"With 16.5 million Americans practicing some form of yoga... how fortunate that yoga meets us where we are." -- Kaitlin Quistgaard, Editor, Yoga Journal

Thank you to everyone who gave of themselves to make this event happen: Amy Nystrom, Terry Wu, J. Marie Fieger, Midtown Global Market and its Merchants and our Sponsors. It was a hugely successful event with close to 5,000 in attendance. Get ready for next year's Midtown Yoga Festival which will feaure:  "Ahimsa" (the yogic practice of non-violence); Yemaya (The Yoruba spirtiual force behind motherhood, abundance & fertility); and the transformation of Domestic Violence into "Family Peace" and Domestic Harmony! - Gaia Richards, Producer & Organizer, www.mplsyoga.com.

MIDTOWN YOGA FESTIVAL, October 6, 2007 - "No Degree of Separation"

WHAT: The Inaugural Midtown Yoga Festival at the Midtown Global Market.

This event will include over 30 local yoga vendors, various instructional seminars including Bikram Yoga, CorePower Yoga, Spanish Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Yoga of the Orisa, Ashtanga and Kundalini Yoga, Kirtan singing, meditation, cultural entertainment and more! More at Program for Festival Day

FEATURING:

Sharon DuBois - When Sharon was 3 and one half years old, her mother took her to a flea market. With a quarter in her hand she made her way through the isles for the perfect gift for her beloved mother. Though the shiny baubles beckoned, Sharon chose a little Hatha yoga book. She gave it to her mother and that was the beginning of her Yogic practice. Sharon's been teaching since 1997 and last year her company Yogahood put out a yoga dvd. You can check out Yoga First at her website www.Yogahood.com.

Sat Purkh (aka Chiara Huddleston) - Sat Purkh has been singing for as long as she can remember, and she can well remember the weekly 6:00 a.m. meetings with her Sanskrit teacher to learn the letters and sounds of that ancient language. Her journey began and has thus been an infinite quest for the "anahat," or unstruck sound. Sat Purkh has studied with some of the great Sound practitioners of the West such as David Hykes, Shanti Shivani, and Pandit Mukesh Desai, and her presence and words are also influenced by the the Shabd Guru - the sound current in the Sikh tradition. Sat Purkh's music uses sound to move the body, the mind and the breath towards powerful transformative experiences that uplift the individual and serve the soul.

Eric Rivkin - Nationally recognized Live-Foods Health Chef Eric Rivkin inspires and motivates people to build a foundation of sound nutrition principles and the healthiest eating habits with fast, easy, delicious recipes in the new exotic world of living foods. Learn how to prepare gourment recipes quickly, simply, and brushing with unforgettable flavors, nutrition and appearance. Eric founded the Viva La Raw Project, a charitable non-profit organization dedicated to world-wide live-foods education, support, nutrition research, soil remineralization projects, and innovative plantet-healthy ventures.

Annette Williams is affiliated with Ile Orunmila Oshun in Oakland, California. This house was started by Iyanifa Fa'gembola Fatumishe (Luisah Teish) over 20 years ago and provides the Bay Area community with public and private rituals, monthly temple services, and seasonal festivals honoring ancestors and spirit. Annette is also a certified Sivananda Yoga instructor. Named for his teacher, Swami Vishnudevananda brought this lineage of yoga to the west in 1957.

Daniela Maki was born and raised in Mexico City and now resides in Minneapolis Minnesota.She loves to share her passion and the amazing benefits of yoga with others. Spanish Yoga is open to all individuals with or without Spanish knowledge. It is an opportunity for Spanish speakers with limited English to experience the benefits of yoga. And at the same time, individuals with little or no knowledge of Spanish, will have the opportunity to hear and learn Spanish while they experience the joy of yoga.

SPONSORS

MEDIA CONTACTS:

J. Marie Fieger, Nemer Fieger, 952-278-3140 or 612-940-1668 www.nemerfieger.com

Midtown Global Market is an international collection of more than 50 independent and local vendors offering the finest selection of produce, delicacies, prepared foods, grocery items, and unique gifts from around the world, seven days a week. Around every turn, you'll discover unusual and appetizing recipes, unearth a bargain, or chat with local producers. The Midtown Global Market contains the best international diversity South Minneapolis has characterized for decades.