If you’re emerging from Winter hibernation and starting to plan some summer weekends away, how about a yoga and wellness festival? We all know that as runners we would benefit from incorporating other activities like yoga, pilates, Barre and HIIT into our training. You can try all of these out and more at this summer’s Soul Circus yoga and wellness festival in the Cotswolds from 17 - 19 August.
The brainchild of husband and wife team Ella and Roman Wroath, the event was created to offer a refreshing take on the ever increasing and hugely popular yoga lifestyle. At its very core is a clever combination of the duo’s personal passion for yoga and wellness together with fun, music and delectable food with local provenance and sustainability. What’s more, with camping and glamping by Tee & Toast, the result is a fabulous weekend that will see festival goers enthused, uplifted and energised.
Working in collaboration with Equinox, the high-performance lifestyle leader, temple of well-being and the hottest name in club fitness in London and across the pond, the brand will deliver an unrivalled experience. Created and developed by the industry’s best minds and taught by experts who inspire and ignite, the weekend will include Equinox HIIT classes focusing on a plethora of Pilates – from Fusion to Barre to Heated sessions – as well as a diverse range of group fitness classes.
Another white-hot name this year – and tying in with his first book launch – is Faisal Abdalla, celebrity trainer, one of London’s top Personal Trainers, Barry’s Bootcamp Master Trainer and Nike Master Trainer. With an infectious and endless energy and a Positive Mental Attitude mantra, he’ll put guests through their paces, motivating them through a workout to leave them buzzing and full of vigour and vitality. For a sneak preview, his book ‘The PMA Method: Stronger, Leaner and Fitter in 14 days’ will hit shelves on 3 May 2018.
Self-respecting yogis seeking to enhance their spiritual energy, challenge themselves and bring a new dimension to their yoga journey can enjoy large spaces for classes with incredible teachers. Katarina Rayburn and Benjamin Sears are confirmed yoga masters this year, each bringing their own style, wisdom and inspirational attitude to the weekend.
A 500 hour Yoga Alliance Approved, Registered Yoga Teacher, Katarina Rayburn swapped the dizzy heights of physics and acting, to train as a yoga instructor after becoming intrigued by a strong yang style of yoga she found in London. Her yoga journey took her to the Andaman Islands, India and Thailand where she trained and practiced Sivananda, Ashtanga Vinyasa and Rocket. Her Soul Circus experience will combine Rocket and the Mandala Vinyasa model of her Vinyasa Classes, working closely with chakra and elemental theories.
With a therapeutic and empowering style, Benjamin Sears is an international mentor who in 2007, founded LUXYOGA, a wellness and lifestyle experience in the South of France repeatedly named the world’s premier yoga retreat. With expertise in Bikram, Dharma Mitra and Forrest Yoga, Benjamin combines this with a deep understanding of Ayurveda, anatomy, bodywork and energy healing.
2018 also sees a much stronger dance fitness element where vibrant dance classes and dynamic dance tents offer a plethora of styles and intensities to deliver an all-embracing, energetic proposition that has wellbeing at its very centre.
To ensure revellers are nourished from the inside out, the food offering has one mission – to fuel soul searchers and keep them energised all weekend. Whatever the taste preference and whether the goal is to detox or retox, food will be fresh, locally sourced and produced and filled with plenty of juicy goodness. To beat any August heat or simply for a sweet treat, the ground-breaking healthy ice-cream brand Oppo will be on hand to serve up delicious, decadent, luxury dairy ice cream. With four scrumptious flavours all made with natural ingredients and at just 43 calories a scoop, healthy and indulgent won’t clash, they’ll combine perfectly! What’s more, a wider, more diverse food truck selection as well as smoothie bar stations will be available and all can be washed down with locally produced juices or alcoholic tipples.
With a music experience equally critical to the founders, the weekend’s offering will work in synergy with the festival goers’ mood throughout the course of the day and into the evening with buskers, bands and a DJ after-party in the woods all coming together to deliver an awesome atmosphere. By day, soothing acoustics and beautiful gongs will create a sense of peace and harmony, whilst at night, beats and bass from talented bands and DJs will be sure to get the party started.
Commenting on the event in its lead-up, Ella and Roman Wroath said: “We have been overwhelmed by the success of the first and second festivals and having listened to our guests, 2018 sees us offering an even more diverse experiential offering. From the hottest of yoga masters to the toughest of trainers to the most energetic of dance disciplines, along with delectable food and awesome musical talent, Soul Circus is a must-do this summer and beyond for every individual seeking a new festival experience.”
Soul Circus 2018 will undoubtedly deliver a super-cool, inspirational, motivating and fabulously fun weekend. Watch this space for more details…
Prices start at £79 for Friday a OR Sunday day ticket, £99 for a Saturday day ticket and £199 for a weekend ticket. Group tickets and tickets for teens are also available.
