The 5th Annual Newtown Yoga Festival will take place on August 26 from 9am to 4pm at NYA Sports & Fitness in Newtown. Join the celebration featuring world-class yoga instructors, music and a nourishing community. Immerse your body, mind and heart as you dance, connect and transform. Children are welcome and encouraged to join the event’s first yoga camp.

This year’s theme is “Strength in Community”; we are a unified body of individuals, and a group linked by a common belief in the healing benefits of yoga movement, mindfulness and sacred music. The event is a partnership with The Avielle Foundation Spark’s program to build compassion by bringing brain-healthy programs to the Newtown community.

The day begins with an intention-setting meditation to create sacred space, followed by Rock Your Shakti with journey dance or hoop yoga. Relax with tai chi, restorative yoga, reiki or a chair massage. Be encouraged and inspired by teachers Hala Khouri, Todd Norian, Kathryn Templeton and Tao Porchon-Lynch (who just turned 99). Khouri, MA, E-RYT, has been teaching the movement arts for over 20 years. Norian, E-RYT 500, is the founder of Ashaya Yoga, a style focused on precise biomechanical alignment. Templeton, MA, RDT/MT, E500RYT, is an ayurvedic practitioner, a master teacher in the field of drama therapy and a psychotherapist for more than 30 years. Porchon-Lynch, named the “Oldest Yoga Teacher” by Guinness World Records in 2012, shows what is possible and stirs all of us to reach our highest potential regardless of age.

The courtyard also offers the Vendor Village, food, live music and pop-up wellness demonstrations. Goods and services from local artisans include photography, home-made candles, athletic wear, hand-crafted jewelry, essential oils, apparel, accessories and more. The silent auction returns with a large number of items to bid on, including an R&R for two at Kripalu, tickets to Live with Kelly & Ryan, a signed Hunger Games book series, photography, artwork, brewery tours and much more.

A large tent offers shade and is a great place to meet up with friends and have a healthy lunch. Sit by the fountain and rejuvenate. Gather together and raise your vibration to the soulful sounds of a live kirtan band. Take a tour of this green facility. The day ends with a journey of sacred music, bowls and gongs.

Proceeds raised through the event enable programs and workshops to be provided free of charge to the community, such as the Foundations of Mindfulness classes and other grassroots efforts. The suggested donation is $30, or $35 at the door, to attend the community classes with Newtown Yoga Festival’s yoga teachers.

The festival has been designed to promote positive well-being, health and community. Yoga, by promoting movement and mindfulness, has been proven effective in reducing stress and depression and is a valuable mechanism for coping with physical and emotional trauma. The Newtown Yoga Festival honors this ideal. The festival is honored to now be a part of The Avielle Foundation’s Spark Program. The Avielle Foundation (AvielleFoundation.org), a local nonprofit, was started by the parents of Avielle Richman, who was one of the 20 first graders killed in the 2012 Sand Hook Elementary School shootings. Dr. Jeremy Richman, Avielle’s father and the foundation’s director, works as a neuro-scientist. The mission of The Avielle Foundation is to prevent violence and build compassion in communities by fostering brain science research, community engagement and education.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit NewtownYogaFestival.org. Location: NYA Sports & Fitness, 4 Primrose St, Newtown. See ad, page 25.