Tadasana Festival of Yoga & Music Scheduled for Earth Day Weekend

Celebrate Earth Day this weekend in Santa Monica, Calif., at an alternative to Coachella that won’t leave your ears ringing and energy zapped.

Mat men and women looking for an alternative to Coachella Round 2 as a way of celebrating Earth Day this weekend have a pretty amazing opportunity: The Tadasana Festival of Yoga & Music.

Scheduled for Earth Day  weekend Friday April 20 – Sunday, April 22 on the beach in Santa Monica, Calif., the celebration includes everything from yoga classes to musical performances featuring high-profile teachers and musicians including Shiva Rea, Bryan Kest and Karsh Kale. Other names participating in the even include brands such as Subaru, Yogaworks, Gaiam TV, Kevita and Namaste Interactive, who will be hosting tents offering classes taught by some of  yoga’s most high-profile teachers. Participants can practice their downward dogs and other poses to a soundtrack of live musical performances by world music stars including tabla master, Karsh Kale, Malian guitar virtuoso Vieux Farka Touré, Israeli superstar Idan Raichel, global groove DJ, Cheb I Sabbah, Grammy-nominated Kirtan leader, Jai Uttal, and many more.

Tadasana Festival of Yoga & Music Highlights include:

Speaker Series: In addition to yoga classes, Tadasana features a speaker series produced by The Daily Love to include thought leaders in spirituality, personal transformation and sustainability such as Barbara Marx Hubbard, Mariel Hemingway, Mallika Chopra and Chris Paine. Facebook phenom Positively Positive will also host a panel of women who have overcome extraordinary challenges moderated by five-time Emmy winner, Giselle Fernandez.

Musical Performances: In the evenings, Tadasana musicians will be playing at a variety of venues around Santa Monica, encouraging everyone to come out and get their chakras moving to rhythmic sounds with global influences.  The highlight of the evening events will be The Sounds of Tadasana Concert, taking place April 21st at the Santa Monica Bay Woman’s Club where Karsh Kale and Cheb I Sabbah will take attendees on a beat-heavy sonic journey.

Off The Mat: On Saturday, April 21st, The Yogaworks tent will host a special class benefiting, Off the Matt, Into the World, taught by Seane Corn, Lisa Walford, Kathryn Budig, Kia Miller and Joan Hyman with live music by Jai Uttal, Masood Ali Khan and Sheela Bringi. Festival sponsor Subaru will also donate $50, towards the goal of raising $17,500, for each test drive Tadasana attendees make at a Southern California, Southern Nevada or Arizona Subaru dealership until June 30, 2012.

Global Marketplace: In addition to Tadasana’s gathering of top yogis, musicians and presenters, the festival will also be a destination of sights, sounds, tastes and experiences including an eco-markeplace (open to the public for free), The Beauty Bar for organic body treatments, organic cuisine, The Temple Tea Hut with tea servings offered by an authentic tea master, the Tadasana Repair Shop for onsite bodywork, the Tadasana Airport for AcroYoga, a visit from the mobile media wagon known as The Buzz Bus, and more. All this will take place in a near-zero-waste zone next to one of the most popular beaches in sunny Southern California.

Stay: In keeping with the progressive, Earth-friendly vibe of the Festival, If you’re planning on staying the weekend, we recommend checking out Santa Monica’s first LEED Gold Certified hotel, the Shore Hotel. The property is a haute hybrid in its own right, meshing a boutique luxury ambiance with sustainable practices and design.

Tadasana Festival takes place April 20th through 22nd on Santa Monica’s beachfront at 2600 Barnard Way, Santa Monica, CA 90405 near the corner of Ocean Park Blvd and the beach. For more information please see www.tadasanafestival.com .