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April 2010
Namaste,
It is the Center for Spiritual Studies’ profound pleasure to welcome you to Into the Bhakti, Into the Bhav! This monthly newsletter is a virtual love offering from the Center for Spiritual Studies (CSS), the non-profit organization responsible for Bhakti Fest. In 2009, Bhakti Fest attracted close to 2,500 people. This powerful convergence in the festival's first year fulfilled the dream of CSS to create a gathering of spiritually like-minded people from around the world to immerse themselves in the bhav of devotion, love and compassion.
Into the Bhakti, Into the Bhav! aims to keep you informed on the road to the festival. From now until September, we will be hosting gatherings featuring performances with Jai Uttal, Dave Stringer, Steve Gold, C.C. White, Saul David Raye, Donna De Lory, Sean Johnson & the Wild Lotus Band, and many, many more. We will also be profiling our generous sponsors and vendors as they come on to support the Festival.
Because we strongly believe in the continuous flow of goodwill and service, a portion of the proceeds from Bhakti Fest, and all the proceeds from our pre-Bhakti Fest gatherings, will be donated to our chosen charities.
Bhakti Fest and CSS are patrons of kirtan and yogic arts. We invite you to join us for Bhakti Fest 2010. Please stay tuned for an updated schedule. In loving service,
Center for Spiritual Studies
Creators of Bhakti Fest
    
Bhakti Fest 2010 will feature over 85 hours of kirtan, 44 hours of lectures, and 50 hours of yoga. Watch now
 Krishna Das
Krishna Das will be igniting Bhakti Fest's mainstage on Saturday, September 11, 8-11pm. This seasoned kirtan wallah has been heralded "the chant master of American yoga" by the New York Times. His latest release, "Chants of a Lifetime," is a book and CD compilation that empowers the listener to develop a deeper connection to his or her own chanting practice. He will be touring with fellow Bhakti Fest headliners Deva Premal & Miten from March 24-April 15.
Los Angeles Times feature on Krishna Das and kirtan - March 25, 2010
 DASI Karnamrita
Acclaimed as one of the most beautiful voices in the Vaishnava tradition, DASI Karnamrita is an immensely talented vocalist and teacher of Bhakti Yoga. She has been delighting audiences around the world since the release of her album "DASI: Prayers by Women." Raised in an ashram community in the United States, she has sung bhajans and kirtans since early childhood. At age 24, she began formal classical training, the ancient and rigorous art known as Dhrupad. Her singing and music combine vibrations and the art of sound into a rare and deep transformative style.
 Sianna Sherman
Sianna Sherman is an internationally recognized Anusara Yoga teacher who delights in sharing these teachings with poetry, stories and expressive insight. Yoga Journal has described her as "a captivating storyteller whose inspiring and heartfelt teachings have garnered a faithful audience." She will be blending asana, yogic philosophy and love into her creative and soulful classes at Bhakti Fest 2010.
 Mark Whitwell
Mark Whitwell's foremost interest is in developing an authentic yoga practice for the individual based on the teachings of T. Krishnamacharya and his son, TKV Desikachar, with whom Mark enjoyed a relationship for more than twenty years. In April, Mark will be guiding yoga classes during an intimate group tour through India, as part of Bhakti Fest's sacred pilgrimage to the Kumbha Mela in Haridwar. Mark will also be leading yoga classes at Bhakti Fest with the focused intention of applying the profound passion and relevance of ancient wisdom to contemporary life.
 Bhakti Yoga Shala
Bhakti Yoga Shala is a donation-based yoga studio and kirtan venue in the heart of Santa Monica, CA. It was founded by Govindas and Radha, a husband and wife duo of Bhakti yogis, kirtan musicians, and as their spiritual names suggest, “servants to the divine.”
From early morning to late evening, students of all levels are welcomed into the studio’s myriad of heart-centered yoga classes. Friday through Sunday nights, Bhakti Yoga Shala hosts some of the nation’s most celebrated touring and local kirtan wallahs, including Bhagavan Das, Jai Uttal, and Dave Stringer.
Bhakti Yoga is one of Bhakti Fest’s studio sponsors, and will be hosting a pre-Bhakti Fest gathering on Saturday August 14th!
Bhakti Fest is presented by the Center for Spiritual Studies, a non-profit organization. In addition to spreading unification and love on the planet through kirtan and yoga, the funds raised from Bhakti Fest are redistributed to those in need through major international charities.
 Mercy Corps - After the violent earthquake in Haiti, Mercy Corps partnered with thousands of earthquake victims to clean, revitalize and strengthen their shattered communities. Since January, Bhakti Fest has been raising funds to support this organization's critical work. Bhakti Fest will be donating a portion of proceeds from the festival to this and many other charitable organizations.
Find out more about our chosen charities
   
 Bhakti Fest 2010 is grateful to Coconut Bliss for their generous Lakshmi sponsorship. We are proud to be supported by this Earth-friendly, socially-responsible vegan ice cream company.
A message from Jaya Lakshmi, the Bhakti Fest representative for Coconut Bliss:
"We are honored that Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss will be a returning Bhakti Fest sponsor for 2010. We are a Eugene, Oregon, based company that has grown phenomenally since we first started offering vegan coconut milk ice cream in 2005. We're pleased and grateful that Coconut Bliss is now available all over the US, and in Canada, too!
We love to support kirtan, sacred music and yoga in every way possible, for we see these practices playing a significant role in the evolution of consciousness currently underway on planet Earth. What could be more exciting than to be a part of humanity awakening to its true potential to live in divine harmony and love with all creation?!" Read full message
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