Berkshire Yoga Festival 2026

Kick off the weekend with a bang. Make friends, share laughs, get the blood flowing, and maybe even be crowned the Champion of Funk.
The playlist sets the vibe and the energy carries the room. This all-levels flow was created to get the people moving, but be warned… there are a few super-important, completely nonsensical rules that must be followed.
You will learn the names of your fellow yogis… or else. This class shifts into a team effort where everyone supports each other and the good vibes keep building.
At the tail end of class, one of you will be crowned Champion of Funk, and we finish with a trivia round. Not yoga trivia… the good stuff. Random facts that expand your horizons and give you the most interesting conversation starter when you get home.

Do not hit snooze on this one.
Set the alarm. Set the tempo. Start your weekend right.

Be there or be square.

A led practice of traditional Hatha Yoga Sun Salutations moving and breathing collectively in a flowing meditation of 108 x 12 asanas.

What happens when a room full of people create sound together?

In this interactive experience with Rainbow Sounds founder Bianca Sengos, you won’t just receive sound—you’ll be part of it. Each participant will be provided with a sound therapy bowl and be guided to play, explore, and resonate together.

Through guided somatic breath, gentle movement, and sound, you’ll experience SonicSounds—Rainbow Sounds’ unique, trademarked approach to interactive mindfulness, brought to you from Australia.

Coming together to resonate is one of the latest group experiences yoga teachers are adding to their schedules—and this is your chance to feel it for yourself.

This is not a traditional sound bath. It’s a shared, hands-on experience where the room comes alive through collective vibration, connection, and play

Step onto the trail in silence and let the rhythm of breath and movement guide the way. This guided experience begins with a gentle warm-up to awaken sensitivity to prana, then unfolds as a silent hike through the forested trails of lower Jiminy Peak. Along the way, settle into a breath-centered guided meditation that turns your energy inward, leaving you clear, vibrant, and ready to fully embrace the day ahead.
Guided by Ransom Hare and Aaron Luburich, leaders of Himalayan Institute Excursions.

Want to lead a retreat that people can’t wait to book? In this engaging session, Liza Bertini, Retreat Sales Manager at Ocean Edge Resort—home to Cape Cod’s only year-round wellness retreat destination—shares the framework she uses to help retreat leaders turn concepts into fully realized, sold-out experiences. From pricing that makes sense (and actually sustains your business) to building a program that flows effortlessly from arrival to departure, you’ll learn how to structure, sell, and execute a retreat without the guesswork. If you’ve ever wondered how to connect all the moving pieces—this is it.

A First-of-its-Kind ExperienceAn exclusive presentation dedicated entirely to authentic antique Himalayan singing bowls, bringing ancient sound traditions to modern seekers.
Explore Different Types of Antique BowlsLearn how Jambati, Thadobati, Manipuri, Lingam, and other rare forms were created, what makes each type unique, and how they were traditionally used.
Witness a Once-in-a-Lifetime CollectionSee and experience a curated selection of rare antique bowls, many of which are being showcased publicly for the very first time.
Hands-On InteractionTouch, hold, and play bowls that are centuries old—an opportunity most people never get. Feel the difference in vibration, weight, and harmonic resonance.
Discover Their Sacred Lineage & HeritageLearn how these bowls were crafted by master artisans, their connection to Buddhist and Himalayan cultures, and the spiritual rituals surrounding them.
Metal vs. Crystal Bowls: The Truth Behind the DifferencesUnderstand the energetic, Vedic, astrological, and healing distinctions between metal and crystal bowls… beyond popular Western interpretations.
Live Sound DemonstrationsExperience the unique harmonic tones of antique bowls, their layered frequencies, and how they interact with the body’s energy field.
Chakra Alignment Through SoundLearn how antique bowls influence different chakras and why their multi-tonal resonance creates deeper healing than monotonic instruments.
How to Choose the Right BowlGet expert guidance on selecting a bowl based on purpose, intention, sound quality, metal composition, and energetic resonance.
Ideal for All LevelsWhether you’re a sound healer, yoga teacher, meditation practitioner, therapist, or curious beginner, this workshop offers profound insight and practical skill.
Powerful Closing Sound Healing SessionEnd the experience with a deep, immersive sound healing journey using bowls that are 300–500+ years old, resonating with centuries of energetic memory.

If you’ve ever thought, “Why does my mind do this?” — this workshop is for you. We’re two sisters who grew up with anxiety, overthinking, and a whole lot of self-doubt. Between the two of us, we’ve spent years in therapy learning something we wish someone had told us earlier: you’re not broken for thinking the way you think. You’re human. And your mind is just trying to protect you — even when it gets a little loud. This workshop is less about “doing” and more about listening — to our story, to yourself, and to a different way of understanding your mind. We’ll share the perspectives, reminders, and tools that helped us through our hardest seasons, and offer simple shifts you can carry with you into everyday life. Our hope is that you leave not trying to control your mind, but feeling more connected to it — and a little more able to live presently in moments that used to feel overwhelming. Expect a reflective, conversation-style experience with space to pause, write, think, and simply take things in at your own pace. There’s no pressure to speak, perform, or participate in any specific way. This is a space to feel understood, gather what resonates, and leave a little lighter than you arrived. Come exactly as you are. Overthinking and all.

When life gets tense... just roll with it!

Join this upbeat and restorative fascia-focused experience where we’ll "roll with it" both physically and energetically, literally and metaphorically. Using Rollga® foam rollers*, we'll explore rhythmic rolling, dynamic stretching, and mobility-enhancing movements to help you go with the flow and move through life with ease. This class bridges function and freedom; perfect for anyone craving release, recovery, and radiant energy.
Expect smiles, sighs, and a few “ahhhh” moments. 

Step into a moving meditation where breath, rhythm, and embodiment meet. Guided by Jess
Bridge and Dave Curry on live percussion, this workshop fuses grounding asana, primal flow,
and somatic release to awaken the body’s natural intelligence. Through rhythmic movement and
sound, you’ll explore how vibration can unlock tension, awaken presence, and create a deeper
sense of connection within. Expect to move with intention, sweat with purpose, and soften into
stillness—emerging centered, liberated, and fully alive.

In this ceremony, we will work with the directions, meditation, and energy work. We will introduce you to three plant and mushroom allies that each work with a different Chakra: Kava Kava, Amanita Muscaria, and Blue Lotus.  We will spend a few minutes discussing the properties of each plant while teaching the fundamentals of self-practice Reiki exercises that focus on the Root, Heart, and Third Eye Chakras. We will then offer a sacred ceremony and samples of three different plant/mushroom extracts for the three different Chakras. We will spend time sensing and feeling the shifts in the energy body around for each chakra while being in relationship with these allies. 

As our experience together comes to a close, let’s revisit our intentions, reflect on our experience and integrate our learning. What would you like to take from the festival?

How can you bring something new to your life everyday.

In this workshop you will engage in stream-of-consciousness journaling. Explore your thoughts by continuously writing in a judgement-free space. These journal sessions will guide you to set intentions, self-reflect and move forward in your life. Discover personal clarity that will bring you balance and confidence in your life

At the heart of the tantric tradition stands Saraswati, the radiant embodiment of knowledge, intuition, and the hidden currents of wisdom that guide every seeker. In the esoteric teachings of the Durga Saptashati, she is revealed as the gatekeeper to the vast treasury of tantra vidya, and the one who holds the key to unveiling the deeper nature of reality. Known as maha maya and yoga nidra, Saraswati illuminates the many layers of human experience, from the most ordinary to the most sublime, and shows us how to move skillfully between them.

In this transformative session, you will explore this multifaceted divinity not as a symbol, but as a living force that unlocks access to the true heart of tantra. You will also learn the meaning and practice of a rare and sacred Saraswati mantra, preserved in both the Vedic and tantric traditions, and discover how this mantra opens the doors to clarity, creativity, and inner awakening.

From this vantage point, this session expands into the wider world of tantra itself—a tradition that, for millennia, has offered a priceless trove of techniques to support and accelerate our spiritual growth. Yet today it is often overshadowed by confusion and sensationalism. Some encounter rituals, mantras, kundalini, and chakras; others become absorbed in deities and mystical practices.

Pandit Tigunait, drawing on a thousand-year lineage of tantric masters, will cut through this modern jungle of misunderstanding to reveal the rich and sublime essence of tantra. You will learn how to discern which aspects of the tantric tradition resonate most deeply with you, how to navigate common pitfalls with confidence, and how to follow a path that leads directly to inner fulfillment and true freedom.

In this global moment of war, chaos, and destruction, yoga practitioners might feel inclined to turn to yoga philosophy for ethical guidance and a broader understanding of the moral implications and relationship between yoga and war. While it is common and tempting to turn to “ahimsa” as a foundational tenet of yoga philosophy and thus regard yoga as inherently non-violent and anti-war, such interpretations offer simplistic readings of yoga philosophy. 

So what does yoga philosophy say about war, from a historic and contemporary standpoint? I believe that nuancing our understanding of yoga philosophy with respect to war strengthens both our capacity to turn to yoga as a moral compass and our impact when we wish to harness yoga's power toward more liberatory purposes. In this half lecture, half participatory workshop session, I invite you to join me in a dialogue on the politics of yoga, war, and empire; and in a commitment to strengthen our collective movement toward liberation of all beings.

The vendor village will come alive as Laura Neal weaves deep house, tribal rhythms, and funky disco beats into sets that inspire movement, connection, and joy. Drawing from a love of rhythm, ritual, and community, she creates a space where people can let go, be present, and fully enjoy the moment.

This is a unique experience developed by Mara Lee Gilbert for the purpose of learning the structure of ceremony itself as its own medicine; and how our greatest teacher in this lifetime is our own energy. The structure you will experience here is based on South American style plant medicine ceremonies, where Mara received her training. However, part of her work is bringing back the memory that every human on the planet has an ancestor that practiced ceremony in their own way, their own right, that connected our lineages to the Earth, and our spirits, no matter what culture or tribe it is related to. This is the art of learning the ceremony of being Human, and walking the on-going ceremony that is our lives. We remain sober for this ceremony - no plants are consumed. 
Mara says: Come to Ceremony to connect more completely with the medicine that is You by deepening your relationship with your prayers and intentions, and recognizing the role you are playing in how they get answered. This is a space to take greater responsibility for how we are experiencing our lives. Bring your prayers. Bring Yourself, exactly as you are in this moment.
Mara sings, chants and shares prayers, in her unique style, which she channels from our collective ancestors and the Earth, to enhance and deepen the experience for all participants in profound ways

Gather under the evening sky for a cozy fireside moment with Huttopia. As the Saturday night concert unfolds, follow the glow of the firepits outside JJ’s Lodge for a simple, sweet ritual—s’mores shared in good company. Come as you are, linger awhile, and savor a taste of summer in the Berkshires.

Feel free to pop in anytime for a few minutes between the hours of 8:30pm and 10:30pm as supplies last.

Join us for a nourishing New Moon Ritual designed to help you slow down, turn inward, and consciously begin a new cycle. You'll be led to release the previous cycle and clarify intentions aligned with what you truly want to cultivate. The June Dark Moon arrives as a threshold between late spring and early summer; a quiet pause before outward expansion. It carries themes of integration, nourishment, and intentional growth, inviting reflection before momentum builds.
The June Dark Moon is less about pushing forward and more about conscious preparation, creating a stable inner container so what emerges in the coming weeks can grow with integrity and support.
Come as you are: curious, open, or simply in need of a pause, and leave feeling clear, grounded, and connected to the quiet power of new beginnings.