Akasha Yoga Festival

A wellness festival born at the Hermitage

The Akasha Yoga Festival was founded in 2025 as a day entirely dedicated to yoga and holistic disciplines, hosted in one of the most evocative locations in the municipality of Pellezzano, in the province of Salerno: the Eremo dello Spirito Santo (Hermitage of the Holy Spirit), nestled on the hill that divides Capriglia from the town center and overlooks the Irno Valley. The name chosen by the organizers is no coincidence: akasha, in Sanskrit, means «space», and it is precisely the idea of a shared space—a hub that gives voice and visibility to local professionals—that drives the entire project.

Who organizes it

The initiative is promoted by the Tat Yoga Center of Salerno, an organization that has been working on traditional yoga practice in the city for years, with the patronage of the Municipality of Pellezzano. The first edition was part of the «Settembre all'Eremo» (September at the Hermitage) calendar, a program of sports, cultural, gastronomic, and cinematic events through which the municipal administration promotes the monumental complex at the end of summer.

How the day unfolds

The format is that of a festival spread over a single day, from early afternoon until late evening. Movement practices follow one another at close intervals, and you can participate in just one class or join several, while some activities remain ongoing in the green spaces of the Hermitage. Among the offerings that characterized the festival's debut:

• yoga and movement classes — pilates, taiso, yin & yang yoga, traditional yoga, hatha yoga flow with aromatherapy;
• sound and music — music therapy and sound bath sessions in the afternoon, kirtan at sunset, ecstatic flow in the evening, and a final DJ set;
• treatments and open activities — holistic massages, henna tattoos, live mandala painting, and a guided trek on the hills around the Hermitage;
• food area to take a break between practices.

An atmosphere that changes with the light

The charm of the Akasha Yoga Festival lies in how the day evolves. In the afternoon, physical practice and contact with nature prevail; as the light fades, the view opens up over the valley, and the festival shifts toward a more intimate, musical dimension, leading up to the free dance and the DJ set that closes the evening. It is a rhythm that makes the event accessible even to those who have never unrolled a yoga mat: no experience is needed, just comfortable clothing and a desire to try.

The Eremo dello Spirito Santo

The location adds much to the experience. The building likely originated in the Middle Ages as a fortified structure to control the communication routes of the Irno Valley; in the 16th century, the hermit monks of Colloreto transformed it into a monastery, dedicated to the Holy Spirit in 1604, and later passed to the Augustinian order. Suppressed in the mid-17th century, it became a hermitage and collected donations from local families. Today, restored, it is a museum complex and one of the main cultural hubs of Pellezzano, in Campania.

Why it's worth visiting

In a region where large street festivals dominate the summer calendar, the Akasha Yoga Festival offers something different: a slow, free, and open day, built by networking teachers, holistic practitioners, and musicians from the Salerno area. It is also a great way to discover a monument that many, despite living just a few kilometers away, have never visited.