Festival of Yoga at Balboa Park

The United Nations International Day of Yoga is coming up! To celebrate, Pilgrimage of the Heart is hosting the Festival of Yoga at Balboa Park on June 17th from 8:00 am – 3:00 pm. The festival features a vibrant community yoga class, live music, vendor booths and dozens of breakouts to inspire and empower yogis of all ages, levels and walks of life. And it’s all for free! This event will take place on Park Blvd at the President’s Way Lawn. Bring along some friends, family, and maybe even a picnic, and get ready to have a great morning of yoga in the park!

The free event is organized by Pilgrimage of the Heart, a local yoga studio with locations in Normal Heights and North Park. Pilgrimage of the Heart aspires to make yoga accessible, both economically and philosophically, to as many people as possible. They do so by offering books, music, yoga classes, meditation classes, philosophy classes and more. Their mission is to offer people a place to reduce stress and find peace of mind and heart, and the Festival of Yoga is an event that does just that.

Not only does yoga reduce stress and help people find peace, there are also other benefits. Yoga includes breathing practices known as pranayama, which can be effective for reducing our stress response, improving lung function and encouraging relaxation. Yoga can improve flexibility and mobility and increase range of motion. Over time, the ligaments, tendons and muscles lengthen, increasing elasticity. The practice of yoga uses every muscle in the body, increasing strength literally from head to toe. A regular yoga practice can also relieve muscular tension throughout the whole body.

The Festival of Yoga will include soothing music, plenty of different breakout sessions, musical meditation, and an all levels flow class. Last year, the event boasted 500 yogis in attendance, 10 vendor booths, and 18 breakout classes. This year there are much more vendors and classes. The breakout sessions are each 30 minutes long and classes offered include Yoga Therapy, Yoga for Runners, Adaptive Yoga, and even Yoga for Addiction Recovery. The all levels flow class will include sun salutations, standing, seated and options for inverted poses linked with conscious breath (pranayama).This class is appropriate for both new and continuing students. The instructor will offer variations and modifications so each student can practice to their level of comfort and experience.

Whether you’re a beginner or a yogi expert, there will be something for you to learn. This will be a great time to enjoy a sense of community and de-stress while you get your body moving. This event is not only fun and family friendly, but it is also a great value— at the break out sessions and the all levels flow class, you will receive tailored instruction and advice from a certified yoga instructor. This festival is a great introduction to yoga and it’s also an opportunity for experienced yogis to take part in a community event.

We hope to see you there! Namaste!