The Yoga Gallery Lleida Fest is set to celebrate its third edition at the iconic Seu Vella from 15 to 17 October, with a programme that reinforces its commitment to social issues and incorporates music as a key element of the activities. The festival aims to maintain last year's participation figures, anticipating between 200 and 250 attendees each day, while continuing to blend yoga practice, reflection, and social action.
Pilar Bosch, the Councillor for Culture and Economic Promotion, participated in the festival's presentation at the Seu Vella alongside Òscar Martínez, the Public Health Deputy from the Lleida Provincial Council, Robert Porta, the director of the Seu Vella Consortium, and Gabriel Pena, the founder and director of The Yoga Gallery. Bosch highlighted the significance of the Seu Vella as a 'beacon of our territory' that contributes to achieving 'a state of peace', a value associated with both yoga and the monument itself. She encouraged attendees to reflect on their identities and lifestyles through yoga, noting that the Seu Vella already hosts several yoga sessions.
Pena explained that this edition represents a further step in the development of The Yoga Gallery's initiative, which positions yoga as a practice linked to personal growth and reflection on contemporary social challenges. The festival will bring together teachers, educators, and leaders from various fields to create spaces for dialogue around the relationship between spirituality, ethics, and social commitment. The programme will include yoga sessions, workshops, reflective spaces, discussions, and musical performances.
A notable highlight will be a debate on Saturday, 17 October, at 4 PM, featuring Sister Teresa Forcades from the Monastery of San Benito de Montserrat and Lama Norbu from Casa Virupa. This discussion will explore the roles of spirituality and activism in today's context, conducted in Catalan with Spanish interpretation services available.
This year's festival introduces expanded access for individuals associated with organisations and services that address social vulnerability. Free access has been granted to professionals and users from various Lleida entities, including Acción Mercedaria Lleida, Fundación Arrels Sant Ignasi, and Cáritas Diocesana de Lleida, among others. Additionally, a pilot initiative in collaboration with Brians 2 Penitentiary will allow six inmates and their accompanying professionals to participate.
Pena noted that this experience is part of a broader project aimed at advancing towards a socially responsible and inclusive programme in future editions. The goal is to facilitate participation from individuals facing different vulnerabilities or risks of social exclusion and to foster encounters among diverse profiles.
During the presentation, Pena also highlighted ongoing initiatives by The Yoga Gallery, including a partnership with the Catalan NGO Open Arms, which focuses on rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean and responding to humanitarian crises. This year, the first edition of the international Yoga for Change programme was held at the Monastery of les Avellanes, attracting participants from sixteen different nationalities, with plans for two more editions in 2027.
Music will play a central role in this year's festival, with several artists scheduled to perform throughout the event. Pena detailed that music will feature prominently in the daily closing ceremonies, with artists such as Oriol Ginestà, Tess & Shunyata, and José Manuel Leal among those participating. This musical aspect will complement the festival's educational and experiential programming, which will also include contributions from various yoga instructors.
According to the organisers, the first two editions of The Yoga Gallery Lleida Fest generated a media impact valued at over €1.5 million, based on an audit by Auditmedia. The third edition is expected to attract similar participation levels, with approximately 10% of attendees coming from Lleida city and the surrounding region, while the majority will arrive from other areas. 'We want Lleida to become a reference point for a different understanding of yoga, one that shifts from individual well-being to a more humanistic perspective,' concluded Pena.
The festival is supported by the Lleida City Council, the Lleida Provincial Council, and the Seu Vella Consortium.
