Cultivating Concepts of Yoga Movement To Live Music
Among the plethora of summer festivals returning to the valley, a new one is making its way.
Among the plethora of summer festivals returning to the valley, a new one is making its way.
The Drishti Beats Yoga and Music Festival is coming to Snowmass Village July 8-10 for a weekend filled with movement, music and moments of spiritual exploration. From the daily lineup of yoga classes and speaker presentations to the evenings rolling right into back-to-back live music performances, the inaugural festival sets a fresh gaze on the spiritual experience.
What differentiates Drishti Beats from other festivals of its nature is the alignment of movement to music, said co-founder Lori Lowell. Throughout the daytime programming of yoga classes, every yoga instructor is accompanied by live musicians. Rather than moving through poses to background music, as is typical in most yoga classes, Drishti attendees will flow to live beats.
“It’s a performance,” Lowell said. “It’s a production.”
She added, “We really believe that movement to music takes people to a higher level of consciousness, it affects people in different ways. …The collaboration of yoga movement and music — that’s our whole philosophy.”
While Drishti Beats is a first-time festival, the organization came to being eight years ago when Lowell and her husband Jeremy, along with their three kids, started producing music specifically for yoga classes and performing this music live in the studios.
These downtempo electronic-chill tracks, accompanied by live instrumental elements, quickly picked up traction on music platforms, and the Lowells found themselves blending yoga and live performances on stages worldwide.
Having lived in Snowmass for 16 years, the Lowell family was ready to cultivate the Drishti experience at their home base. They planned to put on the first Drishti Beats festival in 2020, and when the pandemic paused their plan, Lowell said she and her husband pivoted their focus toward growing the online Drishti Beats Yoga Teacher Training Program — which has placed the accredited organization even more so on the global map.
Now, finally bringing the Drishti festival to life this summer, Lowell has curated a lineup of top industry players across all sectors of the experience. From reputable yoga instructors, as well as renowned speakers and electronic music artists, the festival features a mix of local and incoming leading participants.
Events will be happening in and around Snowmass Village, as well as a few ventures up mountain trails. All lectures are held inside The Collective building and yoga classes will commence at the Drishti d’OM — located next to the Village Express chairlift — or The Collective Garden outside of the building.
Each day, programming begins at 7 or 7:30 a.m. with back-to-back class options running until 4 p.m. DJ sets start at 5 p.m., and the night ends at 11 p.m. with a silent disco experience. There will be food vendors and jewelry and clothing pop-ups dispersed throughout the Snowmass Mall all weekend, Lowell said.
She mentioned that one challenge in putting on a festival of this nature in Snowmass Village is the lack of onsite camping options. With no camping spaces available, festival attendees traveling from places outside of the valley must find lodging — which can limit access.
Under the “accommodations” tab on the Drishti Beats Festival website there is a list of hotels in the area, ranging from luxurious to budget-friendly. The webpage also has links to Airbnb and Vrbo options.
Despite the camping barrier, Lowell pointed out many perks of the Aspen-area environment when it comes to the overall festival experience. As opposed to common festival camping grounds — such as Burning Man and Lightning in a Bottle — where festivalgoers are faced with heat and a desert climate, Aspen naturally cultivates more of an elaborate experience, she said.
“Come to Aspen and you don’t have to fight those festival elements; you’re in the beautiful mountains, the air is fresh and crisp and you have access to clean bathrooms and restaurants,” Lowell said. “It aligns itself with what Aspen stands for.”
The abundance and quality of yoga instructors, speakers and musicians make for an effective and intelligent three-day experience, she said. The proprietor hopes people walk away from the weekend sustaining what they’ve learned, applying yoga and mindfulness to their everyday lives.
“We’re excited to bring the magic in this capacity to Snowmass — it’s never been offered before,” Lowell said. “It’s going to be a beautiful event, and you can buy a ticket any way you want.”
There are many different ways to go about the Drishti Beats Yoga and Music Festival, and the organization offers a range of ticketing for the event. For attendees only wanting to experience the daytime yoga classes and lectures, there are one-day, two-day and three-day pass options. The same pass options — though different prices — go for those only interested in the nighttime DJ sets.
The full yoga and music three-day pass is $349. If ticket-buyers enter the discount code “setmefree” upon checkout, the pricing for the pass will fall to $329, according to Lowell.
All passes and ticketing options for the festival can be purchased at festival.drishtibeats.com.