Rhode Island Yoga Festival
"After over 6 years of thought and planning, I wanted to create an annual event celebrating the RI yoga community and its many offerings. Having found yoga many years ago during stressful times, it proved to be a source of healing, empowerment and grounding. With so many branches of yoga and meditation to choose from, it can be overwhelming to know what to try and where to start. Having experienced many different yoga traditions, I see how they all ultimately lead to similar places – places of peace, mental health, physical health and awareness.
All of the classes and teachers at this year’s festival have been selected to show the diversity of yoga in our tiny state. It’s an opportunity to try new methods, or revisit a teacher you have not seen in a while. It’s a building block for the area’s yoga community, its teachers, practitioners and businesses. My vision is to grow with each year, saying hello to new students but also to see familiar faces, and continue to offer even more diversity in class offerings. I am proud to not only bring 8 different yoga styles to this festival, but also kirtan, a gong bath and a walking meditation.
Yoga is not about competition or being the best. It’s about being comfortable with where you are now, opening yourself up to awareness and growing within. My hope is that this festival can help you find your yoga path, and open your body and mind to the countless offerings in RI and nearby Mass."
Chris Belanger, Festival's Creator
Chris is a Kripalu certified yoga teacher. He is also trained in Yoga Nidra, Lakshmi Voelker, Chair Yoga and Laughter Yoga. He offers public classes at The Village Wellness Center in Warwick, in addition to other public/private classes at area senior centers, studios and businesses.
