CANNON BEACH – A health and wellness destination, as well as a natural scenic treasure, Cannon Beach will host the first Cannon Beach Yoga Festival Feb. 25 through 27. The small coastal town welcomes yoga students of all levels for a weekend of yoga, meditation, music, art, food, massage and body work, shopping and celebration.

“Cannon Beach is a perfect location to cater to the active lifestyle traveler. We have one of the most picturesque beaches in the world. The area offers great accommodations for every pocketbook, from luxury hotel suites and oceanfront homes to quaint cabins and pristine RV parks. We are known for our friendly hospitality, unique galleries and a diverse selection of shops and restaurants,” said festival organizer Christen Allsop.

The faculty of yoga teachers includes: Alan Finger, South African tantric and kriya yoga master, founder of ISHTA Yoga and cofounder of Yoga Zone, Be Yoga and Yoga Works; Sarah Platt-Finger, director of the ISHTA Yoga Teacher Training program; Julie Gudmestad, PT, a certified iyengar yoga teacher and a licensed physical therapist, director of Gudmestad Yoga Studio and author of Yoga Journal’s anatomy column for seven years; and Tiffany Cruikshank, who directs her own yoga teacher training program, teaches yoga classes, retreats and workshops worldwide, and is the acupuncturist at Nike World Headquarters.

The festival offers yoga workshops and a full range of events beginning with Friday’s welcome registration gathering featuring a yoga marketplace; Saturday and Sunday morning meditations; Saturday night community gathering and kirtan (sacred chanting, where the audience is invited to participate through call-and-response chant, dance and meditation) with Heather and Benjy Wertheimer of Shantala and Steve Gorn, a master of Indian classical music, world music and jazz; concluding with a closing ceremony Sunday evening.

The festival will also offer some optional workshops open to festival attendees and the public: A music workshop, “Nada Yoga: An Introduction to the Musical Art of Raga” ($25) will be led by award-winning songwriters, vocalists and musicians Wertheimer and Gorn; two art workshops, “Yoga Figure Drawing” ($40/$30) will be led by local Tolovana Arts Colony painting and drawing instructor David Kinhan; an ayurveda lunch and lecture, “Balance the Five Elements through Ayurveda and Food” ($25) led by Dana Dupont; and an art class for children, “Magic Mirrors” ($22) led by Cindy McGonagle.

Weather dependent activities include guided tours to Haystack Rock and Ecola State Park and a beach bonfire.

Local businesses will have special offers and discounts on lodging, food and beverages, spa treatments and shopping throughout the weekend, with some restaurants offering special yoga-inspired, vegetarian and vegan menus. For more information, visit cannonbeachyogafestival.com

Tolovana Arts Colony (TAC), a nonprofit arts education organization, received a grant to help fund the festival from the Cannon Beach Tourism and Arts Commission charged with distributing the funds from a local lodging tax. The vision of TAC and Allsop, the faculty yoga instructor, is to create a unique lifestyle festival offering high quality instruction courses and hospitality events for yoga practitioners of the Pacific Northwest. With help from enthusiastic volunteers and local businesses, they plan to create a rich and lively experience.

The Festival Participant Pass is $325. Festival guests may register for any of the optional workshops and/or the community gathering and kirtan ($10), priced individually. Space is limited for all workshops.

For more information and to register, visit cannonbeachyogafestival.com or contact Allsop at (503) 440-1649 or info@cannonbeachyogafestival.com