7 Reasons you Need to go to Yoga Connects Festival

This year I was lucky enough to win tickets on Instagram to the Yoga Connects Festival in Leicestershire. I could bring 2 friends and I was super excited as I had never been to a full blown yoga festival. I enlisted two fellow yoga teacher friends that I did my training with and we were off on a long weekend adventure. Here are a few reasons why you might like to go to Yoga Connects festival next year:

The Location

Yoga Connects festival is located at Stanford hall which is surrounded by ancient parkland, rolling grassy hills and beauty and a further 900 acres. It’s a yogi’s paradise. It’s a short drive or train ride from London and was pretty hassle free to get to.

The Accomodation Options

You can BYO your own tent, book a room in the Stanford hall stately home or opt for the glamping option in a Mongolian Yurt. Glamping is totally up my alley, so my friends and I nestled into our colourful Unidome tent that came furnished with pre made beds, furnishings and heaters. I love having this option as it is fuss free and is already set up for you when you arrive. 

All Vegetarian food

Ever been to a festival where it was completely vegan and vegetarian friendly? For me and most yogis this is heaven! There were juice bars, vegan cupcakes, veggie Jamaican and pizza stands that were all designed for taste and health. Although the food was completely delicious, I would also recommend bringing some supplies with you too for snacking on throughout the days.

The Small Festival Vibe

You can easily lose the relaxed festival vibe when there are 10,000 other festival goers. I found the vibe at Yoga Connects festival to be small and intimate. You would run into the same people at classes and in the chill out areas so there were plenty of chances to make new friends and connect. Festival goers were open to a chat while waiting for your morning coffee and welcomed you into random dance or yoga practice. The vibe was perfect.

Variety of Yoga classes

The variety of teaching styles, workshops and classes on the Yoga Connects Festival schedule was excellent. It was easy for you to experiment with new styles or practice your handstands (if that what was your heart’s desire). I really loved picking up some new acro yoga moves and learning how to stabilise my handstands. There really is something for everyone, from beginners vinyasa, yin, acro and gong baths.

Non-yoga activities

So if you’ve had enough of yoga for one day, there were plenty of other activities to do. You could have a sauna, soak in a hot tub or stand up paddle board on the lake. The list was endless. And if you were after some healing, there were massages, crystal healing and Tarot card readers too. And yes I got involved with everything!

Night time Entertainment

After the sun went down, the entertainment and activities didn’t stop. There were cacao ceremonies, yoga raves and dance parties which I heard were all the rave. I however was completely exhausted each night after attending back to back classes all day. So I escaped the activities and tucked myself into bed for a good rest and an early rise.

Kid Friendly Festival

Yoga Connects Festival is completely kid friendly. There were new borns, toddlers and young teens all enjoying the yoga festival and activities. It was a safe place for kids to meet new friends and try out yoga and mediation for the first time which was beautiful to experience.

So if you think you’d like to attend next year’s festival, why don’t you put it on your Christmas wish-list? There is a Christmas special at the moment, £140 for a 3 gold day ticket instead of £250. The festival runs from Friday June 30th until Sunday evening July 2nd. You don’t need to be a yoga teacher or even a dedicated yogi as there is a little something for everyone at the festival. For more information or to book your tickets, visit the Yoga Connects Festival website.

X Phoebe