The Festival’s Beginnings

It all started when…

Ever since I was a teenager there were two things that fascinated me as I looked toward my future hopes and dreams: the United Nations and Yoga.

Fast forward to 2015…
Pilgrimage of the Heart yoga, which I found in 2007, now has two locations and serves hundreds of people each week. A good friend of mine who works at the United Nations and was visiting San Diego told me that the United Nations had just declared June 21 of each year as the International Day of Yoga. She suggested putting on a yoga festival honoring that recognition.

I immediately liked the idea and decided that we would offer a dynamic yoga festival for free! With the many talented teachers and staff at Pilgrimage of the Heart we were able to put on a fun low-key festival in Balboa Park. Just like in yoga, where you try to become stronger and more flexible and always improving your practice, I wanted to make this fun, free event bigger and better.

Over the years we have transitioned from Balboa Park to beautiful Waterfront Park in downtown San Diego. The festival has grown tenfold but still maintains the original charm and feeling that gave rise to our first festival.

The festival draws primarily on the talents of local teachers and wellness practitioners to create a festival that offers yoga, meditation and healthy living presentations to everyone.

For an international organization like the United Nations to acknowledge the role yoga is playing in our modern world is a big step forward toward inner and outer peace. We are thrilled to help make that happen.