"The love, joy and peace experienced today by the participants will spread wide."

Almost 400 people enjoyed a beautiful day of yoga on September 18 at Nashua Community College. Organized by the non-profit, YogaCaps, it was New Hampshire’s largest yoga event presented by an inspired multicultural team of over 40 yoga instructors, Bharatanatyam dancer, kirtan singers and health/holistic themed vendors. Yogiraj John Featherstone and Betsy Simmons received recognition as founders of Mass Yoga Network.

The event raised funds for two non-profit causes: Peace Education Leadership and Sustainability Course (NCC Peace and Social Justice Program; Rob Atkinson Scholarship that supports students in financial need to attend Peace University) Peace and the Yoga Volunteer Corps sharing free yoga classes for under-served populations. Among other services, YVC has been offering free yoga classes for cancer survivors in New Hampshire for almost 3 years and recently extended services to several major hospitals in Manchester.

Participants selected from a wide range of yoga and meditation classes according to their interests. “Yoga is an ancient science and continues to gain popularity because it affects not only the physical body, but also the subtle layers of our being. Yoga works as great tool for enhancing physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing” said Jay Gupta, co-founder of YogaCaps. Gupta added that the event came together in less than eight weeks thanks to the efforts of so many wonderful volunteers. It was great to see the Indian and the western yoga communities come together and celebrate under one roof.

Of course there are many aspects of yoga and the event brought many of them together in the all-day event. "The event was like a smooth ride towards oneself”, according to Veena of Shunyam Productions, the group that organizes Boston Yoga and Chant festivals.

"Thank you {to everyone} for all of the work and love that they put into this very memorable occasion. I am still flying from hearing Kirtan for so many hours. I bought my first brass bowl Saturday as a memory of the global mala.

Shanti, shanti, shanti."

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