Bhaktifest 2010, Sept. 9-12, Joshua Tree, CA

[Kirtanman]

http://www.bhaktifest.com/

Or, as it is unofficially being called (by me, @ least ..... starting Now ....)


Kirtanapalooza



(for anyone who might not catch the reference .... that's a play on the name "Lollapalooza", one of the U.S.'s bigger annual music festivals)

Bhaktifest will be held in the beautiful California desert (yes, California has one .... BIG one, in fact ......) ... a couple of hours or so east of Los Angeles, in/near the Joshua Tree National Forest.

And it's kinda-sorta by FAR the biggest bhakti-centric/American-kirtan ...gathering ..... ever.

By a LOT.

About Bhaktifest 2010

"Bhakti Fest is a four day music festival celebrating devotion through chanting, yoga, meditation and community.

All of our presenters embody the spirit of Bhakti - deep devotion.  

We gather on 450 acres of inspiring desert land to express our love and devotion as one community through an enchanting array of activities, including:

    * Constant Kirtan Concerts (over 85 continuous hours)
    * Yoga Classes
    * Private and Group Meditation
    * Vegetarian, Vegan, and Raw Vegan Cuisine
    * Fire Ceremonies (Pujas)
    * Hanuman Chalisas
    * Eco-Friendly Vendor Village
    * Camping, Cottages and Cabin Accommodations
    * Wellness Sanctuary: with massage, reiki, channeling, and other unique healing sessions.
    * In addition, a substantial portion of the festival's proceeds are donated to charitable organizations."

And to give you an idea of how major this festival is .... the current roster of Kirtan Artists includes:

Krishna Das
Jai Uttal
Deva Premal & Miten
Shyamdas
Bhagavan Das
Dave Stringer
Donna De Lory
Wah!
Jaya Lakshmi
Steve Ross
Gina Salá
Shantala
DASI Karnamrita
David Newman (Durga Das) & Mira
MC Yogi
Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits
Arjun Baba
Sean Johnson & The Wild Lotus Band  
Govindas and Radha
Saul David Raye
Amritakripa
Wade Imre Morissette
Girish
Masood Ali Khan

Suzanne Sterling
Joey Lugassy
Tony Khalife
Mukti
Michael Cohen
Zat Baraka
Geoffrey Gordon
Temple Bhajan Band

Swami Nirvanananda
Prema Hara
Wynne Paris

Steve Gold
Simrit Kaur
Craig Kohland
Jagadeesh

C.C. White
Babukishan Das Baul (from Bauls of Bengal)
Montino Bourbon
Chris Morro
Ullas Fowler
Larisa Stow & Shakti Tribe
Sat Jot Singh
Steve Gorn
Yofiyah - Kabbalah Kirtan

Damien Rose
Anjula
Dashama (fire dancer)
Andrew Zenoff
Chaytanya
Daniel Stewart
The Mayapuris
Krishna's Kirtan
Kirtaniyas
Jah Rama

**

The names in bold are the kirtan artists who I know/know of ..... and so, the list above basically represents all of the major American kirtan artists, some of the slightly less than major .... and quite a few even *I* haven't heard of!!



*Aaaaand* ...... they have a bunch of confirmed speakers/presenters/workshops set-up ...... some of whom are "fairly major" as well, as least in the "Yoga World" ....... (and including Nandhi, a name most of us recognize from this forum/in connection w/AYP).



SPEAKERS CONFIRMED FOR BHAKTIFEST 2010

Ram Dass- Special DVD Message to Bhakti Fest '10 participants

Paul Stamets-"Solutions from Nature," How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World

Shyamdas- "Puja", The Art of Devotion (3-day course)

Radhanath Swami- "'Journey Home"

Shiva Rea- "Yoga Trance Dance" and "Shiva-Shakti," Embodying the Sacred Sensual Masculine/Feminine

Herbal Ed Smith- "Tantric Herbalism", Optimizing Sexual Health, Performance and Pleasure with Herbs

 David Crow- "In the Garden of the Medicine Buddha," A Visionary and Poetic Synthesis of Medicine, Ecology, and Spirituality and "Aromatic Alchemy and Pranic Botanical Intelligence"

 Dawn Cartwright- "Endless Love: Tantra and Bhakti," Unfolding and Transforming with the Mysterious Experience We Call Love

 Sam Geppi- "Vedic Cosmology: 2012 and Navigating the New Paradigm," Ancient Wisdom for these Transitional Times

Prem Prayojan- "Yoga Psychology," An Exploration of Consciousness Through the Teachings of the Ancient Masters, and "Vraja Bhakti Rasa," Exploring the Flavors of Divine Love

 Howard Wills- "Devotion: Expanding into Alignment with the Light," An Ecstatic Experiential Gathering

Mirabai Devi- "Healing the Heart," Opening to Divine Love

 Suzanne Sterling- "Yoga of Sound and Singing," Awakening the Subtle Energy Body Through Sound and Mantra

 Tess Yong- "'Ki Sensual Dance", Awakening and Exploring Your Innate Sensual Nature (Women Only)

Lorin Roche- "The Radiance Sutras", 112 Tantra Yoga Practices for Opening to the Divine in Everyday Life

David Eliott- "Breathwork Workshop"

Adam Gainsburg- "Love Everywhere: The Deep Meditation," An Elegantly Powerful Body-Breath Meditation

Manoj Chalam- "The Spiritual Significance of Hindu Deities"

Nandhi- "Aligning Source With Realities as 'Siddhi'," Embodying Spirit

Leanne Whitney- "A Dialogue of Devotion and Divinity"

Gina Salá- "River of Sound and the Fire of Devotion," Tantra, Mantra, and Nada Yoga

Katrina Blair- "Wild Edible Survival Foods," The Common Wild Edible Plants Growing Across the Globe

Micheline Berry, Craig Kohland, and Shaman's Dream- "Rock the Shakti," A Live Music Vinyasa Flow Yoga Journey

 Padmini Bergman and Brian Kutza- "Alchemical Meditation and Breath Transformation"

Josh Brill- "'Tuning In' to Spanda and Mantra", The Tantra of Sound and Vibration

Dreaming Bear- "Dreaming A Sustainable and Sacred New Earth"

 Anandra George- "Sanskrit Mantras for Common Practical Concerns", Receive the Tools to Unwrap the Ancient Power of Mantra in Your Life

Marla Leigh- "Sufi-Inspired Drumming Ritual"

Nubia Teixeira- "Bhakti Dance"

The Baietto Brothers- "The INNERGIZER," Optimizing Your Health from the Inside Out
**

But what's it REALLY gonna be like??

Like *THIS* ...... VIDEO: Bhaktifest 2010.

Am I gonna be there?

Let's put it this way: does ANYONE who knows me, even a little, think there's ANY possibility I could *not* be there??



(I'll be there ........... AUM Namah Shivaya will I be there!!)



Wholeheartedly,

Kirtanman




PS- For those of us who've been to kirtans, or yoga events, you may have some idea concerning what to imagine. But even for those of us who've been to quite a few such events, this one promises to be a bit different .... in ways we may well NOT imagine.

Like, well, THIS sort of thing, for instance.



During the daytime, of course, it's much different, of course.

(During the daytime ..... it's not dark. )

And .. since it's a four-day festival .... there's time to relax, to chant, to do some yoga, to meditate, to connect with other yogis and yoginis, and overall to simply open our Heart All The Way and (as Donna Delory sings in this *Awesome* new version of her most famous chant He Ma Durga from Bhaktifest 2009) .... Let It Be.




And in closing .... here's a clip from the closing ceremony from Bhaktifest 2009.

Jaya Jaya Shiva Shambo!!

[CarsonZi]

Man, I really really REALLY wish I could go to this one!  But with having a new baby only a few months old at that time, as well as having already taken my whole years worth of vacation time (at the time of Baby's arrival) this won't be an option for me.  Bust a lung for me at this Kirtanman!

Love!