A Unique Yoga Experience

Join us on Death Valley’s doorstep for yoga, meditation, sound baths, optional aerial silks workshops and sauna & cold plunge, SHIFTPOD Moon Temple, elixir and mocktail bar, food truck, giveaways, and more — just outside of Death Valley National Park in tranquil, pristine Panamint Valley.

Since this is the first time for this event, our example pictures are limited — but scroll below to see the area and learn more about this unique yoga experience!

Yoga, Meditation, Soundbaths, Sauna & Cold Plunge, Aerial Workshops, and more!

The inaugural Moonlight Yoga Festival strives to offer an immersion in nature through a primitive autumn desert setting, with an emphasis on self reliance and conservation — all under the nurturing cosmos and moonlit, starry sky.

Immersed in the elements

While enjoying amenities such as a food truck, hosted telescope, optional add-on sauna and cold plunge, will pamper your desert experience, attendees should be prepared to be one with nature and “rough it” a bit in the primitive desert, where you’ll be immersed in the elements.

This event is being held on 80 acres of private property, in which you’ll be dispersed camping in your tent/camper van/RV/trailer/favorite camp setup. There is no water or electricity onsite. The restrooms consist of several clean porta-potties along with hand sanitizer. There will be multiple tent-shower stations onsite which one can utilize with a simple solar heated shower bag or any other favorite camp-shower methods. You’ll need to bring your own water to use with the showers — more on that and every thing else offered below.

You should bring a yoga mat that you’re comfortable with setting on the bare desert ground (hard/medium packed sandy surface).

Event activities include:

• All tickets include all days of the event and all daily and moonlight sessions featuring yoga, meditation, nidra, sound bath, breathwork, and more.

• Nighty hosted telescope where you’ll be able to view the moon as well as a few other celestial objects.

• Optional add-on sauna and cold-plunge sessions by Mammoth Sauna Company

• Optional add-on aerial silks workshops.

• Elixir & Mocktail bar (you’re of course welcome to bring your own adult libations as well).

• Market booths featuring handmade jewelry and wellness products including Lucid Empires (If you have a market booth you’d like to bring, please reach out to us at: contact@easternsierraobservatory.com)

• Food truck on at least one of the afternoon/nights.

• SHIFTPOD Moon Temple

• Optional add-on a T-shirt (t-shirts are pre-order only — not sold onsite)

• Onsite dispersed camping is included for all attendees — you bring your own tent/RV/camper van/favorite camp setup. There are no RV hookups available at this primitive location.

• Clean porta-potties comprise our restroom accommodations

• Friendly dogs are welcome

• Please pack it in and pack it out at this primitive location — there is no trash or recycling service

• There is no water or electricity onsite — bring everything you need for your camping setup.

• The last 8 miles to get to the location are on a county maintained dirt road which any vehicle can navigate.

• If you’re camping in a tent, be sure you’re using at least 12” stakes to withstand the occasional gust of wind.

• Enjoy the vast desert views and amazing sunsets, as well as endless nearby day trips to pursue on your own in Death Valley, Trona Pinnacles, Darwin Falls, and the list goes on!

• Scroll just below the “Buy Tickets” button to see a tentative event schedule.

Great autumn weather

The average forecast for mid April in Panamint Valley is mostly sunny/clear with daytime highs in the low 80s and overnight lows in the early morning hours in the mid 50s. If you’re tent camping, remember to bring at least 12” stakes for that occasional gust of wind. If you plan to stick around camp all day it’s recommended that you bring yourself a shade structure, and don’t forget the sunscreen.

Self-Reliance • Conservation • Nurturing Cosmos

Be prepared to immerse yourself in a primitive desert setting where classes will be held outdoors in the elements — under the rising and setting sun, as well as by moonlight. The landscape varies between a hard and softer sandy surface. Bring a yoga mat that you’re comfortable with using directly on the Earth’s surface — do not bring your favorite, super expensive yoga mat unless you don’t mind it getting roughed up by the raw land.

Activities will be held during the morning/afternoon/nighttime hours as to avoid the strongest parts of the daytime sun. There are many day trips in the area to explore as well.

— Self-Reliance —

Bring your own camp setup, food, water to drink as well as for showers. Pack it in, pack it out — please take all of your trash and recyclables with you when you leave. Please strive to leave the land better than you found it so to speak.

— Conservation —

The average 10 minute shower utilizing a low-flow showerhead uses 20 gallons of water! The act of bringing the water to supply your showers will bring to light just how little one can get away with actually using, which is important to think about in this arid area that we share with millions of other people. We recommend using a simple solar heated shower bag, and filling it with 1 - 2 gallons of water for each shower. You might very well find that you can get away with using even less than a gallon.

The same comes with your meals and camp amenities — be sure to bring the things you need to stay comfortable, but challenge yourself not to overpack, and to choose foods which won’t go bad over a few days of desert camping so that you can bring any excess items home with you as opposed to having to toss extra provisions that have gone bad.

— Nurturing Cosmos —

Spending time in a primitive desert landscape under the energy of the moonlit, starry skies will let one be in tune with the cosmos and environment that surrounds them. The hosted telescope will allow one to reach out and gaze closely upon our celestial neighbors.

Shower Tents & Solar Heated Shower Bags

Multiple shower tents will be set up at the event. It’s recommended that you bring something like a solar heated shower bag (pictured below) which can be purchased online through Amazon or in person at REI or other camping stores. Or, bring your favorite wipes, washcloth shower supplies, etc. Please note that a shower is required before any optional add-on sauna and cold plunge sessions.

Just outside of Death Valley National Park

Located just west of Death Valley in scenic Panamint Valley, the event will take place on 80 acres of pristine private property (Google map link here as well as below). Any vehicle can navigate the county maintained dirt road to get there. More detailed directions can be found below.

A county maintained dirt road that any vehicle can traverse

The route to this site includes a county maintained dirt road for the final 8 miles which is generally in good condition as far as dirt roads go. Any type of vehicle can make it.

Depending on your vehicle type, and if you have a trailer, one can generally travel about 10-45 mph on this final 8 miles. Arrival time is anytime after 1 PM on Thursday, April 10th, and check out time is by 2 PM on Sunday, April 13th. This event is being held at our Death Valley Starcamp, which is just west of the national park boundary near the ghost town of Ballarat, California. Click here for a map of the location.

The best way to access the property is to first navigate to the ghost town of Ballarat. Once there, turn north on Indian Ranch Road and travel about 4 miles until you reach our location. It’s best to first navigate to Ballarat — if you attempt to go directly to the GPS coordinates from your home, it’s likely that Google Maps will give you a weird route that you don’t want to do. Navigate to Ballarat first!

Optional: Add-on a t-shirt to your order in the ticketing menu
T-shirts are pre-order only — we do not expect to have extras to sell onsite.

Tickets On Sale Now — No Extra Service Charges/Fees
Ticket credit insurance included with every ticket!

For Sauna & Cold Plunge Add-Ons:

Visit the Sauna & Cold Plunge Schedule to view availability, and then again after purchasing your tickets to select the day(s) and time(s) of your session(s) using the code found in your email confirmation.

Credit insurance is built into every ticket! Please note that all sales are final and no refunds will be given, however, if you can’t attend for any reason - even last minute - you’ll be able to forward the face value of your ticket(s) for a time period of one year to any future Moonlight Yoga Festival. If the event has to be canceled for some crazy reason from our end, your ticket(s) will be credited towards any future Moonlight Yoga Festival with no expiration! You’re also welcome to sell/giveaway your ticket to family/friends/strangers in the event that you cannot attend.

Sponsors

Tentative schedule

Thursday, April 10th:

• Check-in any time after 1 pm

• Sunset moonrise yoga session / also later in the evening moonlight yoga session

• Hosted telescope into the night

Friday, April 11th & Saturday, April 12th:

• Twilight meditation, along with sunrise and morning yoga sessions

• Optional add-on sauna & cold plunge sessions (both evenings and Saturday morning)

• Optional add-on aerial silks workshops (both mornings and evenings)

• Sunset yoga session and later in the evening yoga and sound bath

• Elixir & Mocktail Bar both afternoons into the evening

• Market Booths (both afternoons)

• Food truck at least one of the afternoons/evenings

Sunday, April 13th:

• Twilight meditation, along with sunrise and morning moonset yoga

• Optional add-on morning sauna & cold plunge sessions

• Check-out by 2 pm

List of instructors

• Sarah Helt (@sarahehelt) — Yoga Flow & Nidra, Soundbath, Guided Meditation

• Jackie Kowalik (@yoga_jawn) — Yoga, Soundbath

• Pamela Crane (@gratefullypamela | TheYogaProPodcast) — Interoceptive Somatic Movement & Guided Meditations

• Bri McKee (@owlmama_magic) — Yoga Flow, Breathwork, Visualization

• Uriah Stanton — Yoga Nidra

• M Hundley (@lucidempires) — Aerial silks workshops, Lucid Empires jewerly booth

More coming soon!

Escape to countless day trips in the area

We’ve left the middle of the day largely open so that you can explore the surrounding area on your own time if you choose. If you plan to stick around camp during the day, we recommend you bring yourself a shade structure (and secure it with stakes that are at least 12” long to thwart the occasional gust of wind).