April 13, 2013
The 5 elements of earth, wind, fire, water and space were each celebrated through peace, love, yoga, music and nourishment on the sprawling lawn of the NTC Promenade at Liberty Station in Point Loma during the inaugural V Elements Festival held on Saturday, April 6th. It was a gorgeous day filled with yoga classes set to music, and attendees were encouraged to check out artistic vendors, enjoy free massages by Adams Avenue Integrative Health Center, engage in acro yoga demonstrations, and clean off at the Dr. Bronner's foam-blasting All-One-Ark. After a day of refreshing yoga, the sun set and live music took over the grounds. Yes, it was a bit of a "hippie fest", but there is something soothing about just letting go and embracing the moment, and that was the true beauty of V Elements.
Though the festival began with a 9 am yoga class, we meandered on in around 1 pm, just in time to peruse the festival grounds and find a square of grass for our mats. We partook in the class honoring the element of air, with magical gusts of wind appropriately fluttering about under the glistening heat of the sun. We closed our eyes in unison with the other hundred yogis, savoring each moment, while our thoughts danced along with the soothing music. After spending a month doing yoga in a 105 degree room, outdoor yoga is an experience not to be taken for granted.
Afterwards we dabbled in some acro couples yoga, attempting to manage the feats of the seasoned professionals guiding us, while awaiting the gratis massages (which we never received, but c'est la vie). Spirits were high, smiles shared generously, new friends readily made, and a common goal of doing good and feeling good permeated the scene, and we just laid on the grass and took it all in. Though several food trucks were available, we sauntered across the street to Roseville Cozinha for lunch. We picnicked on the lawn just outside of the festival with an AMAZING wood-fired, wild mushroom pizza, restoring our energy for the evening.
Medicine for the People debuted the second phase of the festival, taking to the solar stage at around 6pm, and immediately everyone was united on their feet jiving to their melodic, folky music. Please do take a moment to enjoy a brief clip of a festival baby getting his groove on (below). In the afternoon, Stone Brewing Company set up shop and served festival goers icy cold beers in plastic cups with our names on them for conservation purposes. Being a 'zero waste' event, we got an entertaining source of pride when a Liberty Station maintenance crew showed up to find absolutely nothing to be cleaned.
We gazed on as the festival transitioned from a daytime yoga party to an afternoon music bash, then finally expanded to include the non-hippie (at least in dress) evening music followers and lovers of dub step - a dance party all the while. Glowing hula hoops, fire twirlers and other buskers took to the night, entertaining onlookers. And just as it all began, it all came to an end with no sign of the incredible party that was there.
We hope that the V Elements Festival returns to San Diego for years to come. For more information on the 5 Elements Festival, check out the website and follow on Facebook.
Though the festival began with a 9 am yoga class, we meandered on in around 1 pm, just in time to peruse the festival grounds and find a square of grass for our mats. We partook in the class honoring the element of air, with magical gusts of wind appropriately fluttering about under the glistening heat of the sun. We closed our eyes in unison with the other hundred yogis, savoring each moment, while our thoughts danced along with the soothing music. After spending a month doing yoga in a 105 degree room, outdoor yoga is an experience not to be taken for granted.
Medicine for the People debuted the second phase of the festival, taking to the solar stage at around 6pm, and immediately everyone was united on their feet jiving to their melodic, folky music. Please do take a moment to enjoy a brief clip of a festival baby getting his groove on (below). In the afternoon, Stone Brewing Company set up shop and served festival goers icy cold beers in plastic cups with our names on them for conservation purposes. Being a 'zero waste' event, we got an entertaining source of pride when a Liberty Station maintenance crew showed up to find absolutely nothing to be cleaned. We gazed on as the festival transitioned from a daytime yoga party to an afternoon music bash, then finally expanded to include the non-hippie (at least in dress) evening music followers and lovers of dub step - a dance party all the while. Glowing hula hoops, fire twirlers and other buskers took to the night, entertaining onlookers. And just as it all began, it all came to an end with no sign of the incredible party that was there.
We hope that the V Elements Festival returns to San Diego for years to come. For more information on the 5 Elements Festival, check out the website and follow on Facebook.
