It was love at first pose when Beth Wright attended her first session at Unsize Me Hot Yoga Studio in Oak Harbor.

At the time, Wright was working as a registered nurse at the former Whidbey General Hospital (now WhidbeyHealth Medical Center).

Though the concept of yoga intrigued her for some time, she said it was a friend from work who persuaded her to try it first-hand.

“I thought it was wonderful,” Wright said of that first warm yoga class.

Two and-a-half years later, Wright is retired from her 40-year career in nursing, which included more than 12 years on the ER floor, and now attends about five hot yoga classes per week along with her husband, Donald, who is retired from the Coast Guard.

The Wrights will be two out of the hundreds of yoga enthusiasts convening at Fort Nugent Park Saturday for the fourth annual Whidbey Island YogaFest.

The festival is 10 a.m. to noon. Admission is free with donation of a canned food item for Oak Harbor Help House.

The festival was founded and is coordinated by Unsize Me Hot Yoga Studio instructor and owner Carol Sele.

Sele said that all ages and abilities are welcome to attend, including expert yogis as well as those who have never stepped foot on a mat.

Sele said she envisions the festival one day being a tourist attraction, beckoning visitors to enjoy the environment while learning and experiencing the benefits of yoga.

“I really feel that yoga has changed my life in multiple positive ways,” Wright said. “I can’t recommend it enough.”

“It really is medicine.”

It appears Sele’s dream is beginning to come to fruition. In an email, Sele wrote that she expects this year’s festival to be “larger than ever,” with sponsors attending from off-island locales including Portland, Seattle and even Maryland.

In addition to professional yoga instruction, the event will include live ambient music, raffles, health-based vendors and entertainment acts like acro yoga and hula-hooping.

“There’s no downside to it,” Wright said of the festival. “It’s a lot of fun, a great feeling of community and everybody is welcome.”