On June 22, the fifth annual Groove Festival brought participants and yoga teachers from around the province to Sydenham, offering yogis a weekend to reconnect with themselves near Sydenham Lake.
Participant and volunteer Marie Leung, meanwhile, says she finds meaning in “the meditation aspect of it, the sense of calm that it brings you” for continuing her practice in yoga.
Liz Huntly, co-organizer of the festival, agrees. “We live in such a crazy, fast paced world,” Huntly said. “We have a lot of technology which might be convenient for us, but it’s not so helpful for the way we are interacting with the world.”
The festival brings together different styles and levels of ability, so there is something for everyone. And while many see yoga as just a physical workout, Huntly says it’s so much more.
“Yoga really encourages you to look very closely at things and to slow down so that you can look more carefully, and to pay attention to your breathing,” Huntly said. “So unlike other physical things we might call sports, there is much more emphasis on breath, and to connect with our breath which makes us more aware of what’s happening right now in this moment.”
Leung agrees. “Whenever you do a yoga practice, whether it’s with a new yoga teacher or a practice that you do on your own, you always just feel at home in your body,” she said.
The Groove Festival runs until Sunday evening.
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