2019 Keynote Speaker

Keith Mitchell

2019: Big Bear Yoga Festival is thrilled to announce that Keith Mitchell will be joining us as our keynote speaker on Saturday, October 5th and will stay to offer a special workshop on Sunday, October 6th!


About Keith Mitchell

Keith Mitchell is a former All-Pro NFL player turned Celebrity Yogi, a Motivational Mindfulness Coach, Holistic Health, Fitness and Wellness Advocate, Community Activist, Humanitarian and Founder of the Light it Up Foundation.

NFL All-Pro Football Player and Professional Athlete Keith Mitchell #59, was a former linebacker for the New Orleans Saints, Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars. Respected on the field for making record-setting defensive tackles and quarterback sacks, a modern day warrior experiencing an elite earning bracket very few people in the world ever achieve. He was living the American Dream. And it all ended in a moment. At the apex of his success, a paralyzing tackle caused a spinal injury that ended his football career and forced him into the agony of early retirement at only 31 years old.

Transition was unavoidable; his choice was to either enter the depths of defeat or to find the strength to overcome these seeming obstacles he faced. Keith dug deep, unwilling to surrender to the plague of emotional depression and the physical atrophy he had seen happen to many NFL peers after similar traumas. So, in his darkest hour, Keith discovered conscious breathing, Yoga, and meditation. He found that these daily practices not only helped him physically recover from his injury, but created a refreshing sense of self-awareness and fulfillment that far surpassed his love for football.

After experiencing a profound, life-changing transformation from daily yoga and mindfulness disciplines, Keith developed a desire to share these liberating tools with others. He soon realized that many audiences had little to no exposure to these empowering and healing tools he discovered that were paramount to his healing. Keith started on his new life path: To speak out, teach and lead by example.

Today, Keith has again risen to the top of his game. He is a Master Certified Yoga Instructor with more than 12 years of experience, and an International Teacher/Speaker, presenting at such prestigious venues, groups and non-profits as: The Omega Institute, Deepak Chopra’s Homebase (NYC) , Sleepy Hollow Country Club, Four Season Hotel, Wanderlust, Sedona Yoga Conference, LA Coliseum, Just Breathe and Congressional Yoga Association( in Washington DC with Congressman Tim Ryan), Austin Capitol with Unify, LAPD and many more.

Keith founded The Light It Up Foundation , a 501C3 non-profit organization. Through his charity and altruistic endeavors he initiated the KM59 wellness movement which is intentionally changing the lives of our youth, trauma survivors, first responders and VETS. Keith works with communities, schools and organizations to introduce mindfulness, meditation and movement through Yoga.

Through encouraging consistent, self-empowerment practices, Keith is committed to his mission of inspiring major transformation in the lives of millions. Keith has been featured in many national media outlets including Dr. Oz, USA Today, People, Sports Illustrated, Fox News, The Huffington Post, Mantra Magazine, Yoga Journal, Mind-Body- Green, The Los Angeles Times, Ebony, Essence, NFL Films, LA Yoga and more.


Saturday October 5th, 2019

Keith will be sharing with us a FREE lecture to all attendees on Saturday, October 5th. He will share his story of struggle, victory, injury and empowerment. Join Keith from 1-2pm at Big Bear Yoga Festival to be inspired.

Sunday October 6th, 2019

On Sunday, October 6th Keith is staying to offer a super special post-festival workshop from 10am-12noon including deeper exploration of mindfulness and restorative yoga. When you purchase your Sunday workshop pass, you also get your choice of morning yoga classes along with Shavasana Together with David Phears to seal the practice with a closing ceremony, meditation and light snacks.