The Yoga Gallery festival premieres a hymn in the fog in Lleida

LleidaYoga has created a hymn in the fog in Lleida. Under the title Meet you there, the song was composed by American singer-songwriter Hayley Reardon on the occasion of the The Yoga Gallery Festival, which for the second consecutive year will be coming to the capital of Segrià. Between June 19th and 21st, this competition will bring the intensive practice of yoga, combined with different artistic disciplines, to the city of Lleida.

"The fog rises over the plain / Under the mask we are all the same / Unprotected / Towards the light, the breath, / a passage (breath of passage) / We will meet." This is how some of the verses of this song sound translated into English, inspired by the fog of Lleida and the magic of spring. Its music video was filmed between Segrià and the Ivars and Vila-sana pond and will have its official premiere at the Seu Vella during The Yoga Gallery, an event originally born on the island of Menorca in 2022 and which its organizers wanted to relocate there last year. Over three intense days, the festival will host sessions, workshops, and talks, combined with high-level musical performances and artistic offerings. A total of more than 50 hours of activity.

Important names in the world of yoga, such as Rebeca Recatero, director of the Jivamukti Yoga Madrid center, and especially the great Indian master Surinder Singh—son of Rishikesh, the world's birthplace of yoga—will join other professionals such as British Lucy Crock, master Eva, Ecuadorian Gustavo Plaza, and Portuguese Maria Jiva. The program will include yoga ranging from movement to the calmest form of nidra, as well as therapeutic, introspective, mantra, and dynamic yoga. The extensive menu will occasionally merge with electronic music, asana practice, and concerts by artists such as Argentine singer-songwriter Lucas Masciano and the duo El Descanso de Ti, with their nidra sessions with music.

The contest will also be accompanied by three French artists who, under the Pangea project, have created ten flags inspired by this very festival. They are simple, straightforward designs, with flat colors and symbolic shapes, easy to grasp, but not always digestible, with some uncomfortable slogans. The flags were designed in conjunction with the design studio Unconform. Balaguer's set designer, Maria Monseny, has prepared a staging with a piece titled Cresol, inspired by village gardens.

Participation in The Yoga Gallery, which has a maximum capacity of 300 people, costs between €110 and €270 depending on the number of days, including free access to Lleida's museums and the use of water and herbal teas. Those who have purchased a three-day pass can also take advantage of the Adopt a Yogi program, which consists of living free of charge in the homes of families in Lleida who offer it. There is a special price of thirty euros for people over 65 and people with disabilities, while both the evening musical concerts, the visit to the works of Pangea and the Maria Monseny show (in the central nave of the Seu Vella) will be free of charge.

The organization has also created a pack solidarity campaign exclusively to donate all profits to the Open Arms organization. This involves the purchase of merchandise bundles (caps, backpacks, glasses, pencils, and essential oils), the entire proceeds of which will go to this NGO dedicated to rescuing people in danger in the Mediterranean and raising awareness about the humanitarian crisis resulting from forced migration.

A global movement

Gabriel Pena, from Lleida, is the founder of The Yoga Gallery. A yoga teacher who trained with writer Surinder Singh and holds master's degrees from ESADE, after traveling around the world, three years ago he decided to organize a transversal and inclusive festival that would leave aside the aesthetic aspect to focus on the original message explained and expressed through contemporary Western language. "Yoga is a tool for all day and for life," claims Pena.

"To get to know oneself, to awaken consciousness," adds the creator of this initiative, "together with the arts, creativity, and enjoyment, an atmosphere is created that transcends what is usually experienced at a festival." In an increasingly individualistic world, it is key to have one's own refuge, from which to build self-esteem to face challenges and share openly, without fear.

Before Lleida, the initiative will launch in Menorca at the beginning of June. In October, it's expected to move to Seville and Slovenia. By the end of the year, it's planned for Madrid. And in 2026, it will expand to Italy, the US state of California, India, and Taiwan. "The Yoga Gallery is becoming a global movement to promote a more just and inclusive society," Pena argues. An experience that, as the song says, "isn't for everyone..." but if you try it, you won't want to leave.