Bhakti Fest Midwest Day 3

Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati
on stage at Bhakti Fest Midwest

On the third and final day of Bhakti Fest Midwest, the sun rose quicker than festival participants. As tired Bhaktas nursed themselves with the Ayurvedic remedy and immune booster Herbal Zap, artists and teachers prepared for the full day ahead. Special guest Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati kicked off the workshops with a talk on the humanitarian efforts that Ganga Action Parivar is facilitating in support of the recent Ganga flooding. As scenes of the flood were screened, including entire hotels washing down stream, tears filled the room. The scenes were a humbling reminder that we are all at the mercy of Mother Nature.

In the nearby Yoga Hall, over 200 yogis prayed with their bodies as they flowed through Sean Johnson’s “Bhakti on the mat” yoga class. Johnson, from Sean Johnson and the Wild Lotus Band, is just as dynamic leading a yoga class as he is leading a kirtan. Naturally, Johnson was accompanied by his band as they played harmonically along side.

Sean Johnson gets yogis to
practice Bhakti on and off the mat

As yogis tuned in to their bodies and sipped on KeVita’s probiotic drinks, the entire breathwork hall was quickly packed with participants ready to tune in to their breath with the shamanic Michael Brian Baker. Known to have his classes overflow in Joshua Tree, the scene was not much different in Madison.  On day three of Baker’s breathwork series, he led the group focused on “The Responsibility of Prayer and Healing.” Within the workshop, Baker held a sacred space for deep healing where participants entered ecstatic states. Baker led the class that ranged from first timers to Kundalini masters in effortless pranayamas (breathing) practices. Pranayama breathing techniques are excellent tools for easing anxiety, stress, anger, heat, exhaustion, and many more afflictive emotions.

As the ending of Bhakti Fest Midwest’s second annual festival was in sight, the vendor village boomed with commerce. Festival-goers picked up kirtan albums from the White Swan Records booth that sold a

Prabhuji's Gifts decking out the hospitality suite

large range of kirtan album and yoga books. Nearby, the Bhakti Shoppe rapidly ran out of official Bhakti Fest merchandise sourced directly from India. Backstage, artists took home Prabhuji Gift’s incense, perfumes, and goodies.

As evening set in, spirits raised in anticipation of the ever-eventful closing ceremony. Dave Stringer led the final and concluding kirtan in front of a fully-packed audience, sharing that with every great stories there is a beginning, middle, and end... Just not necessarily in that order. Although Bhakti Fest Midwest's time was coming to a close, the level of energy and a packed crowd suggested this was just the beginning for many on the Bhakti path of love and devotion, hungry for more chanting. When Stringer busted out the concluding chant to Goddess Durga, the crowd danced ecstatically, wildly, and freely—dancing off and letting go of all material conditioning and experiences that bind them.

And then, it was time. As 50 some odd artists, teachers, Bhakti Fest staff members, and musicians gathered on stage for the closing ceremony, Govind Das led the affair from honorary spot front and center, often held by the eternally loved and deeply missed Shyamdas who passed on earlier this year in a tragic accident in India. With Shyamdas's noticeable absence, memories of him leading the

Bhakti Fest Midwest Closing Ceremony
Image by Mitchell Manz

closing ceremony the year before softened the hearts of all. The Maha Mantra dedicated to the spirit of Shyamdas gently begun, and only in a matter of moments the stage and crowd was off to blissful states. The mic was passed around getting various artists and interpretations of the beloved chant, but when it hit the hands of Kirtaniya's Vijay Krsna, the chant quickly took a different course as "Radheee Radheee Govinda Radheeeee" exploded from his soul. Those who were present for the recent Shakti Fest saw the same transition take place, inferring that a new tradition has in fact begun. What will the 5th Annual Bhakti Fest West--the largest and grandest affair slated from the Bhakti Fest team--conclude with? Like all things worth waiting for, only time will tell…

By Vanessa Harris