Berkshire Yoga Festival 2026: Full Schedule

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10:00am EDT

Living Symbols and Inner Practices: Bhūta Śuddhi and Cakra Sādhana – Anāhata Cakra

Friday June 12, 2026 10:00am - 11:30am EDT

Limited Capacity seats available

We all have the recurring experience of frustration and suffering - from different causes, and at different levels of intensity - throughout our daily lives. In response to this recurring experience, we seek to release suffering and find fulfillment outwardly and, as a result, become entangled in what the Ancients called the ‘world of name and form’. This misguided seeking perpetuates the recurrence of unresolved issues, frustrations, tension, and suffering that we all experience throughout our lives.

Deep methods of Inner Practice evolved in the tradition of Tantric Laya Yoga through which we can break this recurring cycle, realize our true nature, actualize our innate potentials and, ultimately, become free. These methods of practice relied on complex symbol systems.

In this series of three classes, we will explore two of the most important symbol systems, the methods of practice evolved to work with them and, finally, how to integrate these symbols and methods into our personal practice.

In this first 90-minute session of the series, we will
- Explore the cakra symbol system as a “microcosmic” map that reveals both our dysfunctional patterns and our innate untapped potentials.
- Introduce the methods of Bhūta Śuddhi and Cakra Sādhana
- Work with these methods in a practice focused on the Anāhata Cakra

Presenters

Gary Kraftsow

Gary Kraftsow has been an innovator in the transmission of yoga for health, healing, and personal transformation for over 40 years. He began his study of yoga in India with T.K.V. Deśikācar in 1974 and received a Viniyoga Special Diploma from Viniyoga International in Paris, France... Read More →

Friday June 12, 2026 10:00am - 11:30am EDT
Crane West 37 Corey Road, Hancock, MA, USA

Yoga

Style Yoga & Lecture
Schedule Spotlights Yoga Philosophy & Wisdom Traditions

4:00pm EDT

Letting Be: Consent as a spiritual practice

Friday June 12, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT

Clark Room, Country Inn

Limited Capacity seats available

This gently contemplative session asks: what would happen if we brought consent into the heart of our yoga? Is there a way to be together, side by side, and cherish our uniqueness, our differences, and even our brokenness together? If we pause to notice the moment in which we decide to say either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the practice, what might we achieve, on the mat, off the mat, and in the world?
These surprisingly profound enquiries will be explored through quiet movement, a little optional pair work, and a nourishing yoga nidra together. Suitable for anyone ready to think a little deeper about what it is we’re doing, alone and together, on the mat.

Presenters

Theo Wildcroft

Theo Wildcroft, PhD is a yoga teacher-trainer, writer and scholar who is interested in the democratization of yoga post-lineage, somatic literacy, meaning-making and the counter-culture. She is an Associate Lecturer at the Open University, UK, Visiting Lecturer in Dharmic Worldviews... Read More →

Friday June 12, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Clark Room, Country Inn 37 Corey Rd, Hancock, MA 01237, USA

Lecture/Talk

Style Yoga & Lecture

4:00pm EDT

Neuroscience of Better Sleep

FULL

Friday June 12, 2026 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT

Crane West

Limited Capacity full
Adding this to your schedule will put you on the waitlist.

Take time to pause, reset, and improve your sleep. This experiential workshop blends neuroscience, mindfulness, and practical tools to show why sleep matters and how to harness it for healing, resilience, and overall wellbeing. Leave with strategies you can use immediately to sleep better and feel more at ease each day.

Using gentle movement and relaxation techniques, we’ll explore:
-The Neuroscience of Sleep: Understand how sleep supports resilience, emotional regulation, memory, and overall wellbeing.
-Mindfulness Practices to Cultivate Ease: Learn how compassion, interoception, and moment-to-moment awareness can calm the nervous system and prepare your body for restorative sleep.
-Practical Sleep Strategies: Evidence-based routines, environmental adjustments, and behavior changes to address sleep challenges.
-Hands-On Practice: Experience techniques you can use immediately to improve rest and recovery.

Led by Becky Acabchuk, PhD, neuroscientist and sleep specialist with experience teaching high-performance teams, this workshop will leave you grounded, informed, and empowered to optimize your sleep and enhance your daily energy, focus, and wellbeing. What to Bring: A journal and pen.

Presenters

Becky Acabchuk, PhD

Neuroscientist, Mindfulness and Wellbeing expert, Yoga Instructor

Dr. Becky Acabchuk is a neuroscientist and wellbeing expert whose research explores the benefits of mind-body practices for enhancing mental and physical health. She is a Research Scientist at the Mindfulness Center at Brown University and also serves as a Sleep Specialist with O2X... Read More →

Friday June 12, 2026 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Crane West 37 Corey Road, Hancock, MA, USA

Lecture/Talk