Tuning In: My Somatic Unfolding at the Berkshire Yoga Festival
This past weekend June 12-15, 2025, I attended the Berkshire Yoga Festival for the second year in a row, and once again, it became a sanctuary for tuning in—deeply and somatically. From volunteering in the merchandise tent to chanting, dancing, crying, and resting in stillness, every experience invited a layer of embodiment, presence, and emotional honesty.
Grounding in Service and Observation
My journey began with a volunteer shift in the Merchandise tent. There, I found myself in quiet observation—folding t-shirts, watching people stream in and out, and learning “how to be a vendor in 10 minutes.” It was a gentle initiation into the festival’s rhythm. I wasn’t just helping—I was attuning to the environment, noticing who I was in that role, and grounding through service.
I also reconnected with a vendor I’d met at last year’s festival. Our conversation picked up naturally, deepening around stories of art, children, and life. These subtle reconnections were small but rich threads, woven into the larger tapestry of presence.
Chanting and Resonance: A Collective Tuning
Later that day, we volunteers were graciously gifted front row seats to Krishna Das by the Festival Committee. The experience felt like a blessing—a direct encounter with presence.
As the chanting began, I dropped into a rhythm that felt ancient and alive. The cello’s deep resonance, the heartbeat of the drums, and the breathy hum of the accordion became a unified soundscape. With each call and response, we weren’t just singing—we were harmonizing with something collective and sacred.
There was stillness between the notes, a hush that pulsed with aliveness. It felt like being braided into a vibration shared across time, voice, and breath.
Somatic Dance with Himalaya: Moving Through Beliefs
One of the most visceral sessions came in the form of a somatic dance circle led by Himalaya. She guided us to explore how our early experiences shape our beliefs, and how the body carries those imprints.
As I danced, something shifted—my joints released, my breath deepened, my grip loosened. There was no choreography, just honest, expressive movement. All around me, people moved freely, smiling and sweating in rhythm. The dance floor became a place of unwinding, a human reminder of how much we carry and how much we can let go.
Truth and Tears with Koby Kozlowski
Koby Kozlowski, one of my favorite teachers, offered a space that felt emotionally surgical in the best way. Through Instinctive Meditation®, conscious movement, and soulful storytelling, she helped us touch into the aches we usually try to avoid.
And I did. I wept—not from thought, but from the body. Grief surfaced for loved ones, betrayals, lessons that still sting. Then came the silence. We sat in triads—no talking, just eye contact. Being seen, and seeing others, without the buffer of words, felt tender and raw.
But it was in that silence I felt attuned—my jaw, shoulders, heart, and voice softened and aligned. I left that room lighter and deeply alive.
Flow, Release, and Thai Touch
The next morning, I joined Jai Sugrim’s Vinyasa Flow for Resilience. The sequence was strong but measured, pushing just enough to meet my edge without pushing past it. I found a rhythm that felt both grounded and exhilarating—my breath and body working as one.
Later, in a Thai massage workshop with Jean Jacques, I partnered with another volunteer and worked through the tightness in my neck using straps. The practice offered tangible relief—a physical sense of release from years of unconscious holding.
Vibrational Closure with Vanessa from Providence
To close the weekend, I joined a session with Vanessa from Providence, a fellow traveler on the somatic path whose journey through a head injury mirrored my own. Her presence was authentic, steady, and deeply attuned.
She led us through a multi-sensory sound healing experience, inviting us into vocal tuning, gentle mantra, energy work, and deep visualization. We engaged not just through sound, but also through scent, touch, and breath—creating a vibrational space for healing that felt both cosmic and intimate.
By the end, I felt cleansed. My nervous system was humming, not buzzing. My body—aligned, awake, and completely tuned in.
Final Reflection
The Berkshire Yoga Festival was not just a series of events—it was a somatic unfolding. Each moment invited deeper presence, trust in the body’s wisdom, and a willingness to meet myself where I truly am.
From folding shirts to front row chanting, from ecstatic dance to silent sobbing, from yoga flow to Thai touch and vibrational healing—every layer of this journey moved me closer to wholeness.
I left feeling grounded, connected, softened, and seen. Not just by others—but by myself.
Jennifer Degen
June 17, 2025
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