FROM THE BHAKTI TRAIL
10th Berlin Yoga Festival- Bolo from Berlin, Germany
By Spring Groove
What does America’s Birthday, The 10th Annual Berlin Yoga Festival and Germany’s entrance into the 2014 Semi Finals World Cup all have in common? July 4th. And what a celebration it was! All were singing. While America sang The Star Spangled Banner the streets of Germany sang da Deutschlandlied. In Kulturpark Kladow, along the Great Wannsee River so large it feels like a lake, Europe’s largest Yoga/Music Festival celebrates its 10th Anniversary. Yogis, worldwide, travel to Berlin for this auspicious occasion. Honored to offer the opening night concert with my bhakti brothers Erhard Dengl and Matthias Roth, the festivities are off and rolling. What transpires and develops is intoxicating. The large lawn is filled with colorful yoga mats and classes rotate throughout the day led by some of Europe’s and India’s finest teachers. Emanating from inside the large white tent are the sounds of melodious mantra. Dozens of white kiosks filled with yoga gear, books, jewelry, clothing and other international treasures can be found as well as an array of delicious vegetarian and Indian cuisine. There are clumps of friends chatting, laughing and eating together. Some are swimming. Some are enjoying their families amongst the sprawling tents that have been erected for the extra long weekend holiday. The sun is shining all the while making the presenters and guests alike more grateful than ever. The vibration is mellow, deep and joyful. Night bon fires with bhakti impromptu jams go until sunrise and with a new day the bhav deepens. My dear friend and Jivamukti teacher, Gabriela Bozic and I gave workshops during the time of Germany’s World Cup game. This year the festival had 2 televisions on site for those who wanted to watch. In previous years I recall running with Erhard through the forest for the nearest packed bar to watch the Argentina/Germany match. We were both elated to have large classes. In fact I was shocked to have the largest group I ever taught with over 100 bhaktis. And as Germany scored their winning goal, America watched elaborate fireworks and we sang Bolo Bolo Bolo!
Thank you Miriam and Stefan once gain for orchestrating such magic. Thanks to Axel Hebenstreit for the magnificent photos.
For more visit. http://www.lichtseelen.com as well as http://www.facebook.com/axel.hebenstreit
Hari OM.