Could you ever have imagined that you would be invited to a Singapore athletic event that prioritised bliss, relaxation and camaraderie over competition, personal bests and medals?

Yet that’s just what Bliss Out 2017 delivers and few participants will receive as many benefits as wise runners who plan to show up to bolster their overall states of health, well-being and fitness.

Runners? What does bliss have to do with running? Everything. If you’re not in touch with your senses, heart and head, how will you pull off those personal bests when you compete at marathons and races?

That’s a rhetorical question, of course, so we urge you to prepare your sensibilities for the gift you give yourself as soon as you sign up for Bliss Out 2017, slated for 18th March 2017.

Since no conditioning rituals are necessary to take part, you don’t have to sacrifice your diet, sleep or time to prepare in advance.

Find your bliss

We must begin by refuting Thomas Gray’s claim that “Ignorance is bliss,” a phrase he invoked when his scholarly tome — “Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College” — was published in 1742!

Bliss is one of the most purposeful and mind-soothing states experienced by the human brain, so equating bliss with ignorance simply shows how little Gray knew about human nature centuries ago.

Find your own sweet spot simply by attending Bliss Out 2017, a yoga and music festival likely to establish a new standard for tranquil sporting events — one that focuses more on attaining inner wisdom than it does on developing calf and thigh muscles!

On deck for this Palawan Green, Sentosa festival are professionals that range from renowned yoga teachers to amazing musicians dedicated to soothing you one minute and delivering heart-pounding tunes the next.

Organisers promise an “awe-inspiring atmosphere,” which is likely the reason this event leaves attendees hungry for more when it ends.

Why should you find your bliss?

First, because you can. You already appreciate the difference between the side of your personality that appreciates a trail-pounding workout and the tranquil soul you will either meet or greet at Bliss Out when your yoga instructor takes you through typical poses like The Mountain, Downward Dog, Warrior, Tree and other relaxing moves.

You’ll be surrounded by like-minded souls who never met a state of bliss they couldn’t appreciate, and just because you’re receiving the mental and therapeutic benefits of yoga, that doesn’t mean you won’t dance, have fun and sink into a relaxed state of rejuvenation during this festival of the heart and mind.

Registration fees to participate in Bliss Out 2017 are so affordable, even your budget may wind up in a state of bliss: Early Bird registration discounts, available between 26th November 2016 and 31st January 2017, will make your commitment doubly sweet.

In return for modest entry fees (even if you wait until the last minute to register), you gain admission to all yoga sessions and every live band performance, plus you’ll walk away with a cool Bliss Out yoga top, signature yoga mat, goodie bag filled with treasures from sponsors, and you’ll even be admitted to Sentosa on the big day without having to open our wallet a second time!

But, yoga’s not my thing!

Silly runner, listen up! Of course yoga is your thing — or at least it should be. Yoga is a safe, sane and super part of any fitness program because it benefits runners in so many ways.

Practice this ancient art and you can look forward to increased flexibility, strength and mental acuity, so your chances of being injured diminish and you’ll even master mind-games that keep you focused on your run.

In summary, Yoga dividends are impressive.

Yoga helps eliminate stress, aids weight loss efforts and can improve running times since sessions positively impact hip flexors, quads, hamstrings and quads. And that aforementioned “injury-free” claim isn’t wishful thinking.

According to Boulder (CO) Centre for Sports Medicine exercise physiology coach Adam St. Pierre, there’s plenty of proof that the relationship between yoga and the diminution of injuries (especially in injury-prone runners) is dramatic and irrefutable.