This year’s festival season is about to begin.

Having practiced yoga sporadically for the past five years, I have found myself dunked and dipped like a cookie in coffee into the world of yoga festivals.

My partner, Jessica Durivage, was a part of the blogging and social media team for Where Is My Guru, and as a photographer, and willing participant to any and all new adventures I tagged along with camera in hand. Let me just say that after The Hanuman Festival last June, the first of four festivals that we attended last year, I was craving more.

The sheer magnitude of teachers, events, music, activities, emotions, connections, and happy-go-lucky vibes was, to say the least, overwhelming for this newbie. I met amazing people—a new teacher—broke down and cried like a baby, developed a deeper appreciation for the practice, and opened my mind to the limitless potential that life offers us all.

All this from a yoga festival, I hear you say. Well for me, this only touches the tip of the iceberg of transformation that I willing accepted last year, and the path is leading me forward again as this year’s festival season is kicking off.

I am starting April 12th at Sat Nam Fest, moving on to Tadasana on April 20th, returning to Hanuman on June 8th, Wanderlust Copper July 5th, Wanderlust Squaw July 26th, Bhakti Fest September 6th, and ending at Yoga Journal Estes Park on October 1st.

You will find me bouncing, dancing and swinging through the crowds with a smile from ear to ear and a lifted heart, ready to soak in and share the joyful presence of simply being. I hope to see you there.

Please enjoy some of the precious moments and visual treats captured at Hanuman Festival, Mountain Pose at Copper, and Mountain and Wanderlust Squaw Valley in 2011, in what I like to call the Essential Field Guide for the Festival Novice.

Let’s start here. Expand your mind—a necessity to get the fullest appreciation from the festival offerings.

Get a personal adjustment from your teacher, shown here Rodney Yee.

Wave your hands in the air like you just don’t care, learn to let go and have fun, that’s what it’s really all about.

Get down with a concert.

Take a cue from master teachers like Rod Stryker, and find space to relax and quiet the mind.

Enjoy the breathtaking scenery.

Make art for art’s sake.

Maybe even ride the gondola, just have fun with it.

Check out Bob and his amazing Flamenco Guitar.

Let your Shiva loose.

Dance, hoop, express yourself, and be free.

Definitely check out the tribal drumming and get down to the beat.

Involve the whole community, maybe even catch a glimpse of Waylon Lewis riding his bike with Redford, his faithful dog.

Let your inner child play.

Catch an episode of Walk the Talk, featured here MC Yogi.

Stretch it out with Seane Corn.

If you are lucky, you might even get featured on a video with Kasey Luber of Big Happy Day

.

Attend closing circle and bring it all together.

And lastly, do like I do and have a swingingly good time. Yep that’s me putting the camera down to try some acrobatics at Wanderlust.

I hope you enjoyed my visual guide for the yoga festival to do list and please come say to hi next time you see me at any one of the festivals this summer.

~
Editor: Jennifer Cusano

Carl Kerridge grew up in the City of Norwich on the east coast of England and has been shooting images since his childhood days. For the last 15 years he has resided in the US and run a successful and award winning photography business (CK Photography) specializing in natural light, lifestyle, fashion and event imagery for commercial and editorial usage. His work has been featured on magazine covers, national ad campaigns, billboards and websites. Connect with Carl online through Facebook

Now based in Denver (and loving this city) Carl is pleased to have developed a new web site (www.foTaography.com) lending his unique artistic vision to yoga, wellness and the photographic TAO of art.

Carl’s upbeat and high energy approach to life brings lightness to the darkness and he is leading the creative visual charge at #WIMG on-site at festivals, conferences, and magical lands with never-ending blue skies.