The World’s Only Mindful Triathlon
Yesterday I spent the day at Wanderlust 108 in Golden Gate Park, which is a spinoff of the Wanderlust festivals that take place in the world’s most beautiful mountain resorts. The Wanderlust 108 bills itself as “a field day for your mind, body and soul. . . vibrant community, self-awareness and inner peace. Community instead of competition? You can’t beat that.” There’s a 5K in the morning, followed by 75 minutes of yoga flow underscored by a DJ. Then a 30-minute guided meditation to complete the mindful triathlon.
Wanderlust Festivals tour trucks
Speedway Meadows with more than 1,000 people
Sunday in the park with yoga
The stage during the meditation session
I skipped the 5K, but I wanted to make the yoga and meditation sessions. Plus, I was scheduled to work as a volunteer with AIReal Yoga from 1:30 – 3:30 pm. My duties included adjusting the hammocks for the participants, assisting them in their poses and misting the “cocoons” with essential oils while they rested in shavasana. I was also asked to capture the last session on video for the instructor on her iPad, a job I was happy to do. Here’s a short clip I captured on my own phone.
Here are my photos:
It was serendipitous that I was even able to attend this event. My Yoga Teacher Training was supposed to start April 23-24th, but the studio postponed it, yet again! I was slightly bummed because now I’ll miss the first classes as I’ll be on my Camino next month. Then I remembered that I really wanted to go to this Wanderlust 108 festival that happened to be on the same weekend. As they say, when one door closes, another opens. I went to the event’s Facebook page and saw that AIReal Yoga was looking for volunteers. I signed up, and with that, got free admission to the festival!
I had a chance to try it before my shift. I felt like Spidey!
Not only did I get to do yoga outdoors on a beautiful day in SF, but I got to try a new style of yoga! It was exhilarating and reminded me of when I used to play on the monkey bars at recess in elementary school. Everyone at the festival who tried it loved it and asked where the studio is. The closest is in Ventura, CA, but they hope to open one in the Bay Area soon. I’m all for it! What’s not to love about doing yoga suspended in mid air! At the end of the day I dismantled the hammocks from their rigs and can vouch for the strength of the hardware holding it up. Nobody got hurt and everyone had a great time.
For more information, visit AIRealYoga.com. For Wanderlust 108 upcoming events, visit wanderlust.com/108s/
The Camino Provides 
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