A few years ago I was the quintessential couch potato.
Weekends were spent on Netflix marathons and various bowls of salty snacks. The words ‘exercise,’ ‘yoga’ or ‘meditation’ were not even in my vocabulary. Back in those days I would’ve never imagined that one day I would be attending The Yoga Expo in Fort Lauderdale, not just as a student but as a yoga teacher.
This weekend – On April 16, 2016– the much anticipated The Yoga Expo hits Fort Lauderdale. I am excited to be teaching Gentle Yoga for Beginners at 11:10 am in room 318. The class will be all inclusive- open to everyone on (or not yet on) the yoga path.
The Expo is in alignment with my soul mission: to spread love and light while teaching others the amazing practice of yoga. I want to show others that you can go from couch potato to yoga instructor. What is takes is dedication to your practice and honoring yourself exactly as you are.
Kyle Michaud, president and founder of The Yoga Expo and other events in South Florida including Green Planet Festival, Women Empower Expo, and Vegfest (coming in December), came up with the idea for The Expo after his own personal yoga journey.
He had completed a four month yoga teacher training immersion and was back in South Florida. “I saw a need to connect local teachers with students,” he says. “For example if you’re a student in Davie and you wanted to try a yoga teacher in Miami it can be a daunting task.” Michaud says he hopes the Expo can give students a taste of all the great yoga teachers from across South Florida at an affordable price. Tickets are only $25 for full day access.
Kyle Michaud, founder of The Yoga Expo
The Expo is a great opportunity for yoga teachers- new and well-known. “At any given time there will be 13 classes going on at once,” says Michaud. “Each room can accommodate 400 people so we are giving yoga teachers the chance to showcase their unique styles to a large audience. Most teachers are used to teaching to a class of 30 students so this will be something big.”
In the Marketplace in the Florida ballroom, there will be over 130 vendors ranging from vegan food and yoga mats, to essential oils and cold pressed juices. Live music and sound healing will be played in the marketplace all day. As a vegetarian and animal-lover I’m particularly excited to check out the talks on veganism and the raw food cooking demonstration.
In addition, there will also be over 100 yoga classes with everything ranging from meditation to chakras to vinyasa. Some of South Florida’s top yoga instructors will be sharing their knowledge and over 10,000 people are set to attend.
I would be remiss if I didn’t shout out some of my favorite yoga teachers and the people who inspired me along the way. Check out Terri Cooper’s class at 12:10pm. She’s such an amazing healer. Other great teachers are Derek Waddy, Leslie Glickman and Rina Lichtinger. (My two favorites Moses Love and Zayna de Gaia will be in attendance but not teaching).
The Yoga Expo is being offered in cities across the country with the next stop in Santa Clara, California. The first Yoga Expo is Los Angeles gathered a crowd of 11,000 yogis. “It was very well received,” says Michaud.
See you on the mat!
The Yoga Expo will start 10 a.m. Saturday, April 16, at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center, 1950 Eisenhower Blvd., in Fort Lauderdale. Tickets cost $25, but you can purchase a ticket from me for $25. Children 12 and under are free. Go to TheYogaExpo.org.
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