3 Things I Learned From Wanderlust SF
Cover Photo by Jayms Ramirez
By Sarah Schultz
On your marks, get set, flow.
Wanderlust SF is like the younger, city-slicking sibling of the famous Wanderlust Festival. While the original four-day fests take place in stunning spots throughout the US and Canada (think Tahoe, Whistler, and Oahu), this weekend-long event was nestled in SF’s Golden Gate Park. After battling traffic jams on the Bay Bridge, waiting (patiently, of course) for crowds of pedestrians to cross the streets, and getting turned around once or twice—I finally found some stillness in my city.
Wanderlust SF covered all the yogic bases, from adrenaline-pumping Kundalini yoga to gravity-defying Acroyoga, and every feel-good activity in between. Each day began with a group vinyasa flow and guided meditation; additional classes and seminars were offered à la carte for an additional fee.
Festivalgoers gathered at The Greatest Place (aka the main stage) Saturday and Sunday mornings for a 75-minute session led by world-renowned instructors—Chelsey Korus and MC Yogi, respectively—and powered by “sound ambassador, hip hopper, and mind astronaut” DJ Drez. Afterwards, I ventured out into the festival. Here are a few things I learned along the way.
1. It’s a marathon—not a sprint.
Primal yoga with a dancing savasana, HIIT workouts, barre classes, hula hooping: Wanderlust packs in plenty of power workouts. Space out the sweat seshs with gentler activities, like yoga nidra at The Sanctuary or talks at The Speakeasy to stay energized throughout the weekend. In theory, I wanted a stacked itinerary to take full advantage of the weekend. In practice, it was better to allow for time to process and reflect. Also, coffee and snack breaks are important.
Need a breather? Stroll the marketplace and peruse local, sustainable, and stylin’ vendors. My favorites here were Warrior Within and Wolven Threads.
2. Go with friends. Or not!
Asanas aside, I love yoga for the community and connections I’ve made along the way. Once such friend came with me Sunday, and it was great to have a sidekick, someone to delve into each experience with. Did you sort of hallucinate during that eye-gaze meditation? Cool, me too.Prefer to go it alone? Great! I flew solo day one, and any apprehension quickly turned into liberation. How often you can be on your own time, act on your own whims, and strike up conversations with total strangers? (Food truck lines were suuuuper long at noon.) If you head to Wanderlust alone, bring your favorite journal, grab some grass in between sessions, and go inward.
3. Do yoga, every day.
And do it outside whenever you can.That is all.
WANDERLUST SF HIGHLIGHTS:
Amplified Yoga: Repeat after me: “I am bountiful, I am beautiful, I am blissful, I am, I am.” I danced and pranced and chanted this mantra over and over with a hundred others to the deep house beats of DJ Sol Rising. Amplified creator Donovan McGrath uses movement, rhythm, and affirmations to help his students amplify the best parts of themselves. I left class with a huge smile and newfound sense of lightness.
Astro Nidra to Make Friends with Saturn: Teacher Jana Roemer explained the current astrological aspects of Saturn, how it impacts society as a whole, and why my life seems to fall apart—and then back together—every seven years. She combines her knowledge of the Universe’s starscape with yoga nidra, which helps us access that rare space between awake and asleep, where inner knowledge and awareness resides.
Body, Breath, and Intuitive Powers: Piece by piece, intuitive yoga instructor and love advocate Caley took her most powerful learnings and created a beautiful mosaic of breathwork, energy channeling, and eye-gaze meditation techniques that activated our two seats of intuition: the heart and the belly.
To learn more about Wanderlust visit: wanderlust.com.
