It’s Just Yoga Festival will bring thousands of yogis to Lake Eola this weekend

If you find yourself curious about terms like downward dog and child's pose but fearful of yoga studios, downtown Orlando has just the event for you this weekend.

The sixth annual "It's Just Yoga" festival is back at Lake Eola Park March 8, bringing thousands of yogis of all experience levels for a day of fitness and fun.

Colette Ferrell, the event's producer, has been practicing yoga for 15 years but recognizes it can seem daunting for first-timers.

The store's products include leggings, jackets, swimsuits, bags, water bottles, yoga mats and accessories.

"I saw the need because a lot of people are intimidated to go into a yoga studio for the first time — they think everyone's a size two and you have to be able to twist like a pretzel," she said. "The classes range from beginners all the way up to acro and aerial [yoga], so we'll have aerial rigs where people can do flips and try it along with acro classes."

In addition to yoga demos and classes, a health and fitness marketplace will offer the estimated 5,000 attendees a chance to browse athletic wear, sample kombucha and purchase essential oils. This year's festival will also include more vegan food options than previous years, plus plenty of free samples.

A new element of this year's festival is a large-scale meditation beginning at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

"We're doing Orlando's largest meditation. We're trying to bring as many people together as possible to do a three-minute positive energy, heartfelt meditation," Ferrell said.

The event will bring in teachers from a variety of Orlando-area yoga studios and is entirely donation-based with proceeds benefitting New Hope for Kids. The nonprofit supports children and families grieving the loss of a loved one.

In her six years of putting on the It's Just Yoga Festival, Ferrell has found that the gathering can provide a doorway for beginners into the world of yoga while also giving experts a chance to explore their passion. After all, the event's slogan is "Yoga for everyone, yoga for you."

The prerequisites for participating are simple: "A smiling face and an open heart — as long as you have that, you can do yoga," Ferrell said.

If you go: The It's Just Yoga Festival is at 512 E Washington St. in Orlando 10 a.m.-5 p.m. March 8. Donations benefitting New Hope for Kids are encouraged for attendees. For more information, visit itsjustyogafest.com.

This story originally appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com.