Photo by Megan Kathleen for Wanderlust Festival
“Aaauuummm” It was a hot July day and several hundred voices rang out in unison, seamlessly overlapping each other in a prolonged intonation of harmony.
You could almost feel the vibration reverberate off the surrounding mountains and the essence of peace, love and joy created by the mantra was palpable.
Just minutes prior, following a vinyasa flow class, this same calm and unified group had left a rainbow of mats to rush the stage for an impromptu dance party. Led by the impassioned and inspirational Seane Corn the crowd danced unabashedly to the high energy sounds of Michael Franti before returning to their spots for a final meditation.
Photos by Live Dream Discover
The catalyst for this gathering was Wanderlust, the producers of the largest yoga lifestyle festival in the world.
The location was Whistler, British Columbia, a renowned resort with some of the most spectacular natural scenery on the planet. It was a match made in heaven.
Wanderlust in Whistler was a five day event offering a cornucopia of experiences for lovers of yoga, wellness, food, music and nature. Everything from Aireal Yoga to paddle-boarding, lectures to dance parties and organic edibles to wine tastings were available to enjoy. It was a celebration of living well and the setting of a vibrant village in the middle of the majestic mountains and crystal clear lakes meant there was something for all ages and preferences.
Photos by Melanie Boling for Wanderlust Festival
“Creating community around mindful living”
If you missed this fabulous festival in Whistler do not despair. Wanderlust produces many events every year all over the world with a mission of “creating community around mindful living”. In 2015 alone they will hold over 25 events including festivals like the one we attended plus Wanderlust 108. The 108 is a “mindful triathlon” incorporating a 5k run, an outdoor yoga experience and a guided meditation followed by a celebration with music, food and crafts.
Although we didn’t attend any of the ticketed classes, through chatting with attendees and leaders and participating in the open sessions and events we were still able to get a really good feel for the Wanderlust Festival. We found it to be a perfect fit for our focus at Live Dream Discover of striving for balanced living and traveling.
Photos by Jason Wilde for Wanderlust Festival
Wanderlust incorporates many of the components that we feel are vital to attaining good life balance: wellness, community, nature, fitness, adventure, learning, growing, music, mindfulness, food and wine! So you can be sure that we will be following Wanderlust and plan to attend more events as we continue our travels. Maybe we’ll see some of you at a future festival and we can join together in a fabulous communal “Aum” at some other stunning location in the world.
Namaste fellow balance seeking wanderlusters!
Photo by Megan Kathleen for Wanderlust Festival
Born in England, Sarah developed her wanderlust at a young age as she traveled around Europe with her parents. As a young adult she spent every penny she could on experiences as opposed to possessions. Eventually she found a way to earn a living doing what she loved: traveling, writing and capturing images of the wondrous world we live in. When not on the go Sarah enjoys time in her “sometimes home” of Vancouver.