The popularity of a new event has revealed the Pembina Valley is becoming a hotbed for yoga. Tickets for the Heart of Winter Yoga Retreat went on sale in October and the event sold out within an hour and a half.

The first-time event brought together 13 yoga instructors for a day of self-care, mindfulness and movement at the Kenmor Theatre in downtown Morden.

"There isn't a studio or collective group that teaches in one location, we're spread out around the area, so we wanted to use this event to bring everyone together and celebrate the yoga that's happening here," Morden-based yoga instructor Brooke Nelson says. "Yoga teachers aren't that competitive with each other, that would be kind of against the yoga philosophy. There's enough people and good yoga to go around so we support each other."

She notes the event gave the community a chance to sample different styles of yoga and to offer attendees a way to begin 2019 in a mindful and caring way.

Co-Organizer and fellow Morden-based yoga instructor Stacey Lassnig explains people create mindfulness in many different ways, and the event provided a place to learn which type of yoga works best for them.

"The retreat was based on people learning about themselves," Lassnig explains.

Nelson notes mindfulness and yoga is becoming more mainstream in the hectic world of technology and media.

"We all need to be able to come back and be present... there are a lot of chances to leave the present moment and plan for the future or compare ourselves to other people online... this is one of many avenues of finding mindfulness."