Yogafest Virtual 2020 offers 14 days of classes you don't want to miss

Yogafest Virtual 2020 offers 14 days of classes you don't want to miss
PHOTO: Yogafest Virtual 2020

In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, practically all physical mass events planned for 2020 have been cancelled, shelved or turned virtual.

Even though the number of community cases in Singapore has been steadily low for now, and phase 2 reopening of most businesses starts on June 19, the virus still lingers. As such, large-scale events remain risky.

Yogafest, a yoga festival that was to be held on August 1 and 2, will take place virtually instead, from June 20 (Saturday) to July 3 (Friday). And yes, it falls nicely in line with International Yoga Day on June 21.

Tricia Fok, organiser and founder of Yogafest Virtual 2020, said: “We have made the decision not to hold any physical mass events this year for the health and safety of participants, local and overseas yoga teachers, and the community, until we have entered a state of ‘safe nation’.

"We are excited to bring Yogafest to you virtually in the safety and comfort of your homes.

"We invite you to immerse in this 14-day yoga wellness journey that offers weekday programmes suited for your work-from-home schedules to day-long weekend programmes, for complete beginners to veteran yogis.”

Yogafest Virtual 2020 is the world’s first 14-day festival with 120 classes led by both international and local experts.

The stellar line-up of instructors includes Liv Lo Golding from Singapore, Hiro Landazuri from Los Angeles, US, Fee Zard from Australia, Victor Chau from Hong Kong, and Chris Walker, a London native. More on the instructors later.

Yogafest Virtual 2020 (June 20 to July 3) – Classes

The beauty of a virtual event like this, is that you’ll get the opportunity to try out more classes from the convenience of being at home.

The classes in Yogafest Virtual 2020 are spread out over 14 days (!!), and they all take place at different timings so you could theoretically go for Every. Single. One. Of. Them – like a yoga-thon… Just saying. 

This, compared to a 2-day physical event where you’ll have to plan and prioritise the classes you wish to attend (don’t get us started about the FOMO!) because some may happen concurrently or at too-huge intervals that don’t make sense to your outdoor schedule.

Coupled with the fact that there’s ~zero~ need to worry about what to wear – because you can honestly show up for the live streamed classes in your classy PJs without a bra (the instructor wouldn’t be able to see you, though you might wanna consider these supportive sports bras and insanely stretchy leggings to go further in poses) – virtual events like Yogafest Virtual 2020 are seriously the way to go.

In fact, the homebodies in us wish that virtual events will be the default mode of events, moving forward.

14 days of yoga – How it works

Remember what we said about attending every class? As long as you have the energy and time, it’s possible, because the classes are themed and non-repetitive. 

Classes will be live streamed on yogafest.online, so all you really need is your laptop. And a yoga mat.

Mark your calendar from June 20 to July 3 for 14 days of yoga classes, guys. You might even want to use this chance to clear the leave your HR has been bugging you to.

Morning

Every day kicks off with Breathing Exercises & Meditation with Naomi Huth (@naomi.huth) at 9am, followed by Immunity Booster Yoga in the late morning.

Afternoon

Strength- and endurance-building yoga, such as Energizer Flow, Power to Inversions and Calisthenics Flow, takes place in the early afternoon.

Mid-afternoon, gear up for a 30-minute The World Of Handstands programme by Fizzy (@fizzyoga) – after 14 days of daily practice, you’ll surely get more comfy with being upside down. Heck, you may even learn a trick or two!

After handstands, hop into Yoga Pose of The Day, a 30-minute session led by Laura Bong (@yogalaurab) that zooms in on the benefits, alignment, modifications, variations and transitions of a chosen pose.

Evening

In the evening, wind down with deep stretching sessions such as Yin Yoga For Happy Hips by Stephanie Bovis (@stephaniebovis), and well-being-boosting classes such as Gratitude Journaling Meditative Soundscape, Chakra Sound Meditation and Yin with Crystal Bowls.

Weekend specials

To spice up your weekends, look forward to skill-based classes such as AcroYoga, exciting yoga varieties such as Hip Hop Vinyasa and Bukodon Yoga (traditional yoga with elements of martial arts, calisthenics and animal locomotion), as well as family-friendly sessions such as Kids Yoga.

More about the instructors

Liv Lo Golding (@livlogolding) from Singapore is a double certified, tri-lingual yoga instructor who believes anyone can lead a stronger fitter life.

She developed a voice as an instructor in her personal style – a combination of HIIT, strength training and yoga.

When her weekly classes, workshops, and bootcamps continued to sell out, she knew she needed to reach a larger audience.

She fused her presenting and teaching experience to create FitSphere, an exercise video streaming platform in her own style of yoga using weights and HIIT.

Get acquainted with Liv’s Yoga Basics: Strength with Weights on June 21.

Hailing from Los Angeles, US, Hiro Landazuri (@actionhiro) left a career in medicine to teach yoga.

Hiro fell into yoga in 2002 after searching for a way to alleviate his pain and injuries from running and high-impact sports.

His medical background and understanding of the physiology of the human body spurred him to pursue yoga as a form of healing beyond just building functional strength and flexibility.

He is now sharing his unique approach and dynamic yoga practice worldwide.

Experience Hiro’s signature 60-minute Functional Flow on June 20 and The Art of The Warrior on June 28.

Another yoga sensation to make her appearance is Australian Fee Zard (@life_of_fee). An elite gymnast in her childhood and dancer in her teens, Fee found yoga in her early twenties and was drawn to deepen her practice.

She completed her first training in 2014 and has since developed her own innovative style of yoga combining dance which she calls Flowave.

Armed with a degree in psychology, her teaching is also inspired by how the brain functions, and the mental and emotional impact of yoga.

Connect with Fee at her 60-minute Connection to Core classes on June 21 and 24, Journey to Inversions on June 28, and Power Flow on July 1.

Other regional and local yoga celebrities include Victor Chau (@victorchauyoga), a highly sought-after yoga teacher and mentor from Asia to Europe, Chris Walker (@chris.walker.official), a London native now based in Bali who, after overcoming his insecurities and discovered his sense of self through yoga, helps students find their own personal ‘union’, and local entrepreneurial yogi Jiamin Yang (@jyanyoga) the founder of Jyan Yoga Studio who aims to inspire others through her yoga and acro practice.

View the full instructor line-up here and schedule of classes here.

Tickets to Yogafest Virtual 2020

Priced at $15, each ticket includes 14-day access and three months of on-demand videos of all festival classes.

Buy at https://yogafest.online. 20 per cent of ticket proceeds will be donated to Covid-19 charities.

This article was first published in Shape.

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