54
november/december 2017yogajournal.com.auWe chat toByron Spirit Festivalfounder
Alex Grant about the trials and tribulations of
putting together a yoga event, and the best
ways to prepare for yoga festival season.
SOARS
AYJ - How long have you been
putting together the Byron Spirit
Festival? What was your journey to
creating events and how has the
festival evolved over the years?
A - The Byron Spirit Festival is entering
its sixth year! I had been developing
http://www.findyoga.com.au since 2003 and
wanted to bring the yoga community
together for real, and not just virtually.
Kate Little (my business partner) and Ifelt that Australia needed a gathering for
the yoga community to come together
and, living in Byron Shire, it felt like the
perfect place. Finding a venue was not so
easy as we needed a place where more
than 500 yogis can practice and stay out
of the elements. We settled on
Mullumbimby, at locations throughout
the town. It has served us well for the
past five years but we have decided to
move to our namesake Byron Bay.The 2018 event, to be held 20-22 April,
will be located in Byron at both the
Cavanbah Centre and the New Elements
Resort in the Arts and Industrial Estate.
We feel that the event is ready to be
taken to the next level and having a
central location will be very beneficial.
The Cavanbah Centre is central and has
a large capacity, while Elements is
stunning, being directly on the beach.
We are excited to incorporate many of
the treasures that Byron Bay has to offer
such as the amazing landscape as well as
world-class yoga teachers and studios.AYJ - How do you choose what
teachers and sessions to feature on
the program?
A - We aim to combine local, national
and international teachers. We try to
choose teachers from a diverse
background and not focus on any one
style. We normally choose about 50% of
our teachers from who we know in
the community and then another 50%
normally come from applications via our
website, which is open now. Kate and I
go through the applications and try to
craft a very special lineup each year.AYJ - What advice would you give
to someone preparing to go to his
or her first yoga festival?
A - Be open-minded and try something
new. Many times, people have their
favourite teachers and styles, but often
the teachers that we are not immediately
drawn to can offer us the best options for
our personal journeys. Also, bring your
own yoga mat and wear some cosmic
tights! AYJ - Apart from Byron Spirit, do
you have any favourite yoga/
spiritual events?
A - I love our sister festival, the Bali
Spirit Festival. I try to go each year to
connect with the tribe and find inspiring
presenters who would be a good fit for
the Byron Festival. I also love Burning
Man, it helps me remember the
impermanent nature of all and how to
practice immediacy, being in the present
moment, which is one of the 10 key
beliefs of the festival. I am also involved
with Beloved Festival in Oregon. It is
where I would like to take the Byron
Spirit Festival eventually. It evokes a
feeling of co-created love and
celebration!