It has been almost a week since my incredible weekend in the Olympic Village of Sqaw Valley, North Lake Tahoe, where I had the great pleasure of attending and participating in Jeff Krasnow’s Wanderlust Festival. Wanderlust is a one-of-a-kind festival bringing together renown yoga teachers and both contemporary music and some kirtan artists, all in a setting of breathtaking natural beauty. In addition to the great setting, classes, workshops and performances, it is great to share it all with a community of like-minded people who honor a common set of interests and values. To quote the official website: “It’s a mix of healthy hedonism and spiritual exploration.”
I got to perform with Steve Gold and a group of world-class musicians for massive outdoor yoga classes led by Shiva Rae and Janet Stone, as well as do a concert with Steve and talk with press and fans about the Yoga Revolution CD, a project which embraces many of the same qualities of Wanderlust (especially if you listen to it in nature). I also enjoyed talks and workshops on Anusara with John Friend and the Power of Sound (one of my favorite subjects) with my friend Alex Theory. Some of the musical highlights included Moby’s acoustic set, Kelli Scarr and the Mayapuris. Of course, it was a pleasure, as always, to share in the great musical vibes of friends Dave Stringer, Shaman’s Dream and Donna De Lory. If I had one thing I would like to see differently, it would be to have more full live performances by line-minded headline artists for the late night sets on the magnificent outdoor main stage. Maybe with the great success of this year’s festival, and the increased numbers of yogi’s attending (classes and workshops were completely sold out on some of the days) Jeff might be able to afford to do that next year.
The charity supported by this year’s festival and the Yoga Aid initiative was Off the Mat (www.offthematintotheworld.org), a great organization headed by highly inspiring yoginis and teachers Seane Corn, Hala Khouri and Susanne Sterling. Off the Mat, Into the World uses the power of yoga to inspire conscious, sustainable activism to ignite grass roots and social change.
Below is a quick rough video Kasey from Yoga Aid and Mastin from Daily Love put together from Sunday’s activities, including Shiva’s Sunday morning Blues/Gospel class and asana practice that I played for with Steve Gold and friends.
