Friday at Bhakti Fest Midwest 2014

There is something special about the Midwest. To be practicing yoga with your finger tips on the pulse of America is another reassurance that we truly are in the Aquarian age. While the popularity of yoga in the West was booming on each of our coasts - with the “Mecca” of yoga (outside of India) being in Los Angeles or New York City - the fly-over states have been practicing their own yoga, as well: the yoga of compassion. The number one thing I hear about this part of the country is that the people of the Midwest are kind. Pairing their kindness with traditional Bhakti Yoga practices is a perfect fit, and for the past three years Bhakti Fest has provided a festival for Midwesterners to celebrate bhakti and relish in the bhav without having to travel a great distance. In fact, with its more intimate nature, west and east coasters may find themselves flying inward geographically to experience a more intimately inward experience of their own.

I felt the Midwest charm immediately as I checked-in to the hotel Friday morning. I saw festival-goers, with mats strapped to their backs, greet each other with hugs and smiles. Just as I was feeling a little left out, having never been to the two prior festivals in the Midwest, I was given a hug too and felt that familiarity I know and love about Bhakti Fest gatherings.

First things first, I had to rejuvenate after my five-hour drive from Des Moines. I immediately went to registration to find samples of Aloha Green Powder, one of my favorite products because it immediately hydrates and gives a boost of nutrition. Now, I felt recharged and ready to go.

I familiarized myself with the grounds, especially since everything was moved indoors due to the inclement weather leading up to the weekend, giving us a typical dose of summer in the Midwest. In true yogi fashion, the wonderful staff who make this festival possible swiftly brought our stage and vendor village under a roof easily and efficiently. Although, I’m sure once the bhakti was flowing, no one would have minded dancing in the rain.

My first impression as I took in my surroundings was that this was going to be a unique Bhakti Fest experience. Not only is it a whole new group of regional yogis I had never met before, but it is also taking place over the summer solstice.  All energy this weekend will be amplified due to the sun’s light blanketing our sky the longest it has, and will, all year. Everything manifested this weekend will be heightened even more, and this made me aware of the influence these next three days could truly have on our lives.

I first laid down my mat for class with Katherine Austin, owner of Karma Yoga in Detroit, Michigan and a true example of a smorgasbord of styles living in one teacher. She is certified in Ashtanga, Vinyasa, and Kundalini and has studied with a wide variety of top masters. “All yoga does the same thing and takes you to the same place,” she explained. Being a big believer myself that there isn’t just ‘one way’, I was immediately a fan of Katherine. Her class today was mainly a juicy hatha experience, beginning with signature practices from Kundalini and ending with a long, luxurious gong bath. Her other classes over the weekend will be more deeply rooted in the Kundalini tradition.

The simplicity of Katherine’s teachings made it easy to follow her guidance to recognize our own power. She offered us the freedom to practice whatever it was we needed that would bring us into balance and if we were going through something, to use the power of our thoughts and change our thinking to “growing through something.” It was then I had it, my personal theme for the weekend: my own power. If anything was to be sweeter than Katherine’s words, it would be the giggles of the baby playing in between her parent’s yoga mats behind me.

After Katherine’s class I headed for the Main Stage for one of my favorite things: emceeing and introducing upcoming artists. I love this chance to get to look out on all the festival-lovers and have all of them smile back at me as we connect through shared experience. Backstage I got to spend time with some of the artists I introduced. Pascale La Point has a sweet, compelling voice and we share a love for KIND Healthy Snacks. Her band, Kirtan Path, is based in Minneapolis and performed at the inaugural Bhakti Fest Midwest. Their debut album, Samgayati - A Gathering in Song, has just been released.

Michael H. Cohen has a dynamic power in his voice beyond compare, and I could have sworn he made the walls shake with the capacity of his band. Among them were DJ Taz who will be rocking out the late night dance party, and Steve Emmerman, owner of Turbo Dog Yoga studio in Chicago. Steve and his wife Talya will be teaching early morning yoga at 7:30am on Saturday, and you can be sure to find me there.

Kirtan Path and Michael Cohen’s CD’s can be found at the White Swan Records booth in the Vendor Village. I immediately marched over to pick up both their albums after hearing their soul-igniting music on stage. While I was there, I finally got to ask what I have wondered for quite some time, what is the difference between White Swan Records and Black Swan Sounds? The answer: White Swan Records releases traditional kirtan albums, while Black Swan Sounds is reserved for DJ remixes of conscious music.

Staff dinner was a special treat as all the high vibrational food is donated by wonderful companies and put together in a gourmet style by Bhakti Fest’s chefs Andrea and Dietrich of Edible Alchemy.  In addition to gluten-free rice pasta from Lundberg Family Farms and Upton’s Natural Seitan Chicken was my favorite side dish, Farmhouse Culture’s raw organic kraut and kimchi. What kirtan is to our souls, this food is to our senses. The rich and zesty flavors of our dinner also accommodated any food restriction you may find among us yogis. Bhakti Chai also came with dinner as a light and refreshing sweet treat.

After helping myself to seconds of this vegan fare, I almost felt too full for kirtan that night with Ragani, the queen of kirtan in Milwaukee. That quickly changed as I entered the Main Stage for an ecstatic dance party you would not believe.  Lights low, energy high, and dancing yogis with an age range of at least sixty years. Then came the silence, the stillness, the bhav you enter when only vibration remains. This is why we are all here. The only thing that might top this high is the late night dance party held with Club Divine's DJ Taz and special guests. I’ll be holding off on this until tomorrow night as I am headed to bed so I can wake up with sun on summer solstice.
It is a true discovery of how much is out there yet to see and learn when you meet a whole new group of yogis, and experience a whole new group of kirtan artists which you wouldn’t otherwise be aware without venturing out of your bubble of the familiar. For me, that bubble is Los Angeles, and the discovery is that bhav is everywhere. Wherever you are, there lies your inner power.


Olivia Kvitne is serving as Bhakti Fest’s blogger and social media Goddess for all three festivals this year. She is Assistant Editor for LA Yoga Magazine and specializes in teaching trauma-sensitive yoga to veterans/military and first responders in addition to teaching hatha, yin, hot yoga and more. Twitter: @LoisLaneofYoga