Berkshire Yoga Festival 2026

This 90-minute Kripalu Yoga workshop explores dharma as the lived expression of purpose, values, and right action in daily life. Through a grounding dharma talk, mindful asana, pranayama, and meditation, participants will examine how inner alignment informs outer choices. The practice emphasizes listening deeply to the body and breath as gateways to clarity, integrity, and service.

Rooted in the yogic principle of artha, this workshop investigates how we engage the material world with discernment, balance, and responsibility. Rolf Gates weaves philosophical inquiry with Kripalu-style asana, breathwork, and meditation to illuminate the relationship between effort, sustainability, and wise use of energy. Participants will leave with practical insights into how embodied awareness supports both inner and outer prosperity.

Discover the voice of your soul in this transformative workshop with internationally touring world music artist, teacher, and author Girish.

Science is proving what ancient cultures and our inner wisdom already knows: your voice can become one of the most powerful agents of transformation in every facet of your life. Sharing his own experience as a sound healer, musician, yogi, and former Hindu monk, Girish offers tools and practices to find and express your true voice in this interactive and inspiring workshop.

Discover and express your true voice and reclaim the healing potential that resides there. Girish will share several enjoyable and practical techniques, based on his decades of sound healing experience, that you can incorporate into your daily life. You will discover what 21st Century neuroscience reveals about these practices, many based on ancient yogic teachings, and learn new and inspiring ways to support and open your voice. You will discover unique, liberating methods to clear old patterns that block your natural expression and fulfillment. You will feel how opening your voice leads to powerful transformation in every dimension of your life.

This intelligent power flow class is practiced with music that transcends the genres of hip-hop, lofi beats, house, jazz, modern pop, and ambient sounds. Jyll's inner joy and no nonsense spiritual support will guide you through a soulful power flow practice with juicy holds that will leave your body feeling empowered and your mind happy and focused. 

Feel good yoga flow with live music serenade to calm the nervous system while you explore cooldown postures like forward folds and hip openers. 

Scriptures proclaim, “You are the creator of your destiny.” We have the ability to identify and choose the path that leads to true freedom and abundance. This is what tantra sadhana is all about. There are numerous tantric practices: some complex, some straightforward; some enticing in the beginning and perplexing at the end.

In this keynote, Pandit Tigunait shares the time-tested practice of tantra vidya which is sweet and insightful right from the start, and fulfilling at each step of our progress. This practice is based on his latest book, Sri Sukta: Tantra of Inner Prosperity.

This presentation will enable you to gather the tools needed to confront and conquer the forces of uncertainty, fear, and confusion sweeping across both our inner and outer worlds.

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

This guided class offers a direct, embodied experience of Vishoka Meditation through an integrated sequence of movement, breath training, relaxation, and seated meditation practice. Designed to meet practitioners where they are, the class gently guides the mind away from fragmentation and toward a felt sense of inner steadiness, clarity, and ease.

Through breath-aligned asana and systematic relaxation, participants will prepare both the body and nervous system for meditation. The practice culminates in a guided introduction to Vishoka Meditation, a classical yogic approach that uses the subtle dimension of the breath to reveal the mind’s natural luminosity and joy.

This session is appropriate for all levels and especially supportive for those seeking a meditative experience that feels grounded, nourishing, and sustainable.

In this class, you can expect:
● Breath-aligned asana to cultivate ease and inner awareness
● Systematic relaxation to calm the nervous system and experience inner space
● Meditative pranayama to refine attention and prepare the mind to turn inward
● A guided experience of Vishoka Meditation

Participants will leave feeling centered, replenished, and more at home within themselves—equipped with practices that can be carried into daily life.

Vinyasa Flow is the practice of synchronizing movement with breath, creating a continuous rhythm that links effort and awareness. Rooted in the Iyengar and Ashtanga traditions, vinyasa also allows space for creative interpretation, psychological insight, and spiritual inquiry, making it a living, evolving practice rather than a fixed form.
Because of its fluid nature, vinyasa requires thoughtful sequencing and precise cueing to support stability, integrity, and safety. When done well, it builds strength without strain, mobility without collapse, and focus without rigidity. This class explores both the physical architecture and the subtle intelligence of vinyasa practice, emphasizing how alignment, breath, and transitions work together to support the nervous system and prepare the body for meditation.
We will move through the traditional arc of a vinyasa class, including Sun Salutations, standing poses, hip openers, backbends, forward bends, inversions, yin, and restorative postures. Along the way, we will examine breathwork, the relationship between effort and ease, as well as the benefits and potential risks of common postures.
This class is designed for students who want a deeper understanding of asana, and for teachers interested in how I organize, pace, and instruct vinyasa as both a technical and devotional practice.

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 ancient Egyptian cosmology, the Neteru (Gods and Goddesses) were understood as living forces of intelligence that move through nature, the body, and consciousness. Rather than distant deities, they represent aspects of life we already experience: illumination and shadow, grief and renewal, courage, desire, truth, and transformation.
In this class, we approach the Neteru as energies to be felt and embodied, as opposed to ideas to be studied. Through movement, breath, reflection, and meditation, we explore how these forces live in the nervous system, the emotional body, and the choices we make. The practice becomes a way of recognizing and engaging the sacred movements already shaping our inner and outer lives.
This class offers a grounded, embodied entry into working with the Neteru as guides for awareness, balance, and integration, inviting a deeper relationship with the intelligence of life itself.

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.

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

This integrative practice weaves grounding Qigong with subtle meditation to explore the meeting point of matter and spirit. We begin with slow, accessible Qigong forms that cultivate the water and earth elements, building stability, rootedness, and energetic containment. From this grounded foundation, we transition into silent meditation, inviting a felt ascent into ether and spirit without leaving the body behind. Expect integrated calm focus and the quiet lift of embodied spirit. Suitable for all levels.

Dedicated to moksha, this workshop focuses on liberation through insight, surrender, and inner freedom. A contemplative dharma talk sets the stage for a Kripalu practice of gentle asana, subtle pranayama, and meditation designed to soften habitual patterns of grasping and resistance. Participants are guided toward an experiential understanding of freedom that arises not from effort, but from release.

The “Feel Good” class you were waiting for! Unlock unwanted physical, mental and emotional tension with the 3 most effective yoga practices amplified by the power of the community. Together we will move our bodies, practice pranayama (breath work), and step into a group guided meditation. If you have never meditated, or done pranayama, do not worry, this will be a guided heartfelt experience.

Take a step-by-step approach to flight. This Vinyasa class breaks down the componentsof Warrior III, building from the ground up with targeted strength, mobility, and balancework. Through intentional sequencing and breath-led movement, you’ll develop thestability and confidence to move into Warrior III with control and ease. Open to all levels.