This wasn’t just another event. Michael Franti, the musician, the activist and the yoga practitioner, brought his music fans and the Seattle yoga community together through his Soulshine tour.

Franti and Spearhead are traveling to 35 cities with four bands and two DJs. The tour — a combination of yoga practice and concert — took place at Marymoor Park in Redmond on Friday June 27, where hundreds of people gathered. The event started with an early afternoon yoga practice taught by Seane Corn while Franti accompanied, singing with his guitar. Corn, who is a yoga instructor and co-founder of Off the Mat, Into the World (a company dedicated to bridging yoga and activism), infused the yoga practice with motivational dialogue, allowing the crowed to submerge completely into the moment. Despite the chance of rain, the weather was cooperative and cool.

The yoga practice included diverse elements; the practitioners seemed to enjoy every moment, from taking a deep breath under the moving clouds, to warrier one and two, to dancing and singing along with Franti. He also did some yoga on stage. After the yoga class was over, Franti, Corn, some band members and staff enjoyed talking and taking pictures with the fans. He took his time and met everyone who wanted to shake his hand or to snap a quick selfie, and from a distance you could tell there was a heartfelt interaction between him and the crowd.

In between the sessions, Franti spoke of kicking it with his buddies backstage for a quick soccer game.

Later on, the venue opened up as the music fans gathered. Local food trucks were offering a variety of food, wine and beer. The space in front of the stage started to fill up; some yogis were doing handstands while others were moving along with the every beat. Once Franti took over the stage the fans sang along and shared the formed energy. The concert was not only spotlessly organized, but it had a character – it was playful.

Franti — who has combined two of his huge passions yoga and music — is a connector. His hope is that the Soulshine tour will inspire and recharge people to be the change they want to see in the world. The idea is really to be able to lift people’s spirits and for them to leave the concert a little bit revived, and hopefully, encouraged.

We sat down with Michael Franti for an exclusive interview:

For larger size images from the event, we invite you to visit the photo album on our Facebook page.

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