Love♡Shine♡Play Festival 2024

Join celebrated teacher, author and musician MC YOGI for a unique yoga and music immersion. This experience will include a joyful vinyasa practice, deep meditation and guided relaxation. After the class, enjoy an intimate performance featuring the lyrically gifted and spiritually uplifting music of MC YOGI & DJ DREZ. Guaranteed to be an inspiring, engaging and transformative way to start the festival together!  

By the time (or even before) we reach mid-life, most of us will have some physical issues that can feel like real limitations. This can cause us to feel disheartened or discouraged about our bodies and pull back from our yoga practice or other exercise programs.

Now 65 years of age, Desirée has been refining her practice and teaching since the late 1980’s. She has learned from both her own and her students' experiences how to dynamically practice yoga in a way that respects limitations while continuing to explore potential.

What we need are equal parts of willingness and curiosity. Desirée continues her studies with Physical Therapists and other movement professionals in order to stay informed so she can help students work skillfully with whatever they have going on at the moment.

Growing older gracefully is definitely not for sissies as the body and mind are deeply interconnected. Come and find out how Wisdom Warriors play the Game of Life. Bring a yoga strap and a block.

Embark on an unforgettable wellness journey through Asheville, NC!

A full day of exploration & rejuvenation as you pedal through the scenic landscapes of Asheville on Flying Bikes Pedego E-bikes. We'll stop at some of Asheville's most iconic wellness havens. Surround yourself with the tranquility of nature, revitalize your spirit, and leave feeling balanced, refreshed, and empowered.

Indulge in a series of pampering experiences including:

• A full-day guided tour on Asheville Flying Bikes Pedego E-Bikes led by Kim Drye.
• a 30-minute Sound healing with Billy Zanski inside his music room with padded mats, cushions & blankets.
• a 45-minute Guided Nidra Meditation inside the Asheville Salt Cave surrounded by 30 tons of pure pink salt.
• 2 hours of rejuvenating cold plunge and wood-fired hot sauna therapy, surrounded by nature at Drip Sauna.
• A fresh nourishing meal to revitalize your body and soul.


No biking experience is necessary, however, it is suggested that you have some biking experience and are comfortable riding on roads, sidewalks, and bike paths. Part of this tour will take you through downtown Asheville which can be busy with cars and pedestrians. We will do our best to use side streets but please keep this in mind when determining your comfort level.

What to bring:
• A small backpack to hold all of your items. The bikes have some storage but not much.
• Wear comfortable clothes and closed-toe shoes. Bring layers!
• Rain gear if the forecast calls for light rain. one-size-fits-all ponchos and a shoebox-sized bike bag with a waterproof cover provided.
• A phone or camera.
• Sunscreen and/or sunglasses.
• Helmets provided, fresh spring water available for filling water bottles ponchos, and state-of-the-art electric bikes!
• Restrooms are available at each location.
• A swimsuit to enter the sauna or cold plunge (towels and soap will be provided). Flip flops and a coverup are optional.
• Consult your healthcare provider before using these facilities, especially if you are pregnant, have cardiovascular issues, or any other serious health conditions.
• Salt Cave FAQ can be found on their website: ashevillesaltcave.com.


This event requires a special ticket, please purchase a Joy-Ride Add On ticket here to add this to your schedule.

Guided by the experts from Blue Ridge Hiking Company, join us for a full day hike to John Rock, one of our favorite hikes to see a wide range of what the Blue Ridge Mountains have to offer - fantastic views, creekside hiking, and waterfalls. This is a moderately difficult 5-mile loop hike with 1,300ft of elevation gain. Some sections of this hike are narrow and on rocky/rooty trails, so participants should have a some previous hiking experience, but no technical skills are necessary. Your lunch break will be atop John Rock, with views of Looking Glass Rock and the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is a favorite of guides and locals alike!

The John Rock Loop meanders along the Davidson River, climbs to fantastic views of Looking Glass Rock and the Great Balsams, and passes Cedar Rock Falls and Upper Cedar Rock Falls. It’s a win-win! This hike begins from the parking lot of the (now closed) Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, which suffered substantial damage during Hurricane Fred in 2021. You'll begin your hike on the side of the parking lot farthest from the building on the Cat Gap Loop Trail, the trail stays along the river for about 1 mile before beginning the climb up John Rock.

Around 2 miles in, there’s a short trail to the right which goes out to the rock outcropping for excellent views and a great spot to take a break. Once you continue hiking, you'll climb a short distance farther to the summit of John Rock before beginning your descent. About a mile before the end, you’ll pass the two waterfalls, taking a short side trail to the base of Cedar Rock Falls. This hike is a guide favorite every season, and after completing this hike, it's easy to see why!

Participants joining our hike should wear comfortable clothing (ideally hiking or athletic clothing) and shoes with good tread. We encourage hikers to pack an additional warm layer and a rain jacket year round - weather in the mountains can change quickly and it is important to be prepared. Hikers should pack 2 liters of water per person and any snacks they'd like (other than lunch). Hike itinerary may change based on weather, road or trail conditions, or participants needs and abilities.

This event requires a special ticket, please purchase a Thursday John Rock Hike ticket here to add this to your schedule. 

It could not be a more fitting time to focus on building our resilience.

We will delve deep into the art of building a strong pranic (energy) body and cultivating resilience. Through practice, devotion, and commitment, we'll explore how yoga can help us find balance and inner strength, for whatever life's challenges come our way.

Throughout this immersive experience, we'll focus on nine key themes that actively support resilience in our entire being:

• Gratitude
• Conscious Consumption
• Nature
• New Pathways
• Curiosity
• Purpose & Meaning
• Relationship
• Service
• Doing Hard Sh*t

Through a combination of yoga postures, breathing techniques, meditation, and introspective exercises, you'll learn how to harness the power of these themes to enhance your resilience and overall well-being. Whether you're new to yoga or an experienced practitioner or teacher, this workshop offers a supportive environment for your journey to return to your strength, flexibility, and inner balance.

This immersion is for those that want an intimate experience with the aerial hammock as well as those that have an interest in meeting their next best friend (Hammock and/or Human). If you want to learn about yourself and how you move in the world this is the place for you. If aerial yoga is the movement practice you want to know more about, join me.

What if your life and all Earth life depends on the way you move physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually? What if choosing to become Somatically and Soul aware is the greatest gift you can give yourself and our planet? What if your life matters more than you can imagine, in these uncertain times?

At this moment within our ecological and cultural time, finding beauty and joy can be elusive. What type of practice, and in this case movement, will make a difference during times of challenge and times of peace? Join me for some play and some reflection.

This immersion into Radical Movement (your unique authentic movement) and Radical Joy (your enduring radiance) begins to explore these questions and more as we move together. When you move we move. When you move we may begin to discover together, what type of movement is possible in and out of the aerial yoga hammock.

The aerial hammock primes your awareness through somatic movement in play, heart openness, twisting, inverting perception, and cocoon-like holding. Guided aerial yoga postures and other prompts will bring awareness to the ways your unique authentic movement informs the choices you make at a personal level, within your community, and in the world at large.

Pairing the aerial hammock with your unique and authentic movement is sure to reveal the gifts we all need in uncertain times. Pairing hammock movement with reflection and imagination exercises we will write, draw, and express the gifts we all need in uncertain times. While we may walk away from this immersion with more questions than answers, consider becoming a seed that renews and rejoices in a life that matters and in lives that matter. Come ready to move, to explore, to be in community.

Are you the one that will attend?
Building partnership happens as we move together.
Join me in building personal awareness.
Join me in building community.
If community regenerates you, find yourself here.

I can’t wait to meet you!

Style: Aerial Yoga that is Hatha Informed w/ Guided Imagination & Dialogue

A note about Class Space and Configuration:

Because this practice is unique in its approach and set up, I’m inviting you to participate within an individual and partnered setting. With one anchor as a common rigging framework, I’ll be adding a second anchor point to accommodate another person. Each rig will support two participants. The mobile aerial rigs are designed to accommodate up to 1,000 lbs of dynamic weight load which means you and your fellow yogi/yogini will feel supported in this two anchor configuration. Each person will have their own aerial hammock. For inversions and other suspended postures each person will take turns in their hammock to ensure safety.

No aerial yoga or yoga experience is necessary to participate in this immersion.

If you enroll in this immersion additional information will be provided prior to our gathering about the way of the aerial yoga hammock, what to wear, what to prepare for and what to expect.

Have questions?? Reach out to me personally at tanya@blueplanetlivininginsitute.org.

Peace...breathe...be… Festival energy can be exhilarating, but can also leave us feeling ungrounded. Start your weekend with your feet rooted on the Earth. We will begin the evening with a meditative sunset hike, treading silently through the woods and towards a beautiful mountain bald. So often we look outward for the answers and forget that sometimes all it takes is the sound of silence.

As the sun sets in the night sky, gentle lunar energy, combined with poetry and guided meditation, will help us to practice the intention of letting go of what no longer serves us. We’ll sip in the moments and, finally, will hike down with new friends under the light of the moon.

Transportation will be provided by the LSP shuttle. Pick-up is at 6:00pm in downtown Asheville at the shuttle pick up near Mountain Air Market, see festival map. If you miss the shuttle, you are responsible for your own transportation. The shuttle will return the group to Asheville by 9:00pm.

This event requires a special ticket, please purchase The Light Within Sunset Hike ticket to add this to your schedule.

"A joy to listen to for anyone who appreciates wildly creative music." - Yoga Journal

"A hybrid of East and West that will bring joy to your heart and get your body boogieing." - Yoga Chicago

We warmly welcome you to The Love Shine Play Festival with a night of interactive, soul-stirring music with Seán Johnson & The Wild Lotus Band live at The Ayurprana Listening Room. Experience heart-expanding ancient mantras, given new voice through dynamic songs that merge conscious lyrics and New Orleans roots, rock, gospel, and world grooves.

The band includes Seán (vocals and harmonium); Alvin Young (6 string fretless bass & guitar); Gwendolyn Colman (percussion & vocals); Narada Wise (drums) and multi-instrumentalist Chris Rosser.

The concert will be held at The Ayurprana Listening Room at 12 Haywood Rd, Asheville, NC 28806

This event requires an additional ticket. Please purchase a Kick-Off Kirtan ticket here to add this to your schedule.