Udaya Live — The perfect yoga retreat-festival for yoga & music lovers
Have you heard of retreat-style yoga festivals? Udaya Live Festival is one of the biggest festivals in Europe that blends yoga with music. I find retreat style yoga festivals very rich and deep to experience. Why? They offer a space to relax, network, escape the busy city routine, and most importantly explore the power of ‘letting go’. Here are some of the highlights of the festival and why I would absolutely recommend this event to my friends, family and my fellow yogis.
The Festival: Who, What, When, Where & Why
What: Udaya Live is an all-Inclusive International Retreat that welcomes yogis around the world to an eclectic mix of yoga, live music, dancing, swimming, community & a chance to enjoy nature. It is a celebration of life with over 50 inspirational yoga teachers & world-class musicians. The festival schedule is full from early morning until late night with yoga meditation, ecstatic dance, educational workshops, and live concerts. There is plenty of room for everyone to discover something new, expand their network or just chill.
Where: The Festival takes places in South Eastern Europe in beautiful Bulgaria. This time around we enjoyed our stay in the 4-Star Riu Pravets Golf & Spa Resort, which is only 30 min drive from Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. The hotel is situated outside of the city area, deep in the mountains with a small lake surrounding the hotel. It’s the perfect place to shut-down, reboot, practice yoga & meditation, enjoy healthy food and reconnect with your inner self.
For Whom: Udaya Live is perfect for yoga lovers, beginner or advanced, to discover & try new yoga styles as well as meditation techniques. Like any festival, it’s also a great opportunity to connect with like-minded people. We had the choice to enjoy the massive main stage. If you are someone who prefers smaller groups, there are intimate workshops with a community of some of the finest and most diverse yoga teachers & musicians.
When: The festival takes place end of August each year which promises great weather conditions in the mountains of South-Eastern Europe.uda
Why: Udaya Live has a welcoming atmosphere and great connection that can be felt from the very first day upon arrival to the festival. It usually takes me a day and a half to ‘start relaxing.’ My mind automatically goes through my to-do list and reminders to send that last email. However, as each hour passes, I started to realize how great it felt to be amongst like-minded people. Doing several sessions of yoga every day, having great conversations and just melting into the beautiful yoga beats played by amazing & talented musicians is the best way to spend a retreat. Each yoga session is accompanied with lovely yoga music which transforms the experience into something deeper and more meaningful.
To just let go, forgive, release tension, discover the new you and maybe a starting point for the new beginning — it all perfectly fits the name of the festival — Udaya — the new beginning.
The closeness to the nature and lack of daily city noise and routine also serves to awaken your senses. Observing the sunrise and sunset makes it easier for you to relax, re-connect and recharge. But the best part of Udaya is meeting & connecting with and taking classes together with people who share the same interests as yourself. And as we know, in the yoga world usually most of those acquaintances are for life.
A few words about the program
The festival program kicks off on the second day and continues throughout the next four days. If you arrive during the daytime, you have time to relax in the wellness area and enjoy sauna or a massage. After your check-in at the hotel and a warm welcome from the festival crew, you can study the festival program and mark your favorite classes & workshops that you want to attend.
Choosing the classes might be a little challenging as there will be four to five stages set up, which means there will be several classes running at the same time. It might get a little overwhelming at the beginning if you want to attend as many classes as possible. Don’t worry! There will be enough time to practice with your favorite teacher more than once.
The festival program offers a variety of classes & workshops for every taste, level & intensity. It is a perfect opportunity to deepen your practice and improve your asanas, gain more yoga knowledge by visiting anatomy classes or just to try new yoga styles.
I enjoyed kickstarting my day with Brett Moran’s meditations. During the daytime, I attended classes that offered restorative yoga flows to a live band, and it felt like a bliss.
To name some of the inspiring & experienced teachers: Rudy Mettia (Power yoga), Annie Carpenter (Deep Slow Yoga), Daniel Scott (Acroyoga), Rebecca Pflaum (Kundalini Yoga), Jules Mitchell (Yoga Theraphy and Biomechanics), Adam Husler (Vinyasa Flow), Coya Webb (Yoga Nidra) and Dj Sol Rising, DJ Drez, Spring Groove, Masood Ali Khan and the Kirtaniyas and so many more that made each yoga session an unforgettable experience.
Disconnect to connect
I really enjoy visiting these kinds of yoga events because they offer the ideal place to reflect, re-think my priorities, gain perspective and relax, something that all of us need from time to time. By disconnecting from the daily life we connect to yoga, to like-minded people and to our inner self. The physical benefits of yoga are not new - it’s been proven that yoga leads to improved balance, strength, flexibility & a healthier mental state. Moreover, yogis enjoy and value the community aspect of yoga where they support and learn from each other. So it’s only natural that each year there are thousands of new yoga retreats, festivals such as Udaya Live & workshops taking place all over the globe. With the help of modern technology, it has become easier to organize, host and book such events.
This is what we do here at yoganect — The Social Network for Yoga. We connect the yoga practitioner with the yoga professional on one single online platform. By providing yoga teachers and yoga hosts the best tools and digital expertise, our goal is to support them by bringing their offer to the next level. Whether it’s the efficient event management that provides the best digital booking experience or the easy engagement with event visitors on the business page, yoganect requires no technical knowledge. That gives yoga professionals plenty of time to focus on the event or their yoga practice. So naturally, we teamed up with Udaya Live and offer an overview of the event and the lineup. We will be soon offering a chat function where you can conveniently message the host and use an easy & direct booking process. Disconnect from your daily routine by visiting the retreat and connect to your new friends, yoga and get closer to your real self. Your August Plans? Rethink them and start researching Udaya Live and other yoga retreats. Check out this inspiring video to get you started.
