Origins: A Conversation with Conference Founder Melissa Phillips-Hagedorn

By Jill Rivera Greene, Conference Blogger

When you came up with the idea for this conference four years ago, it was for very personal reasons, wasn’t it? 
Right. My husband had been laid off from his job, and I was feeling pretty stressed out. I had been practicing at a studio for a year or so, and I thought spending a full weekend connecting with my practice would really serve me.

I looked around for options for yoga retreats, but at that time of year—January, February—everything was in Mexico or Hawaii, and there was no way I was going to be able to afford that.

So I thought maybe I would plan just a one-day event: two workshops in the morning, two in the afternoon. I was about to put down a deposit on a little grange hall I had found, when something inside me said that I needed to think bigger. I thought, I’m just going to listen to where this voice is leading me.

Then I found the Lynnwood Convention Center, and I signed the contract—it was the most money I had ever signed for in my life! That was a real growth experience for me.

It sounds like the whole conference was really a leap of faith.
Exactly. I wasn’t really plugged into the yoga community at that point. I wasn’t a teacher. I had never been to a yoga event. The only people I knew were those who taught at my studio or took classes there.

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Aadil Palkhivala delivering the keynote speech at the inaugural conference.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into, how much work is involved. You kind of have to be fueled by passion to do something like this. But the message of the conference resonated so deeply within me … I knew I had to do it.

And the universe sent strong messages that this needed to happen. The presenters and keynote speakers were all very generous with their time and their rates. Obstacles would come up and I would think, “I don’t know how this is going to work out,” and then answers would appear.

I think this is meant to be here for the community.

Let’s talk about that. You had a vision for this conference from the beginning, and “community” was a big part of it. 
As I started building the conference, I kept asking myself, “What is this about? What’s most important?”

There’s often a rich sense of community within individual yoga studios, but there aren’t as many opportunities for people to connect beyond their studio walls. I wanted to provide that space.

Over the years, I’ve seen that come to pass. I’ve seen studio owners make connections at the conference and go on to teach workshops at each other’s studios. I’ve seen teachers get connected with new places to teach. We even have some nonprofits that, through our Marketplace, have found new volunteers.

And of course, 70 percent of our attendees are yoga teachers, so it’s a great opportunity to meet other teachers and share ideas. There’s a real sense of cross-pollination.

What was it like, that first year? You started this event out of a personal need, but I would imagine it’s hard to enjoy your own conference! 
The first year I did go through an unexpected grieving process … that moment when everyone went into their workshops and I was standing in the hallway, thinking about what needed to happen next. That’s when I realized: This is really about creating an experience for others.

Melissa mingling at 2012 conference

Melissa mingling at 2012 conference

But I remember showing up the morning of the first conference and seeing the space all set up for us, and I was just overcome with emotion. I had spent the last year of my life working on this, had left my job to work on this. So to see it all come together after all of that … I was on a “high” all weekend, just getting to be a part of that experience with other people.

How has the conference evolved over the years?
Well, it’s definitely grown. The first year, I was really excited that more than 100 yogis turned out for the event. I would have been happy if even a single person had shown up! Last year [the conference’s third] we had almost 400 yogis join us—about 500 total attendees, including presenters, vendors, and volunteers.

And although I planned the first conference largely on my own, with a few helpers, the conference is now developed by a team of volunteers. This allows us to provide more depth to attendees.

The first year we drew exclusively on local teachers— the Northwest has a lot of really wonderful, knowledgeable teachers who have so much to offer. But people also want the opportunity to study with national teachers, so now we bring in a mix.

Every year we structure the conference around a new theme. The theme provides an opportunity for people to take a very personal journey throughout the weekend and define it in ways that are meaningful for them. [More about this year’s theme, “Illuminate Your Mind, Body, and Spirit,” coming soon!]

What makes the Northwest Yoga Conference stand out from similar events?
Holding the conference in Lynnwood [just 30 minutes north of Seattle] helps keeps our costs very low, compared to what we could offer in the city. And of course, there’s no additional costs for airfare, hotel, or even parking for local attendees.

We work hard to make sure the experience is very inviting and accepting to everyone: from studio owners through beginners. I’m very protective of the conference energy; I want it to be a positive experience. I’ve been to events where I feel like I’m not wearing the right clothes. That’s not the environment we’re creating.

And it’s a very intimate experience. Some events may have 200 or 300 people in a workshop. That has its place, for sure, but this is about providing a space to really deepen your practice and engage with teachers, so our workshops are capped at 80.

I spend a lot of time getting familiar with the workshops and the presenters. One of my favorite things is when people reach out to me and ask, “These are my goals, what do you recommend?” I love helping people find the right fit.

And of course … community.
That’s it, really: the community feeling, the welcoming atmosphere. That will never change. It’s like that Buddhist saying, “Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”

We’re spreading the light.