Justine Carlisle had been enjoying her 15-year marketing communications career when she was suddenly injured and turned to yoga for healing. Though it was a physical ailment that brought her to the studio, she couldn’t deny the impact her practice had on her spiritually and mentally. She enrolled in a 200-hour teacher training program with Jacqui Bonwell of the Sacred Seeds Yoga School in 2012… and now, as a Registered Yoga Alliance Vinyasa instructor, she teaches yoga at four different Southern Maine locations.

She started Namaste Ventures, LLC, with the vision of producing local wellness events. She launched the first Maine YogaFest with two friends in July 2013, bringing the Maine community together to celebrate the healing powers of yoga and encourage a healthy, peaceful and compassionate way of living. Justine said, “Yoga festivals have been growing in popularity across the country. The closest one to Maine was over in Vermont, so we decided to host an event here. Last summer, close to 500 people came to practice yoga all weekend and more than half completed our post-event survey, giving us very positive feedback.”

Registration for Maine YogaFest 2014 (July 12-13) opens in March, online. Justine told us how it works: “You can purchase a pass for 3 or 5 classes, choosing from different classes, instructors and time slots. Between classes, you can visit our vendor village to enjoy complementary massages and healthy foods, plus local musicians will perform live music.”

For complete details, visit www.maineyogafest.com, Facebook.com/maineyogafest and twitter.com/MaineYogaFest.