*Event has been rescheduled for Sept. 25-27*
Celebrating the mind, body and soul by promoting health, wellness and community through music, food, drinks and sunshine.
Imagine yourself basking in the sun on a beautiful Sunday morning having just completed an outdoor yoga class coupled with guided meditation and feeling completely present and content. You are sitting at a table with friends about to devour a plate full of locally sourced Ki’ Mexico genius, and all’s right with the world. Is this a dream? It’s the dream of three women who seeded it into the reality of Yoga Farm Fest.
Yoga Farm Fest (YFF) began three years ago and has evolved into a total wellness weekend spent outside in nature celebrating what Shreveport/Bossier City has to offer in terms of total health. The festival is a three-day event located in South Shreveport on the tranquil Perkins Property belonging to Matt and Charlotte Brown. The festival is a collaborative effort of Emily Sample, Haley Lewis, and Sarah Sledge. Each woman has a background in health and wellness and a passion for sharing their love of all things wellness with the SBC community.
Emily began her yoga journey in 2000 after playing college soccer. She was instrumental in opening Breathe Yoga Shreveport and recently led the first of what will likely be many wellness retreats on her sustainable agriculture family farm. She and her husband, Scott, run a regenerative farm south of Shreveport where the focus is producing clean food. Emily has traveled all over attending yoga festivals and has brought some of her favorite musicians and yogis to share with our Shreveport/ Bossier community. “The Yoga Farm Fest was a dream that became a reality and we are so excited to share this third year with our community!”
Haley Lewis is a certified holistic Health Coach completing her training from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. She was the founder of Sweat Society prior to relocating to Baton Rouge where she now resides with her husband, Morgan. She believes in bio-individuality and specializes in helping women and men who struggle with “yo-yo dieting” by teaching them how to ditch the diet, get off processed foods, and live their happiest, healthiest life. “It has been a privilege to create this festival with Emily and Sarah. Yoga Farm Fest is one of my favorite weekends of the year!”
Sarah Sledge is a nationally certified physician assistant at Regional Urology. In addition, she teaches group fitness classes at the YMCA and holds certifications in a variety of formats including her favorite, SUP yoga. She pairs her knowledge of healthcare with her enthusiasm for fitness to encourage people to make long-lasting healthy habits through nutrition and activity. “With our similar backgrounds, it was a natural fit for Emily, Haley and I to come together to create the Yoga Farm Fest. And new to the team this year is Penn Harris – we are pumped to have her! Our festival is more than just yoga and music – wellness is really at the heart of this event. We want fest-goers to connect all the elements – nature, nutrition, activity and community.”
The fest kicks off Friday, April 24, at Red River Brewery where attendees can pick up their swag bag and sign up for specialty classes while enjoying food, drinks and live music. Saturday, April 25, doors open at 9:30 AM and there is so much to do and see! The morning begins with meditation followed by a variety of classes including hip hop yoga, SUP yoga, vinyasa, acro yoga and hooping throughout the day. Classes are accompanied by live musicians or the sounds of nature. *Event has been rescheduled for Sept. 25-27*
There are multiple villages where you can find healers, artists, chefs and wellness enthusiasts eagerly waiting to share their talents. The wellness village features massage, acupuncture, homeopathy and astrology readings. The farm to food village, sponsored by Sample Farms, hosts local eateries such as Well Fed, Ki’ Mexico, Tokyo Neon and Glow Alchemy Kitchen. The retail village, sponsored by M. Clothing and L. E. & Chalk, houses jewelry, art, bath products and clothing, so make time to shop local! The kids village – sponsored by Cosse and Silmon Orthodontics – offers yoga classes for the little ones along with hula hooping and arts & crafts, so this festival is super family-friendly.
The SUP pond, sponsored by Wesley Thomas Construction and Remodeling, will offer SUP yoga classes as well as guidance on how to become a paddleboard pro, so pack a change of clothes in case you fall in. Saturday’s events culminate with a sunset concert by our YFF musicians. The festival concludes on Sunday with an upbeat vinyasa class followed by a musical meditation that allows you to soak up some serious nature therapy. We then gather at a community table and eat a delicious brunch prepared by Ki’ Mexico – not a bad way to spend a weekend, right? Hope to see ya’ll there!
To purchase tickets
yogafarmfest.com
For those visiting from outside the SBC area, the downtown Hilton has partnered with YFF to offer reduced room rates. The hotel link is noted on the website.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram (for more details).
Festival attendees do not have to be proficient in yoga.