By Aubrey Hackma, Telluride Yoga Festival Director
When trying to describe the Telluride Yoga Festival, it’s easier to describe what it is not. It isn’t just a yoga event; it’s an experience. It’s not a huge, raging party where the mats stack on top of each other and the teachers speak through microphones.
It’s also not full of overzealous yogis chanting “Om shantih” all day and walking around with strange looks on their faces.
We don’t rely on high-paying sponsors to stuff bags full of commercial shwag and generate massive amounts of waste – that’s not the experience we’re after.
The classes aren’t thrown together in a field somewhere or in a sterile hotel environment or in a pop-up BBQ tent where everything but yoga is free to happen.
It’s not even expensive to get a ticket to the festival.
The festival is simply this – the country’s most intimate and unique yoga experience in a setting of 13k foot mountain peaks, majestic waterfalls, and crystal clear rivers. The teachers are authentic and the class settings create an environment where you can actually engage in them and walk away with something truly personal. We think it’s pretty amazing to have venues like historical train stations, art galleries, and breath-taking parks.
It’s also really well organized so stress is not even an option to enter into the experience.
The festival has always been environmentally philanthropic and continues to maintain a zero waste goal.
5 years ago, we were the first yoga “festival” and the only event in the country that practiced being green all the way from inner office to festival id’s. Plastic or non-consumables have never been allowed in the vendor area (now we see why we don’t work with a lot of high paying sponsors), and we donate 25% of the festival revenue to environmental organizations. It’s no mistake we practice mountain pose or dog pose right?
In fact, it was the environmental focus that spearheaded our initial success. Teachers like Richard Freeman, Dr. Robert Svoboda, Nicki Doane, Scott Blossom and Eddie Modestini were stoked to be part of something that was inherently supportive of the environment. Since the initial festival other phenomenal teachers like Aadil Palkhivala, David Swenson, Tias Little, Beryl Bender Birch, Mark Whitwell, Wah!, Duncan Wong and Annie Pace (just to name a few) have come and/or are coming.
After starting the festival 5 years ago, I am personally proud to call the festival my baby. This is a festival for people who are interested in yoga without a lot of hype; where they can deepen their practice deep in the mountains and just chill out. Click here for video of the Telluride Yoga Festival.
For full festival details, click here.