Coming Soon: San Diego Yoga Festival

Get ready for it everybody, San Diego is about to overflow with spiritual gurus, sweaty bodies, and murmurs of Sanskrit. Why, you ask? The San Diego Yoga Festival is coming to town.

This year hundreds of yogis are gathering in spaces all over Ocean Beach to bring the gift of yoga to our sunny beaches. This will be the first of its kind, but with the lineup they have set up, I doubt it will be the last.

Shawna Schenk, Reiki Master and Founder of Yoga with Shawna, was driving home from teaching a festival in the Bay Area and it hit her–why don’t I host a yoga festival in my own town? She texted her friend Melanie Williams, Owner of TriPower Yoga, and together they began to dream.

The pair initially scoped out hotels in Downtown, looking for a place large enough to gather the most well-known yogis and their following. After realizing the finances involved in booking a hotel, Shawna brought up the idea of hosting it in Ocean Beach.

“As soon as she said that,” Williams shared, “I was like ‘Oh, this is right. This feels like a divine plan.”

As the planning continued, Williams excitement grew.

“I got really passionate about doing it here because this is my home! I had already had a conversation with the SDPD about getting more physical fitness outside to raise the vibrational energy.”

On top of running a yoga studio, Williams serves on the board of the Ocean Beach Town Council. Her care for the town is obvious upon meeting her, and hosting the yoga festival at the place she is heavily invested truly made her heart happy.

Photo Credit: Paul Brooks

Thinking about attending? Here are some details that might help.

The event runs from Friday, January 27th through Monday, January 30th. Yogis, vendors, and wellness providers will be set up all over Ocean Beach, with check-in taking place at Veterans Plaza (on Abbott and Newport). You can buy tickets on their website for either one day, one class, or the whole weekend. Each ticket sale will be synergistically used to pour back into the health and wellness industry.

Wanting to participate but don’t have the money?

A few free classes will be held for veterans throughout the event. Additionally, children of ticket-holders as well as dog owners will have a few free options as well. In the vendor area, there will be free talks to attend as well as chiropractic services. All events and sessions have limited space, so they recommend signing up on their website in advance.

Final words from the host:

“This event is more than a three day event, it’s an epic energy-shifting event and the intention is that the lives of all of the people of Ocean Beach would be changed for the better. We really have a heart for the community and the goal is to shift the vibrational energy.”
Grab your yoga mats and towels, and we’ll see you out there!