Sonic Bloom : How Yoga is Changing the Way We Experience Music Festivals | By Lexi Reich

The yin and the yang, the calm and the fire, the light and the dark, the contrary forces that form a harmonious union existing within each and every one of us. Electronic music festivals are known to be the yang: the vibrancy, the vitality, the bold, expressive movements. But Sonic Bloom, held last weekend in Rye, Colorado at Hummingbird Ranch, is not just another one of those music festivals — it an experience of not only music, but art, yoga, connection and unity. The festival’s mantra: embrace the magic of this unified field.

Yoga is appearing on more and more music festival lineups today. Can our downward dogs change the way we experience a new era of music? Embracing a healthy mind space amongst the wildness of EDM offers a balance that truly makes the whole experience more enjoyable. It’s the convergence of these two seemingly opposing forces that exemplifies the harmony that surfaces when we balance the party with the internal quiet.

It’s the convergence of these two seemingly opposing forces that exemplifies the harmony that surfaces when we balance the party with the internal quiet.

For me, a weekend at Sonic Bloom offered fire healing and cacao ceremonies, mystic yoga energy and yoga nidra classes, plus workshops on eco design embodiment, relationships, off-grid basics and edible plant walks. You could fill your whole day flowing with the elements and educating yourself on permaculture, and by night let loose with DJs like Yheti and Gramatik.

“You could dance all night, wake up slow, meander from your campsite to a workshop, and drop into a space curated for depth and release to be gently accessible, before rising up in energy again once the sun set for that day,” says Caroline Ann, who led a yin yoga class on the first day of the festival, also the Summer Solstice and International Day of Yoga.

Electronic music festivals are exciting and exhausting, and creating space for attendees to listen to their hearts and bodies in a yoga class or workshop is a sustainable, healthy way to participate in rave culture.

“Sonic Bloom has inspired me so much to be who I am today,” said artist Godlazer at the festival press conference. He mentioned how the openness and acceptance he experiences at the festival year after year continues to shape his musical career for the better.

Photos by Lexi Reich.