The Mahabhuta Yoga Festival, hosting more than 20 regional yoga studios, will be held from November 16 to 18, at the Sanders Beach Center, in Pensacola. Two dozen yoga workshops will highlight the talents of regional yoga teachers, artists, healers and musicians.

The festival includes free outdoor music, a vendor village with artists and organic food, a kids’ tent, and evening fire performances. Sean Johnson and the Wild Lotus Band will offer kirtan on Friday evening, and Saturday night will include an after party at the Vinyl Music Hall.

“We chose the element of water for this first festival, as it is the Chinese Year of the Water Dragon, and our intention is to honor the sacred waters of the Gulf of Mexico and bring healing to all the waters along the Emerald Coast,” says Stacey Vann, a yoga teacher at Abhaya Yoga Center, in Pensacola.

Vann, one of several yoga presenters for the festival, will be teaching Healing Kundalini Yoga: The Water Element. “Water is a sacred element, and we will be offering free alkalinized Kangen water to all participants. It is our gift for the participants and the Earth, so everyone should bring their water bottles to help make this a zero-waste event,” explains Vann.

The event will also offer an onsite spa with acupuncture, reflexology, Reiki, Thai yoga bodywork and massage services. “My goal for the weekend will be to hold a high-vibrational environment of sacred space, with integrity and compassion for emotional and physical healing,” says Deborah Neff, who will be offering Thai yoga bodywork.

NWF Natural Awakenings is an event co-sponsor, and a portion of all the proceeds will fund the Mahabhuta Yoga Foundation, to provide each participating studio with a scholarship fund for Gulf Coast residents or regional teachers to participate in yoga teacher trainings, workshops and continuing education.

Cost: Yoga Workshops are $108, with early registration through Sept. 1. Location: Sanders Beach-Corinne Jones Resource Center, 913 S. I St., Pensacola. For more information, visit MahabhutaYogaFestival.com.