​"It takes courage to live the life you want to life: the life that feels like a perfect dream, a vacation, one that is in alignment with all that you were born to do.  The truth is when you listen to your heart and you work on creating clarity in your mind and body every day, a life full of dreams-come-true is easy. San Diego Yoga Festival is the result of my hours upon hours happily spent on the mat. 

 

Each morning I do anywhere from 1 to 3 hours of yoga, meditation, breathing, Reiki..I take my holistic medicine. From here, I am able to gain clarity on what my purpose is on life and how I can be the best version of me. The yoga follows me throughout my day and I return to the medicine anytime I need it.  Here I am able to be a creator of my life and this has led me to my business as a full time yoga teacher and Reiki Master.  I thank God, OM, the Universe, every day that I was given the gift of yoga and energy medicine. It has awakened my soul, shown me who I am and why I am here on Mother Earth."

 

Shawna is an internationally known, NJ bred,  San Diego local. She is a full-time healer: yoga teacher, Reiki and Energy master, author, and spiritual activist leading classes, workshops, teacher trainings, retreats, and festivals throughout the world.  She has created  7 Reiki and Yoga Teacher Trainings and authored a number of books, most recently, Yoga With Teens. She has been featured on television, in a number of blogs and magazines for being a visionary who lives in the action of her heart. She is the owner of Yoga With Shawna: a San Diego yoga studio and Reiki Clinic offering completely free yoga and meditation classes daily, the country's only Reiki Clinic offering Reiki sessions for only $25 (valued at $108), and Yoga, Reiki and Plant Therapy Certifications.

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"I am a teacher and healer first. San Diego Yoga Festival is a labor love: a work of the root chakra and crown chakra blending in synergy to put something on for the greater good. I'm actually not super excited with filing permits, spending hours on the computer, and managing people and spreadsheets: if you know me, you know I like to teach and live off the mat, not be on a computer. I know, though, this work is part of the greater good, and what I am super stoked on is providing this experience for all who attend. I am blessed to do the stuff I "don't like" because you know what? I do like it, because I like helping and creating and being there providing amazing things for people..for you..for the world."

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Over the years, aside from starting her own yoga and reiki business, Yoga With Shawna, Shawna has founded a foundation focused on helping those with anxiety and depression use yoga to find their breath to bring peace, “Project Breath”  and a small yoga festival in San Diego known as “Chakra Camp. “

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"Chakra Camp was my first step in my subconscious mind preparing me to create San Diego Yoga Festival. This weekend, 7-day class camp out honoring the chakra system, housed no more than 50 people and provided a total grassroot festival vibe in So-Cal: I love this little festival for so many reasons but specifically because it showed me how powerful community and gatherings like this are, and that they can be created successfully with just a dream, minimal support or recognition  and no festival planning  experiencing.

 

Everything is divine timing, and so when the time was right, San Diego Festival was born.

 

“I actually saw San Diego Yoga Festival in a meditation. I was experiencing a Shamanic Drumming experience that was over 60 minutes long in a room of over 200 people: this meditation was one of the most intense and profound in my life to date: I received so many messages; it was almost an orgasmic experience that ended with the vision of the flower of life. The message, upon many other things, was clear: “San Diego needs a yoga festival and YOU need to be the person to put it on.”

 

I trust my intuition and all I see in my meditations and all the mat teaches me. I shared this vision and watched it bloom into action. The first year I hoped to have 1000 people here and we had around 900. The second year, I cut lots of fear out of my life and worked really hard to listen to only love. SDYF's success increased by 300%. We had over 4000 attendees. I can honestly say I have never worked so hard in my life as I did this past year. Now, here I am standing in front of  the third year and I just cannot wait to see this beautiful festival continue to grow and serve. 

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My strength is my open heart: this  allows me to be courageous and flow with my life. People ask me what my business secrets are. I don’t have any sort of business background: all I have is the 8 limbs: my yoga practice which shows me how to live in love, trust and peace every day. I’m not doing anything sneaky or trying or paying for marketing platforms: instead I do the opposite: I live as yoga teaches me--to be righteous and honest, and trust that the universe will bring me exactly the students who want to learn the medicine that I help provide to the world.”

 

Shawna is beyond stoked on how much love this festival is bringing to not only the San Diego Yoga community but throughout the world.

 

"Yoga not only saved but gave me  life--literally, so I have dedicated my life to providing experiences to others to get to know yoga and its medicine so the lives of as many people as possible can be transformed and “saved”  too. San Diego Yoga Festival is such a beautiful way to get so many yogis and mindful people to celebrate and evolve with yoga and holistic health, and I am so happy this baby was born."

 

Check out Shawna in at class at  her studio in Imperial Beach and of course at the classes she teaches at festival. Get certified or re-certified in various certification courses with Shawna or get private lessons or healings. Learn more  here. You can also study reiki online with her here.  She is always happy to talk directly too so send her an email at: info@YogaWithShawna.com and follow her at @YogaWithShawna and on Facebook.