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Wanderlust 2012 Inspires, Invigorates And Informs

: By Nick Rhodes; Published on July 11, 2012

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Read our daily coverage from Wanderlust Colorado 2012 by checking out the links below:

Day 1 – Quixotic, Elephant Revival
Day 2 – Beats Antique, Quixotic, Gramatik
Day 3 – Ziggy Marley, Stephane Wrembel
Day 4 – Deepak Choprah, slack-line yoga

Photo Credit: Sarah Silvas

The weekend of Wanderlust approached with much anticipation. A four-day yoga and music festival set within the beautiful and all-too-appropriate mountain resort of Copper Mountain, Colorado had regular festivalgoers wondering how the event would run its course. As more and more large-scale festivals are integrating mind and body practices into their schedules, Wanderlust does the opposite by weaving music into several days of mental and physical activities.

The idea of combining music and yoga is far from a new idea though – Woodstock integrated it from the very beginning. Yogi Tom Law opened the iconic 1969 event with a session of Kundalini yoga and continued to teach some basic asana and prana practices throughout the weekend. It was in this moment that many concertgoers became lifetime yoga students.

Photo Credit: Sarah Silvas

One of those people was Dr. Ron Alexander, who found that intertwining yoga and music resulted in interpersonal experiences that met and surpassed the experiences rooted in consuming widespread, conscious–altering substances. From mind and body pioneer Dr. Alexander to the more recent musician and philosopher Jamie Janover, many leaders in both the music and wellness communities are coming together to create festivals for individuals that are looking to feed their Wander-lust hunger.

So what exactly is Wander-lusting? Derived from each individual’s need to travel far and wide to gather as a community among others with similar interests, Wanderlust fulfills the inner need to wander into a temporary society that will allow them to trade thoughts, concepts, culture and more.

Once the gathering has ended, the participants take this knowledge back to their own communities and continue the sharing of information until they lust for wandering again – thus, the cycle repeats itself. For thousands of years, societies have wandered in the same manner that many of us do today to gather in the name of art, culture and knowledge. What Wanderlust does is focus on a multitude of topics that appeal to wide variety of interests. It was truly amazing to live within this society for four full days, soaking up every bit of knowledge imparted on participants.

Photo Credit: Sarah Silvas

Each day brought a multitude of highs and exciting activities. Day one was the typical opening with some light participation, lots of exploring and a whole lot of anticipation as the night ended early. A highlight of the day was Seane Corn’s, Everyday Miracles class, which focused on a beginner’s asana flow drawing on the theme of the class’s title.

Another amazing experience to witness was Quixotic’s opening ceremony in the Lucy Tent Thursday evening. This theatrical act featured live performers as well as a rock-like orchestra, and each move of the dancers was perfectly choreographed to every musical note. As bodies contorted into unbelievable shapes, everyone was mesmerized. Being the third Quixotic performance I’ve seen within a month, I just had to ask Anthony Magliano, the group’s founder and creative director, how they do it. He shared that Quixotic’s theme is be “innovative and interact with the audience they are performing for.”

Since they had the opportunity to be the first act on stage of the weekend, Magliano said that Quixotic was able to present some of their top sets such as projection art and dancers interacting with multiple visuals and props.

Photo Credit: Sarah Silvas

Being on the remaining dates of Wanderlust’s traveling festival in the U.S. and Canada, Magliano said that this festival concept is a perfect community for Quixotic to perform to. The athletic artistry of the performers is truly appreciated by the audience, as everyone is in touch with their spirituality and bodies – something that yogis and performers can relate to on a common level.

As day two came, so did the gloomy weather, which remained nearly all weekend. Putting a slight damper on things with rain, the cooler weather made hikes easier and outside yoga appear not as strenuous. Beginning the day with a lecture with Dr. Ron Alexander on the relation between music and yoga within festivals, it really came to light how imperative and complimentary these practices are to each other. It was a wonderful way to set the tone for the rest of the weekend as well as offer topics of contemplation for festivals to come.

Day two also brought one of the best yoga classes of Wanderlust, Yoga Lite fm with Seane Corn. While the asanas and flow of the class were quite basic, Corn’s ability to weave in fun, sing-along type songs, got our blood flowing as everyone belted lyrics through a solid warrior series as well as hip-openers on the floor. A class to remember, I can’t wait to find myself in another Seane Corn class sometime in my future. Closing out the day with Beats Antique and Gramatik on the Main Stage, the day was perfectly rounded out with challenges, dancing and excitement.

Photo Credit: Sarah Silvas

Day three was amazing, as I had the opportunity to listen to Aron Ralston speak about his 127 hours stuck in a Utah canyon alone and having to amputate his own arm to free himself then hike several hours to a rescue team. Truly a story of inspiration, Ralston shared with us how to turn life’s “Boulders into Blessings.”

To continue with the mood of gratefulness, an afternoon class with Off the Mat yoga instructors, Kerri Kelly and Suzanne Sterline, took the cake on the best yoga class of the weekend. Playful yet powerful, “Fierce Courage, Divine Play,“ called upon our inner strength during the first half of the class as we worked through a rigorous asana flow. The second half of the class was all about releasing your inner child with lots of dancing, singing and just plain being silly. It was a well-rounded experience. Ending day three with Ziggy Marley, the packed Main Stage swayed to the reggae sounds, releasing any tension built up during the day.

As day four approached, so did lots of sore muscles. Taking it easy, sitting in on lectures and observing classes was more my style on the final day. Having the opportunity to watch lots of hoopers and slackliners tackle physical challenges was certainly entertaining.

In the afternoon, many Wanderlusters packed into the Lucy Tent for a lecture from Deepak Chopra touching on the topics of the science of the human body, yoga and ending on the note that, “each day is a gift which should elicit the response of gratefulness.” It was a great way to close out a weekend of exploration and introspection.

While not your average festival, Wanderlust was definitely one that I’d recommend everyone try at least once. It was a beautiful fusion of art, culture, wellness and much more. Wanderlust opened my mind and heart to ideas and knowledge that I can’t wait to impart on others in my life. I can say for sure, Wanderlust 2013 will be a festival not to be missed.