Yoga in the Wilds Festival is August 25-26, 2018
- by Olivia Blackmore
- August 11, 2018
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The ancient art of Yoga has long been known to be more than physical exercise. Its mental and spiritual benefits have drawn people into yoga for thousands of years.
Lovers of yoga, those simply curious about the healing art, and everyone in between are welcome to attend the second annual Yoga in the Wilds Festival.
On August 25 and 26, Yoga in the Wilds will be taking place in the Pennsylvania Wilds. This community festival is designed to showcase yoga teachers, holistic health practitioners, healers, and other yoga-enthusiastic members of the area near Ridgway, PA, at Flying Dove Ranch, located in Elk Country.
The event is free.
I had the chance to speak with the founder and one of the organizers of the YITW event, Lisa Sarick. Lisa is also the owner of SoL (Spirit of Love) Wellness & Gathering Space in Dubois, PA, located along the I-80 Frontier.
When Lisa first thought of the event last year, she knew she would need help. She reached out to fellow yogis in the area, and together they created and organized the event. There are also many enthusiastic volunteers involved in making the event happen. With their help through time and energy, this community truly showcases the passion for yoga that our small area has.
“The goal of Yoga in the Wilds is to show people all of the great resources we have right here in our community for holistic health, healthy living, yoga, meditation, natural health and things like that, and make it a fun day to be outside and to feel good and enjoy the wilds,” Lisa said.
The event is just two years old, but even in the first year showed great success with people coming from places as far as New York City and Pittsburgh. Four hundred yoga enthusiasts attended last year, and the event has continued to grow.
There is no shortage of activities happening during the two-day event. Visitors can find free classes that occur throughout, such as mini-yoga classes and mini-meditative experiences alternating every half hour.
There are also paid workshops such as “Enhancing your Meditation and Yoga Practices with Aromatherapy,” a workshop exploring the benefits of essential oils, “Experience the Drummer in You!” to “experience the transformational power of group drumming,” and “SUP Yoga,” the art of yoga on a paddleboard. It is recommended to pre-register for workshops.
There are even kids’ events happening like roasting marshmallows, kids’ yoga, and nature crafts. The full schedule can be found at: https://yogainthewildsfestival.com/schedule/
Local vendors will be selling goods at YITW, some of which include artisan jewelry, soap, essential oils, and coffee.
Because the event is for the community, Lisa wanted to give back to the community.
“Any proceeds go to something for the community. We’ve focused on youth programming in the Wilds. So, this year we are donating the proceeds to the Center for Entrepreneurship Educational Enhancement Program,” she explained.
Lisa has been practicing yoga for 15 years. She initially became interested in yoga through the fitness world.
“It was just a different mindset from what I had. You accept yourself and love yourself now, [instead of loving yourself] only when you reach a goal. What you realize once you do move into accepting and loving yourself is it’s easier to love and accept others,” she said.
Lisa’s mindset certainly is inspiring other people to find this “love and acceptance” through this event. Whether you are an experienced yogi or just yoga-curious and hoping to “dip your toes” into the world of yoga, this is the event for everyone.
More information on Yoga in the Wilds can be found at: https://yogainthewildsfestival.com/.
