Rhode Island’s First Yoga Festival Coming April 6
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Yoga enthusiasts from entry-level to expert will have a chance to branch out from their typical routine in a fortnight with the first Rhode Island Yoga Festival at the Smithfield Community and Senior Center Apr. 6. The day-long event, held from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., aims to “build a little bit more of a cohesive community around the Rhode Island and Providence yoga world,” said festival founder Chris Belanger.
Belanger, who is no stranger to yoga, said the festival has been in the planning for a long time.
“I had the idea about six years ago, even before I was a yoga teacher,” he said. “We needed something to … build community and expose people to other styles.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTBelanger said he hoped the festival would be an introduction for people who were unfamiliar with yoga as well. “Some people just have to get introduced to these practices,” he said.
Teachers from across Rhode Island
The festival will bring together yoga teachers from across the state, from Cranston to Nantucket, to conduct sessions in a variety of styles for festival attendees, Belanger said. “There’s quite a few teachers out there — amazing teachers,” he said. “Not enough people know about them.”
The festival will also feature vegan groups and organizations, inspired by Belanger’s own vegan lifestyle. “We wanted to showcase some other folks who have perhaps given us a little bit of support,” he said. “It’s just a way to make the day a little more interesting.”
Groups will offer everything from cheeses to henna art to yoga-inspired T-shirts for women with inspirational quotes, but the ultimate goal of the festival is to attract all people who enjoy yoga.
“[The festival is] to kind of sample a bit of what we have and maybe try something new and broaden their practice and open their eyes to the broader world of yoga,” Belanger said. “It really is kind of for everybody.”
Tickets for the festival are currently priced at $65, though the cost rises after this weekend. For more information on the Rhode Island Yoga Festival, visit their Facebook page or www.rhodeislandyogafestival.com.
Related Articles
- Boiler House Bikram Yoga Brings Hot Yoga to Providence
- Miriam Hospital: Yoga to Help Women with Quitting Smoking
- Namaste Yoga Ball Brings Zen to Fundraising
- Best Yoga Spots in RI
- Yoga Improves Teens’ Mental Health
- Will Yoga Help You Quit Smoking?