Yoga for me started down the Dhyana (meditation) limb of the yoga tree. For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a meditation practice, even before I knew what that was. I associated that to being an introvert but as I learned more about Yoga, I learned that it was meditation the entire time.
When I realized there was more to yoga than just the meditation part, I was hooked and couldn’t wait to fall in love with all of the other pieces to it. Enter Asanas (yoga postures).
The asanas haven’t been an easy part of my journey. Although I teach, I often feel like I’m not doing them right, partly because my hips are incredibly tight and vinyasa style classes often move so quickly through the poses it’s hard to get into them properly – which is why I teach a slow flow class.
Any who…
During a vision board ritual I found Wanderlust! Wanderlust became a pivotal point of every vision board I created. This festival housed the eight limbs of yoga like nothing I had ever been a part of before. I was quickly hooked and looked up to them. I made it bucket list goal to go to Squaw Valley, the home of the Wanderlust festivals.
As fate would have it, in November, Wanderlust offered a Black Friday deal, a passport that would give access to ALL the festivals world wide for the cost of ONE 3 day festival. I didn’t have a choice, THIS was my chance and again fate was on my side. My newly single bestie, freshly out of credit card debit from a bad marriage was all in! We gobbled up the passports right away.
As if the all access wasn’t enough they promised freebies throughout 2019 and a team dedicated to support us in our new adventure. I couldn’t be happier!
But promises are often misleading.
With the passport I knew I would be going to Squaw Valley, Minneapolis, Denver and potentially Chicago. Tickets covered just room and board needed, easy, I thought!
Plane and hotel reservations were made for Squaw and less than a month out, Wanderlust cancelled Minneapolis event.
The Minneapolis event holds a special place in my heart. It’s the first opportunity I had to experience Wanderlust. It was only a one day event, a mindful triathlon. It started with a 5K, a yoga class followed by a meditation. My other yoga bestie and I always went and one of our favorite teachers taught it. The mini festival made me crave the 4 day festivals more than EVER. But a yearly tradition was being cancelled? WTF? Now that I have FULL access, what other events were going to be canned?
Denver.
Denver wasn’t exactly cancelled but changed from a mini 2 day festival to two one day festivals… WHAT? So two Minneapolis festivals? That doesn’t sound as great as a two day festival.
Because of these two major issues AND the fact that I had SO much trouble scheduling classes through the apps and tech support knows me by name… I couldn’t help but create a mantra to make it through.
My mantra: Wanderlust is NOT yoga, Wanderlust is not yoga…. has been on repeat for me lately.
It has made me realize that Wanderlust is a company, companies need to make money and THAT is not yoga.
*******
Fast forward to the actual festival. I went directly from a road trip, to my besties house where we woke up at 4am to get to the airport in time. That much traveling in two days is a ton, I mean, we’re talking 4 different time zones in a manner of 2 days, is a LOT. I was exhausted going in.
When we got into Reno we decided to hit a burger joint and I’m not lying when I say it was the BEST burger I’ve ever had. The French fries were topped with minced garlic they were equally amazing. I’d like to say that I didn’t lick the plate, but… you would have too.
The drive to Squaw was so incredible. We were surrounded by Mother Nature’s beauty. Mountains hugged us as we drove into the valley. It was so incredible and I’m surprised we didn’t get into an accident because Steph and I were both paying more attention to the mountains than we were to the road. We made it safely. After a quick stop at the grocery store we headed to the lodge.
It didn’t disappoint.
After we settled in, we headed to the festival check-in. That was a little anticlimactic. For the Wanderlust festivals in Minneapolis, you could just gain entrance for a minimal fee, or you could upgrade and get a ton of swag. The last festival we did in Minneapolis we got a canvas bag, travel yoga mat, a bandana, lunch and a race bib. Knowing that was all for less than one hundred I couldn’t imagine what the swag bag would be for a FESTIVAL especially with the PASSPORT!!! At check-in they can tell what kind of pass we have so this is going to be great, I thought.
We spent $495 for the passport and this was the swag bag for the festival. An yoga mat strap and a Fierce Forward bracelet.
Really?
The promises of free gear all year long, this was an EXTREME let down. The entire cost of this festival, plane, passport, hotel, rental car is not something I want to think about and THIS is the swag… damn.
I didn’t want to start the festival in a deficit but this swag didn’t even come in a bag…
******
What the festival lacked in swag it made up for in the talent of the teachers.
Tune into the next post for specifics!