Breath, Sleep, Diversity, Plant Medicine, and other timely topics offered June 25–28
By Eric Valentine
Wellness, as a lifestyle, has reached new importance due to the challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic this past year. And large in-person events have hit new challenges during that timeframe. That’s why the longest-running wellness festival in the world is taking a deep breath—perhaps even a sigh of relief—that the 2021 Sun Valley Wellness Festival & Conference (SVWFC) is not only a go, it’s a place one can go to, too.
Tickets, aka SVWellness Passes, for both in-person attendance and the Virtual SVWFC Experience option, are available at www.sunvalleywellness.org. Virtual passes go on sale March 25 and in-person passes go on sale in May, with a specific date to be determined. Passholders will have full access to all online session content through July 31, 2021, Andria Friesen, SVWellness board president, said.
Festival spokesperson Carol Waller said that last year’s event was originally postponed to later in the summer and then it eventually pivoted to an all-virtual format, due to the pandemic.
“Fortunately the virtual program was well put together, easy to access and very well received, so it has become a part of the festival going forward,” she said.
Specifically, the pivot attracted participants from 35 states and 15 countries, including Australia, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal, and Monaco.
The festival has been on the forefront of the wellness movement for decades and will continue to offer a wide range of innovative wellness programs through its four pillars of focus—Mind, Body, Spirit and Environment—during its 24th annual event, June 25 to 28, in Ketchum. In addition to featuring a variety of pioneering presentations and workshops from leading wellness experts, SVWellness will offer a new outdoor Experience Park showcasing vendors, music, food, and movement classes, as well as unique outdoor wellness adventures such as mindful mountain biking and hiking, forest foraging, and outdoor cooking adventures.
“Our 2021 roster hosts exceptional speakers and highly relevant content. I am thrilled that local residents and visitors will again have the opportunity to participate in the physical SVWFC or view the presentations from the comfort of their homes. As for the rest of the world, COVID catapulted us into a virtual format and now there’s no looking back,” Friesen said.
Speaker Presentations
Speaker sessions will be held at the Argyros Performing Arts Center in Ketchum with proper adherence to all health and safety protocols.
2021 SVWFC featured speakers include:
James Nestor, science journalist and author of Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art
Matthew Walker Ph.D., Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, top TED Talk presenter and author of Why We Sleep
Milagros Phillips, creator of the transformational communication program ‘Race Demystified & the Healing Process,’ and author of Cracking the Healer’s Code: A Prescription for Healing Racism and Claiming Wholeness
Tommy Rosen, noted pioneer in the field of yoga and recovery, founder and host of the Recovery 2.0: Online Conferences/Group Coaching Program, and author of Recovery 2.0: Move Beyond Addiction and Upgrade Your Life
Experience Park
This free public outdoor experience, held at Forest Service Park in Ketchum will feature free outdoor yoga classes, music and a variety of carefully curated wellness products, practitioners, and healthy food vendors set up around the perimeter of the park and on the adjacent Washington Avenue. All participants will be required to adhere to health and safety protocols.