Yoga Fest TX – Wanderlust Dallas

I have been very lucky this year. (And a little unlucky, but why dwell on that right?).
So far this year I have been able to attend 3 different yoga festivals across the state.
Wanderlust in Dallas
Whole Lotta Yoga in Houston
and the Find What Feels Good Roadshow in Austin
Us Texans are so fortunate to live in such a big, beautiful, diverse state and that same energy applies to our yoga communities as well. I am especially grateful for these opportunities because, as you may remember, I recently made it a goal to spend a little more time focusing on being a student again.
Each festival was amazing and fulfilling in their own ways and I just wanted to chat a little bit about them here.

 

First up on the docket is….

 

 

In April I attended Wanderlust in Dallas. This event is a Mindful Triathlon which includes a 5K, yoga practice, and group meditation. There are also mini workshops you can sign up for throughout the day. (I tried my hand at Aerial Yoga for the first time and it was so fun!)
I road-tripped to Dallas with some sweet yogi friends and students and stayed with one of my dearest college friends. Honestly, that alone would have been worth the trip. I love visiting friends and building relationships. And I’m always thankful that I know so many kind souls who are willing to offer me their passenger seats and couches.

 

 

Now if you’ll remember, I sprained my ankle in February of this year and because I can’t manage to slow down even with torn ligaments, in April I still wasn’t quite healed. So unfortunately, I did not run the 5K. (I mean let’s be honest, I pretended it was unfortunate, I’ve never run anything a day in my life- my feelings were not that hurt.)

 

So while everyone else was running, I took that time to check out all the vendors- crowd free. This may have been my favorite part of the day. The quite energy, the calm, the beautiful blue skies to enjoy. I checked out all the shops, had some body art done, and meditated and journaled on my own. It was beautiful and private and a nice little re-charge in the middle of a busy weekend.

 

 

Once the 5K was done and my friends and new community started to trickle back to the park, things began to pick up. I went to my Aerial workshop. It was really interesting and fun, but so so short. (30 minutes). Also we were outside and it was pretty windy, which turns out, makes it hard to control your silks. The poses and sequencing were fun, but difficult to navigate with a sprained ankle (I was especially worried any time I had to wrap my ankle around the silks). And unfortunately the wind made our final savasana pretty miserable for me. The instructor asked us to essentially cocoon ourselves into our silks by laying back and stretching them further than the length of our bodies so that we were laying horizontal with the silk surrounding us entirely. I snuggled in just as I was told, and then the wind picked up. I ended up spending the first few moments spinning steadily counter-clockwise until finally I got so nauseous I had to wriggle my feet out to touch the ground and eventually sit all the way up. Not exactly the way you want to feel leaving any yoga class, but especially not one where you know you still have 2 more hours of yoga ahead.

 

 

After that I settled in for the 90 minute session with Chelsey Korus. We were smooshed together pretty tight, so it was a little hard to navigate, but Chelsey is a beautiful soul and an acro-yoga guru. Her Instagram is always filled with pure joy and inspiration (and maybe just a little jealousy on my part). ((OOOPS! Yogi’s aren’t supposed to admit to feeling jealous, disregard that.))
I really enjoyed this flow. She lead us slowly but surely into compass pose, which isn’t one I practice regularly so it was fun to push myself in a new direction. It was a sweaty and fun flow that got everyone moving and breathing and connecting to our neighbors, which are always my favorite things about outdoor yoga events.
Following the class was a 30 minute guided meditation with Enrique Collazo. I enjoyed this so much. Enrique introduced himself and discussed some of the work he has done and then lead us through a meditation. The elements combined to really allow me to dive deep. His voice, the music, the beautiful sun and warm weather. My heart and body were primed and he offered me the chance to finish out my practice beautifully.

 

 

After the meditation was lunch, my girlfriends and I opted to get the picnic lunch with our ticket purchase and let me tell you, that was the most delicious Buddha Bowl I’ve ever had. (I mean I might have been biased because I was STARVING by then, but seriously, it was dang good). We did one final lap to the vendors and then we were on our way.
Overall I really enjoyed the day. It was certainly the biggest yoga festival or yoga event I’ve ever been to. It was well organized, everyone was kind, and the energy was uplifting and fun (though perhaps a little corporate – Adidas and Ford were the 2 biggest sponsors and their presence was very felt.)
But at the end of the day, I was so glad I made the trip. It was really beautiful to be a part of something so big and to be surrounded by so many yoga-minded folks.