STRATTON, Vermont, June 24, 2011 –Yoga enthusiasts have descended on southern Vermont almost as fast as the rains that are making the Green Mountains live up to their name.
Thursday morning brought the opening of Wanderlust Vermont, a four-day festival that offers yoga lovers the chance to develop their physical and spiritual practice while enjoying music, wellness- and eco-minded vendors, healthy food and, if they don't mind soggy boots, excursions into the wilderness.
Serious yogis can attend up to four or five different classes each day, choosing from a robust array of classes. Some time slots offering as many as ten different options in various traditions, including Anusara, Ashtanga, Kundalini, and Vinyasa. This is like the Baskin Robbins of yoga: the flavors are many.
Although many classes are in the asana track for a physical practice of yoga poses, there are also classes offering experiences with meditation and pranayama (guided breathing) as well as workshops and "speakeasy" sessions where fans get to sit and talk with big-time yogis and thinkers like Deepak Chopra and Anusara Yoga founder John Friend, who earlier this week hosted the Anusara Grand Circle, a gathering of some 300 Anusara enthusiasts.
No two experiences at Wanderlust could be the same with all the choices of classes, not to mention the fact that so much of this festival is about an individual coming to a place of peace in the heart and ease in the body. Well, for the hula-hoopers and acro-yogis, perhaps it's a higher priority to learn and practice skills. Those folks sure are fun to watch, though the weather has put a damper on the public displays of acrobatics on expanse of lawn that was supposed to be "Village Anusara." Wanderlust organizers have been busy moving classes because of rain-soaked grounds, but once in a class, no one seems to mind the cloudy skies. There is plenty to do inside.
One couldn't possibly take in a full schedule of classes and also get around to all the vendors, speakers, and musical acts. Lucky for the "pilgrims, seekers, and sages," as their tickets call them, Wanderlust can now be experienced in multiple cities across the U.S.
Jessica Claire Haney is a freelance writer, editor and tutor. Her writing has appeared in parenting publications and poetry journals. A former high school English teacher, Jessica is mother to a five-year-old son and a baby girl. She is passionate about holistic health and well-being and is a leader of a chapter of Holistic Moms Network.
Jessica's blog is Crunchy-Chewy Mama, crunchychewymama.com, and her writer's site is jessicaclairehaney.com.
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