Love is in the air and it may go further than anything you’ve felt before. That’s a big promise, especially since there are no red roses and no giant box of chocolates to go with it.

This is the love that a person feels when doing yoga. It’s the beginning of a love affair with life. It can offer the nurturing quiet space where the busy world ends, life becomes easier and things just seem to start going your way.

Sound a bit too good to be true? Now may be a good time to test it, with nothing to lose and a whole lot to discover! The inaugural Bermuda Yoga Festival in April is making it possible.

Who would imagine that stretching your body, having awareness of breath and joining a group of people in a unifying kirtan (chanting session) could bring such reward? Valentine’s Day is exactly the right time to commit to the emotional and physical health of your own heart, to allow the de-stress factor of yoga and kirtan to do its work.

Kirtan is a soulful and meditative musical experience; it is call and response chanting where the audience participates thereby creating the experience. The purpose of the music is to get out of our head, reduce the chatter, and into our heart, connecting to stillness and calm.

David Newman (Durga Das) and C.C. White are renowned US kirtan recording artists who, with their bands will travel to Bermuda for two concerts at the Fairmont Southampton. If you don’t sing, fear not, you’ll be in good company. Kirtan creates the ultimate space where you can sing as if no one can hear you! Be warned, the joyful side effects can last several days.

In the last ten years, kirtan has become very popular in the US, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean, attracting thousands of festivalgoers.

The Bermuda Yoga Festival, April 3 to 6 gives you the perfect opportunity to give this gift to yourself or someone you love.

Special Valentine’s Day Offer: Buy a full 4-day, 2-day or 1-day pass between February 7 to 14 to be eligible for a chance to win a second pass of equal value.

A complete schedule of events and explanations of each session can be found at:

www.bermudayogafestival.com/schedule.

The much anticipated Yoga Festival has already attracted 11 internationally acclaimed special guest speakers, yoga practitioners and musicians and will draw yoga enthusiasts and novices from afar, to experience the ultimate wellbeing vacation. Local teachers and artists include Sifu Dr Larry Trott, Christina Quinn, the Bermuda Kirtan Band, and Dana Spurling.

Designed to appeal to all levels and ages, 42 classes, workshops and events are on tap over the festival weekend, ranging from beginners to therapeutic to advanced sessions.

An interesting aspect of yoga is that it offers much more than the physical practice; wisdom talks, yoga music (kirtan), meditation sittings and breath work, ecstatic dance and qigong all fall into the mind-expanding yoga realm.

Sponsored by the Bermuda Tourism Authority, the Fairmont Southampton, the Argus Group and American Airlines, this first of its kind event for Bermuda has been organised and inspired by local yoga teachers.

Commit this Valentine’s Day to having a healthy, open heart, book yourself and a loved one into the festival and explore the infinite possibilities that life and yoga presents. For some extra romance, book yourself into the host venue, Fairmont Southampton overnight to enjoy that Valentine feeling all over again!

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