and so much more!

Then there is the incredible line up of classes and presenters. I have so much gratitude and appreciation to the entire team and volunteers that put this festival together as you can tell how much time, detail, and care goes into creating and organizing, selecting the presenters and wide variety of classes and activities, the music, vendors, healing stations, the schedule...there is something for everyone at this festival.

Some of the highlights for me this year were:

Morning Prayers and Meditation with Melanie Law which took place on the San Sophia Overlook at sunrise, at an elevation of 10,540 feet! The next morning I enjoyed another sunrise here with Kia Miller chanting the Gayatri Mantra. Both of these were incredible experiences that set the day in the most beautiful blissful way.

Each year I also enjoy joining Colin Hudon, owner of Living Tea on a tea trek to a hidden aspen grove for a very informative and meditative tea ceremony. It is always such a unique and sweet experience to learn about the depths and healing that tea can offer us and to feel how we can connect to both the tea and nature.

It was fun to practice outdoor yoga classes in the Mountain village. One of my favorites was on the last morning closing out the festival with Dasa Das who gave a fun and carefree class with lots of movement, shaking, dancing, and even a conga line! He brought us into a very sweet healing circle at the end where we held our hearts and swayed and shared openly all the things that bring us joy. There was laughter, tears and smiles shared through this experience.

Two of my longtime favorite teachers that return to the festival each year are Kia Miller and Tommy Rosen. This husband and wife team are more than just teachers to me, they are mentors, inspiration, and friends to me as well. Both are incredibly devoted and gifted teachers that are out to heal the world and their classes create the environment of healing and transformation everytime.

Jaya Lakshmi, another favorite of mine, you will often find accompanying classes with her beautiful voice, singing mantras to uplift and draw you in deeply. She also offers her own classes on bhakti, goddesses, mantra, and cultivating your own voice.

Janet Stone, MC Yogi, and Dj Taz Raheed are a few more favorites at the festival who offer individual classes and music as well as unique collaborations together that offer a fun, carefree, and lighthearted ambiance, often elevating the room and drawing you into a deep trance or ecstatic dance.

There are so many more amazing presenters at this festival, you will just have to come to experience them for yourself!

Finally, it wouldn’t be a festival without the community and each year feels more and more like a reunion of longtime friends that I have met throughout the years. I've even run into people I’ve met in India or at other yoga festivals around the world!

There truly is something for everyone at the Telluride Yoga Festival and that is reflected on the smiling faces, the laughter, the tears, and the transformation we all feel at the end of the weekend. I know that I return home feeling, happy, renewed, and full of love, and I know I’m not the only one…I overheard a few ladies on one of my last gondola rides talking about already purchasing their tickets for next year, that there was no way they were going to miss it.