If you love yoga, you won’t want to miss the special events going on at the Hotel del Coronado from June 24-27. Yoga Journal LIVE! is a weekend-long yoga festival filled with panels, keynotes, and a Yoga Market with products and services for healthy, balanced living. There are also workshops and classes hosted by top teachers in the area.
Yogis of every experience level from those stepping on the mat for the very first time to those who have been practicing for years will come together for four days of deeper study and joy. It is a chance to experience world-class yoga instruction, discover how different styles of yoga are evolving, and sample many styles of yoga in one place.
For Coronado locals, there are several ways to take advantage of the conference. One is to sign up for individual classes, the keynote address with New York Times bestselling author Marianne Williamson, or to register for the entire conference (but save money by walking or biking to the Del each day!). Prices and registration information can be found here. A full schedule is available here.
I had a chance to talk to Kristen Dollard, Brand Director for Yoga Journal, who explained what makes this event in Coronado so unique:
Yoga Journal LIVE! (YJL): This will be our 4th event in San Diego and we’re thrilled to be back! We are in five locations including San Francisco in January of each year.
CT: What are you most excited about for this particular event in SD?
YJL: We are yoga people so we are calm about everything. Just kidding! We are excited that we can offer a variety of classes for students to choose from–be it around a theme like Exploring the Chakras or earning credentials.
One thing that’s lesser-known about our events is that for Friday’s full-day workshops, most individual classes (like Jason Crandell’s master classes, and new special programs running two to three days long such as The Art of Teaching and SuperYogi’s School House program) allow for registered yoga teachers to receive continuing education credits. Not all yoga teachers are created equal today, and we see some of the best trained, well educated teachers attending our events.
Plus we have Stand Up Paddle Yoga with local talent Amelia Travis. If you are new to yoga and want to pick and choose your classes or if you want to spend three days earning a certificate to teach children, Yoga Journal’s ever-evolving programs allow students at every level to deepen their practice and to find inspiration on and off the mat.
CT: How many attendees do you expect at the event, and do you know how many are local to the SD area?
YJL: We typically see 1200 – 2000 attendees at our events. Generally speaking, at the 5 events that we have, 40% of attendees travel to the destination for the yoga event. We will have international students and locals alike. You’d be surprised, we’ve had couples meet at Yoga Journal, find one another in India three years later, and get married. Christina and Vajra Lagdameo-Romano, now of Seattle, WA, are the owners of True Self Yoga but they met at our Colorado event 9 years ago!
CT: What can attendees look forward to if they are just learning about yoga? Experienced yogis? Instructors?
YJL: First and foremost — no judgment. If you do not know your Savasana from your Surya Namaskar, or if Titibasana (that’s Firefly!) sounds like a new sushi to you, WELCOME! Newbies should go to find teachers, classes, and sequences that inspire them. We also have community classes if you are dipping a toe into free classes. If you are new, try out Core Power’s free class or Jason Crandell’s amazingly smart and clearly described alignment. You know what he calls the femur bone? YOUR LEG!
Experienced yogis may want one of two things: a challenge or something new. Stand Up Paddle Yoga will make you weep while you are in handstand and the sun sets. There are no words for this except, TRY. IT. Plus, Amelia has a personal story you won’t believe. She quit drugs cold turkey and is a yoga teacher pursuing an art degree and has a book deal.
For more information, visit the Yoga Journal LIVE! website — or just stop by the Del this weekend to watch yogis greeting the sunrise.
