Hi friend! Today, I’m excited to share with you an extraordinary upcoming event (from this month’s site sponsor) that could be a bucket list experience for many—the International Yoga Festival, taking place in Rishikesh from March 9th-15th next year.
Situated in the foothills of the sacred Himalayas, Rishikesh is known as the Yoga Capital of the World and believed to be the birthplace of yoga—the place where the sage Patanjali wrote the yoga sutras over 2,000 years ago.
The annual International Yoga Festival at Parmarth Niketan attracts thousands of participants from nearly 100 countries every year since it first launched decades ago. It’s an opportunity to connect with like-minded, conscious yogis and supercharge or kickstart a journey of personal transformation.
In this 7-day immersion and celebration, you’ll experience every major style of yoga and learn from enlightened spiritual leaders, master yoga teachers, evolutionary thought leaders, and wellness specialists from around the world.
I’ve always loved the word “namaste,” which we say at the end of our yoga practice, because it means “I bow to you,” or, as I was told years back, “The light in me honors the light in you.”
I believe the world would be a much kinder, more loving place if we could all set the intention to ignite our inner light and learn to see and honor the light in each other.
Though you don’t need to leave your city, or even your own home, to do this and experience the many benefits of yoga—including pain relief, heart health, stress reduction, and improved sleep—a shared experience in a beautiful spiritual haven can be truly life-changing.
The festival will take place at Parmarth Niketan Ashram, the largest ashram in Rishikesh and one of the largest interfaith yoga institutions in India.
Throughout your week there, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in over 70 hours of yoga classes in multiple styles, as well as spiritual and philosophical discourses by renowned masters, and you’ll also be able to enjoy cultural song and dance, ecstatic kirtan, and enlightened entertainment, with a schedule that you can fully customize to meet your needs.
If you’re itching for adventure and eager to awaken and connect, I highly recommend you consider attending the International Yoga Festival this March. And if you do, I hope you’ll share some pictures with this mother of two young sons so I can live vicariously through you!
You can learn more about the International Yoga Festival here. Be sure to use the promo code Holiday15 to get 15% off!
About Lori Deschene
Lori Deschene is the founder of Tiny Buddha. She started the site after struggling with depression, bulimia, c-PTSD, and toxic shame so she could recycle her former pain into something useful and inspire others do the same. She recently created the Breaking Barriers to Self-Care eCourse to help people overcome internal blocks to meeting their needs—so they can feel their best, be their best, and live their best possible life. If you’re ready to start thriving instead of merely surviving, you can learn more and get instant access here.
