Yoga is large part of the music festival scene. At Wanderlust, however, yoga is the main focus of the whole festival. The festival started in Tahoe at Squaw Valley in 2009 and has returned every year since while also expanding to equally as beautiful locations around the globe including Hawaii, Colorado, Canada and New Zealand. This past weekend was a return to the festivals roots at Squaw as it continues to be the premier location and many attendees have been frequenting the festival from the beginning.
Before the festival begins you can schedule the classes you want to attend online and be sure to do so early as the popular classes fill up rather quickly. Some of the more popular classes were Acro Yoga, which combines skills in both yoga and acrobatics, and suspension yoga in which participants perform while suspended by a cloth suspension system. A massive line-up of renowned yogi’s offered classes including Seane Corne, Rod Stryker, Sara Ivanhoe, and many more. A full line up can be viewed here
Even if you aren’t a diehard yogi there are plenty of beginner classes to test the waters. While most of the classes are yoga based there are also other activities offered including biking, hiking, running, slack lining, and even hula hooping. One of the classes that interested me was ChiRunning. While it didn’t involve any yoga there were properties of yoga applied to running technique. There were also speakers covering topics such as meditation and yoga culture. For those that are interested in taking your yoga training to the next level you should look into the yoga teacher training that is offered during the festival.
While yoga takes the main stage of Wanderlust there is still plenty of music to experience. This year the headliners included Nahko and Medicine for the People and Big Gigantic. Nahko has been on quite a few festival line-ups recently and has continued to prove their worth, providing a jam band sound with deep meaningful lyrics. Big Gigantic is always a must see with their combination of live saxophone and drums mixed with electronic music. The show didn’t end after the headliners and the party continued late into the night with DJ’s including DJ HyFi and Ana Sia.
Throughout the day there was also music in the village and at High Camp, which featured pool parties and yoga classes at 8,200 feet with access provided via tram. Around the village of the resort there are vendors set up selling yoga gear and everything from jewelry to hammocks. The shops and restaurants in the village are also open offering even more shopping and eating opportunities. Food is a huge part of the Wanderlust experience. There are farm to table dinners offered throughout the festival providing fresh and healthy meals perfect for ending a day full of activity and preparing for the night ahead. Vendors in the village also offer plenty of food options including many raw, vegan and gluten free options. My personal favorite was Lydia’s, which offers an excellent raw menu that will give you plenty of energy. They have been serving food at festivals all around the west coast so be sure to look out for them.
At Wanderlust you are able to buy individual passes to specific classes or concerts, which allows for a lot of flexibility that most festivals don’t offer. It also takes place right by Lake Tahoe, which is a scenic summer paradise offering a great selection of activities outside of the festival including kayaking, hiking, and biking. Wanderlust at Squaw allows you to create your own unique festival experience amongst like-minded people in a beautiful location.
The next Wanderlust Festival takes place in Whistler, BC from July 31st-August 4th. More information on that and other upcoming events can be found here: http://wanderlust.com/yoga-festivals
By FestPop Staff Writer, Chris Rozzo
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