Kula Yoga Fest
Growing Individually and Together.
Mt. Washington Valley’s three-day immersive yoga festival returns this year. Kula Yoga Fest, presented by GOA member Mountain Kula Yoga, is New Hampshire’s premier yoga retreat, offering wellness workshops, a vibrant vendor village, and community connection in North Conway. Combining yoga fundamentals with outdoor recreation, Kula Yoga Fest also offers unique programs like paddle board yoga and guided hikes with meditation practice.
We had the opportunity to sit down with Laura Erickson, Founder of Mountain Kula Yoga and Kula Yoga Fest, to find out what inspired her to start her own studio and build a strong yoga community in the White Mountains.
Kula Fest Founder Laura Erickson at Theater in the Wood, the festival venue
Can you share a bit about your journey with yoga and how you became an instructor and studio owner?
I first started a regular yoga practice 20 years ago while working at the Eastern Mountain Sports headquarters in Peterborough, NH. It wasn’t until the pandemic brought teacher trainings online that I gave any thought to taking one. What I was yearning for was a community of like minded people on a path of personal growth. I was always envisioning the gathering of Kula Yoga Fest, but the studio came first when there was a need within the community for what was Be Well Yoga, to be re-ignited and evolved. In 2021 I had barely finished teacher training when the process of acquiring what was Be Well Yoga turned into what is now Mountain Kula Yoga.
What inspired you to organize Kula Yoga Fest? How does this festival align with your personal philosophy and the mission of your studio?
I first had the idea for a yoga festival in the Mount Washington Valley when I returned to my old stomping grounds in Aspen, CO. When I attended the Lead With Love event in Aspen in 2018, I went into it knowing I wanted to see something like it here. I describe it like a Yoga Festival and a Ted Talk gave birth and it forever changed me. Transformation of lower tendencies to the fullest expression of who you’re meant to be is what Yoga is actually about, not headstands and spandex. The immersion of a festival combined with the beauty of the surroundings, amplifies and deepens the process of transformation. It’s creating a container to make that possible for each individual.
What can attendees expect at Kula Yoga Fest? Can you tell us about the different types of yoga sessions and workshops that you’re most excited about?
People can expect to be inspired, touched, moved and transformed when attending Kula Yoga Fest! All the feels! People could come for the live music Friday night and great local farm to table food, they could go hard in vinyasa & ashtanga yoga classes, or take it easy in a sound bath, a meditation or breath work class. There will be panel discussions with our headliners, a vibrant vendor village, Add on adventures like hiking and Stand Up Paddle Board Yoga, get a chair massage AND…we’ll even have a portable sauna!
Are there any new trends or developments in yoga that you’re excited to incorporate into future festivals?
Trends to incorporate in the future - The great mystery! People are tapping into what the ancient yogis knew thousands of years ago. Healing the mind, body and soul is within anyone's reach, you just have to open up to these practices that were once esoteric, and now sought after in wellness circles around the world.
What has been the most rewarding part of organizing Kula Yoga Fest?
Literally hearing people say that the festival changed their life! There is no better feeling or motivation to keep this party going than that!
Kula Yoga Fest attendees ground themselves during a class at Theater in the Wood in North Conway.
For more information go to www.kulayogafest.com and find the festival on Instagram and Facebook @kulayogafest!