About BYF
Vision
Our goal is to create yoga and healthy living events that leave people with a sense of magic, wonder, and the belief that transformation is possible. Beginning with the premiere yoga festival in New England, we imagine a space and time every year where yogis from all around the world can get together as a community for depth practice with master teachers, connection to nature, inspiring education and art, new friendships, and music that moves the soul. We want to share the magic of the Berkshires and celebrate the practice of Yoga with all who seek health, happiness, and inner peace.
HISTORY of the BERKSHIRES
Geologists tell us that the Berkshire Mountains are some of the oldest in the world, and millions of years ago were as tall as the Himalayas! Before Europeans settled in New England the Native Americans nurtured the land and considered the old rolling hills of the Berkshire mountains to be sacred. Even as the Native people and their natural way of life was pushed out by the freight train of the Industrial Revolution the Berkshires still retained their special standing as a healing place. When the Rockefellers and Vanderbuilts first made the area their summer vacation spots.the Berkshires became a mecca of healing, yoga, and creative arts for New Englanders, and this continues through to today.
Leadership
Ownership: The festival began as the dream of Berkshire native Ilana Ackerman, whom yearned for a yoga festival after the pandemic killed off Wanderlust and most other yoga festivals. Ilana hired Andrew Tanner to help make her dream a reality and eventually sold the concept to Andrew and his business partner Scott Kleinfeld in May of 2024. Together, Andrew and Scott own Dregs of Wisdom, LLC, a company that creates events and educational content focused on health, wellness, and spiritual growth.
Andrew Tanner, Partner and Festival Director has always loved connecting dots… He believes that Human Technology (aka Yoga) and Info technology have an important future together. Andrew has spent over 20 years in the yoga, wellness, and tech industries and is the author of So You Want to Open a Yoga Studio, a business bible for yogis. He founded and later sold 5 yoga studios in NYC, NJ, and MA, and held leadership positions at Yoga Alliance, Kripalu, LiveEdit Aurora, and Union.fit.
An accomplished yoga teacher with over 20 years experience, Andrew teaches in teacher trainings and retreats around the world and a weekly class combining his core studies of Korean Mountain Taoism and Hatha Yoga in the tradition of Sri Dharma Mittra.
Scott Kleinfeld, Partner & Head of Ops, is a seasoned business leader who brings together an operations, management, and sales background with his love of people, culture, and yoga. Scott is beloved by the now famous “Festival Vibe Tribe,” and manages the over 40 person team to make sure all the mats stay aligned and the classes start on time. He is also the heart behind all of Dregs of Wisdom’s production projects. His leadership approach marries mindfulness with robust business tactics, creating environments that thrive both in wellness and business efficiency.
Scott got his start in business and yoga by opening and operating multiple yoga studios for the studio chain Bamboomoves in NY and NJ from 2008-2013. For the next ten years, (before leaving it all behind to orchestrate successful festivals) Scott worked in a series of sales leadership roles managing dynamic teams at Union.fit, Yelp, and Live Edit, a MINDBODY Partner company. Scott’s humble ambition is simply to spread light in a world of darkness through content and events that uplift society and the individual.
