Stories from our community: Bringing a Community Together at Berkshire Yoga Festival
A conversation with Diana Chaffalo of littleredyoga
Every June, studio communities from across the Northeast make their way to the Berkshires.
Some arrive in carpools. Others share houses for the weekend. Together they practice, learn, cook, laugh, explore, and create memories that extend well beyond the classroom.
For many, Berkshire Yoga Festival has become more than an annual event. It's a tradition.
That has certainly been true for Diana Chaffalo and the littleredyoga community.
Since becoming a Studio Partner, Diana has returned each year to teach while bringing her students together for a weekend of learning, connection, and shared experiences.
We recently asked her to reflect on what keeps her community coming back.
What keeps bringing you and your community back?
Diana: “It's the whole experience and feeling of momentum. Every year our group starts talking about the next festival before we've even packed up from the last one. There's an anticipation that builds all year, and by the time we arrive, it feels less like an event and more like a tradition we've built together”
What has it meant for your students to experience Berkshire Yoga Festival together?
Diana: “We carpool together, share a house, cook, laugh, practice our kriyas and mantra side by side, take classes, explore vendor tables, make new friends, and it becomes like a little family for that stretch of time. It's given them a shared experience outside the walls of the studio, meeting teachers and traditions they don’t regularly encounter, and it deepens the friendships they already have. Some of the bonds formed on these trips have become some of the strongest in our community”.
Is there a moment from the festival that has stayed with you?
Diana: “Two moments stay with me. The first, from our very first year: sitting in the opening moments of silence before our kriya began, glancing over at our studio team and musicians who were there to support me, then back out over the crowd feeling surreal, and before I knew it, a tent filled to the brim were all chanting together. My heart just melted. The second: looking around my class and realizing that other teachers, people I never expected to see there, had come to practice with me, full of joy. Being honored like that, by teachers I admire and respect, are moments I'll never forget”.
As a studio owner, what do you appreciate most about being part of the Studio Partner community?
Diana: “It's the sense of connection. The other studio partners are magnificent, warm, knowledgeable, and always willing to help, with a generosity of spirit and camaraderie that never feels transactional. It's a genuine circle of studio owners who are all trying to bring something meaningful to their people, cheering each other on rather than competing, supporting one another every step of the way. Being surrounded by people like that reminds you that this kind of work draws in the best kind of humans. There's so much love shared between us, and it feels like we're all working together to raise the vibration, not just for our own communities, but for each other too!”
What would you say to another studio owner who's thinking about becoming a Studio Partner?
Diana: “Do it! You won't regret it. Think about the connections you'll make, the knowledge you'll gain, the community you'll feel. It's one of the best gifts you can give your community, and the investment pays off in connection, not just experience. The only regret would be missing it”.
Studio Partners are an important part of what makes Berkshire Yoga Festival feel like a gathering of communities rather than simply an event. Each studio brings its own personality, traditions, and students, adding to the welcoming atmosphere that attendees return to year after year.
We're grateful to Diana and the littleredyoga community for being part of that story, and we're looking forward to welcoming them back to the Berkshires in 2027.
