YogaForce at Wanderlust

I drove up on Wednesday and arrived at PlumpJack about 5.  I way over-packed.  But that is why I drove in the first place.  Jon G. helped me get all my bags into the room and I unpacked just in time to meet a local friend for dinner.  The service at PlumpJack is v good.  So is the food and of course the famous PlumpJack wine is an added treat.

In the morning I woke up and walked across the street to WANDERLUST to explore all the vendors and the sites.  I had scheduled a 10:00 HoopYogini class with Jocelyn Gordon.  It was a blast!  The last time I hooped I was about 7 years old.  The trick is getting the right size.  Jocelyn explained that the hoop should be parallel to the height of your hip bone when the hoop is vertical, knowing this made it much easier.  I should have brought sunscreen to reapply as this class was outside.  I loved it but had to leave early as I could tell, I would burn. And as a skin cancer advocate, I know better.  So I recommend bringing sunscreen with you as the schedule does not let you know if classes will be tented or in open space.  An easy fix. I just ran back to my room to get the sunblock and I put it in the wallet that comes with my mat.

I got my hotel room reservations and the 4-Day Premium Pass about 3 weeks prior to the start of WANDERLUST.  I recommend booking early as this event is getting more and more popular.  I came for the yoga but loved the hiking and swimming.  Lake Tahoe is beautiful in the summer.

You can schedule all sorts of classes, but the Premium Pass allows you to change it up a bit if necessary.  It also includes an outdoor concert and barbecue for the first day and lots of other benefits.  I enjoyed the band, THE T SISTERS from Oakland.  The Farm to Table food was fresh and delicious. It was fun to meet people from all over the place.  After dinner, I joined some new friends for yet another yoga class.  That made for a 10-hour yoga, swimming, hiking day!

Friday, July 20th rolled around and  I walked over to see my favorite local store, PlumpJack SPORT.  They carry YogaForce Mats.  They have many outside festival vendor stands as well, see the YogaForce Instagram Feed for pictures.

That was a fun day of more yoga classes and hikes. The last class before the dinner up the tram was AIReal Yoga.  So relaxing and special and the views were spectacular.

Saturday was my last full day, so I woke up early to hike.   I jammed everything in and got tired near the end.  I switched my classes to better fit my mood.  I took a fabulous private vinyasa yoga class in a grove.  It smelled so intoxicatingly delicious.  Thyme, rosemary, and lavender and the grass was so strong, I used it as a prop to get deep into some poses.

At the end of the day, I attended a Happy Hour.  I filled up a plate of food and grabbed a class of organic chardonnay and sat at a table.  My table mates had hiked up at the highest point and said it was rather windy.  Needless to say, they had not enough sleep and left early.

Randomly, after they left, I talked to a guy who was a neighbor and we had tons of mutual friends.  Small world!

We did another yoga class inside a tent and listened to live music until after midnight.

On Sunday,  I was out the door by 7:45 for another hike.  It was clear and beautiful.  I talked my way into a late check-out and got back to my room with just exactly enough time to take a shower, eat breakfast and pack.  When I got on the road at noon, the wind had shifted direction and the smoke from the Yosemite Fire was starting to flow over Tahoe.

All and all it was a great trip.  I did not fall in the water on SUP ( Stand Up Paddle).  I did not fall on my head in Acro Yoga Flight School.  I did, however, get a few big spider bites on Saturday night after I stupidly took off my bug repellant wristbrand.

So next year when I go, I will do it all over again! It was perfect!  But I will keep on the bug repellant wristband until I drive back up on to my own driveway.

YogaForce Gives to The American Red Cross.  You can too.  This fire is bad.  Help is needed.

### AEA