Let Me See You Do That Yoga

Yoga and spiritual retreats are all the rage right now with many to choose from. There are meditation retreats in India, yoga and spiritual retreats in Bali and yoga festivals in pretty much every city.

When choosing a company to go with decide what you are looking for. Is it location? Is it the best instructors? Is it individualized attention? Is it small classes?

I have been to many yoga festivals however my personal favorite are the wanderlust festivals. I love how organized Wanderlust is. You can tell they have professional event planners on staff. They hire the best instructors in the world as well as the best DJs to make their classes more fun and energetic. The entire experience from the trendy organic foods, the epic locations, the unique classes and the concerts at night are all tailor made for someone like me.

There are full festivals which include 1-4 day passes as well as Wanderlust 108 which goes to major cities. I loved both festivals. Wanderlust 108 is very affordable and is an introduction to what you would experience at the normal festival. I will say the instructors, DJs and overall vibe are only 1/100th of what you would experience at the 4 day fests but it’s still a great option.

I chose to go to Wanderlust Squaw Valley in Lake Tahoe because it was the original location for their first festival. It was also on my bucket list of places I wanted to go. It was the perfect location because you were all in the same area and could choose from camping or a hotel and because it was the site of the Olympics they had amazing pools at the top of the hill.

Tips:

Save up for it. All in all, it will probably cost $1,000-$2,000 depending on how you do it and if you are from the city or not.
Sign up early.
Create your schedule early because the good classes fill up right away.
Don’t fret if you don’t get into a class. They take walk ins and I was able to get into any of the classes. Aerial yoga however will be very hard to get a walk in spot.
Pick the ad on’s. Your going to be too tired to explore so the evening wine tasting and concert will be fun. It’s more money but worth it.
Do the 4 day so you don’t feel like you have to do 4 things each day.
Stay in a hotel as you are going to be pretty sore so camping is not ideal. Also, the hotel may have a hot tub which is nice.
Take a few classes that are completely out of your comfort zone.
Come well rested. It’s a busy weekend and you will need all of your energy.
Ditch all expectations. It’s a weekend of spirituality, yoga and peace. Whatever the experience brings will be what you needed.
Talk to strangers. You can meet some new yoga festival buddies for future fests!
Bring tiger balm.
Mat and Body Wipes. You will be very sweaty and the day is pretty packed.
Invest in a nice yoga bag as you will be carrying your mat everywhere. Preferably with a few pockets for sunscreen, snacks and your refillable water bottle. I love this one from Gaiam.
The food is amazing so try to make time to stop by the vendors.
Many vendors have sales on Sundays so you may be able to snag some great yoga gear.
I lived in yoga pants and tank tops. Bring a few pairs for each day. Also, they have theme days which are fun to participate in.
Bring some snacks. You are constantly running from one place to the next so its hard to grab food. They have a lot of vendors with free samples so make sure you stop by their tents.