Yoga and live music are both renowned for their ancient healing and inspirational properties. Now, they can be experienced together at the first annual Olympia Yoga Festival. Experience harp, 12-string guitar, singing bowls and more paired with downward dogs, sun salutations and mountain poses.

Olympia Yoga Festival takes place Saturday, May 17, from 9 a.m. to midnight at The Olympia Ballroom. It brings in several of the South Sound's best yoga teachers, accompanied by some of Olympia's best live musicians.

Featuring six sessions, the yoga portion culminates in laughter yoga, which is followed by disco yoga (OK class, everyone move into "The Hustle" position). Concert headliners Rag Dharma, a moving classical Indian duo, and Sara Tone, an energetic, soulful singer/songwriter from Portland who is a festival veteran, top off the night. Since 2006, Tone has played The Oregon Country Fair and more.

Co-coordinators Daniel Landin and Kristen Rubis are both active in the local music and yoga communities, and found the event a fitting way to cross over two of Olympia's biggest loves.

"Once the Yoga Fest was being conceived for the ballroom space, I knew that we had the ability to do a really great job producing these classes with great live music simultaneously," says Landin. "And the classical Indian/Northwest roots music concert will be incredible."

There will be plenty to check out if you're not interested in busting out those yoga pants, however. You can still learn about classes and services in Olympia as studio representatives and other health care professionals will have informational booths throughout the day. To keep you going, local healthy food options like baked goods, coffee and chai will be available.  A raffle with prizes from local businesses will be part of the fun.

As a way to give back to the community, Landin and Rubis decided to make the event a benefit for Gateways for Incarcerated Youth. The organization pairs Evergreen State College students with incarcerated youth to help provide more education and opportunity, including a dual credit system that allows students to get both high school and college credit. Funding for the program helps pay tuition costs for those that want continued education after rehabilitation.

"I love Gateways. I worked as a residential counselor at Maple Lane School, a state institution for incarcerated boys where the Gateways program did its work," explains Landin. "I saw firsthand that Gateways was a big highlight of the week for all the youth who participated. One-on-one tutoring and really fun groups were held at the institution, and the fact that they also direct funds to buy tuition credits for youth who have graduated high school while incarcerated makes me really excited to support this organization."

OLYMPIA YOGA FESTIVAL, 9 a.m. to midnight, Saturday, May 17, The Olympia Ballroom, 116 Legion Way, Olympia, $10, $12-$20 concert, $65-$100 full pass, website