For those of you who do not know, Wanderlust Festival is a yoga and wellness festival that, I believe is generally in the California area. . I have seen so many photos and heard so many wonderful stories about the festival and I never thought I would get a chance to go. However, Wanderlust went on tour and since it was a short distance away from me (3ish hours), I got to go and it was nothing short of amazing!
Some of the yogis from my studio knew some guys who said we could stay over, which was great since funds are kinda tight when you’re a law student. These guys lived in an old nun’s CONVENT! I was so excited about seeing the old architecture of the convent and checking it out. There is something fascinating about those old buildings. They are a real piece of history.
Anyway, the festival was on Saturday and it started really early so we decided to stay over the Friday night. After school on that Friday afternoon, I headed toward the destination. My friends would not be there for a few hours so I decided to get lunch at a wonderful little vegan cafe and check out the vegan shop next door. There are no completely vegan restaurants in the city I live in so I love coming here.
When I arrived at the vegan cafe, I took my time parking my car and walking down the street.The city that it is located in has a culture all it’s own. It’s so much history and the buildings are not like any that I have ever seen in all my travels. I loved sightseeing and taking in the sunshine. Once I arrived at the cafe, I ordered an eggplant sandwich. It was so wonderfully delicious. It has some kind of vegan garlic aioli on it that was to die for. After that, I headed next door to the vegan shop. I follow the girl who owns it online and have bought a few things from there during previous visits; however, I have not met her until that day. What’s special about her is that she has got an adorable rescue opossum for a best friend. Sadly, she didn't have him with her that day but I was so happy that I got to finally meet her and chat with her. Sometimes, it’s just nice to come across another soul who is like you and she and I are definitely similar. I bought a vegan shirt from her and then I headed out. I drove around the town for a while. I also stopped at a local store to pick up some snacks and fruit for the festival. Finally, my friends arrived and we headed to the convent.
When we got there, of course, it was next to an abandoned church. The stairs in front were tall and lead up to the second floor. When we got up the stairs, there was a long hallway and many rooms were off the hall. There was also a very creepy basement. It was HUGE! I got a very strange feeling in there. There were little rooms down there that had face holes. God only knows what went on down there. It was... strange to say the least. Our hosts cooked food for us. I ended up not eating because of course, I am vegan now and there was nothing really that I could eat. I was alright though. After everyone ate, we went to a local marketplace where there was dessert and kombucha. After everyone had their fill of deliciousness, we headed back to the convent and went to bed. Some of the girls slept in one of the bedrooms. I decided to sleep in the living rooms with everyone else. I was so tired that I passed out immediately which is not like me. I generally don’t sleep anywhere because I have such a hard time falling asleep if I am not in my own bed. I guess this was the exception. I’m sure it had something to do with the constant stress that I had been under with school and finals looming over me. After all, coming to Wanderlust was my last hoorah before I had to crack down and get into finals mode.
When morning finally came, I was filled with excitement. We got ready and headed out. We got lost on the way to the festival and I came across an opossum who was injured. (It’s opossum season, so everyone please be kind to them). It broke my heart and really upset me for the majority of the day. This was not the way that I wanted to start the day. Anyway, we got there and got all registered and started the 5K. Everyone kind of went their own way and I found myself alone, which was totally ok. It gave me a chance experience the festival at my own pace. We did meet up here and there throughout the day though. After the 5K, it was time for yoga!
Yoga was the best part of the day. There were hundreds of people just doing yoga under the sun. It was amazing to see everyone because there were all different races, age groups, and fitness levels. I found myself just watching everyone at various times. It was a beautiful sight to see. After the hour and a half yoga session it was finally time for lunch! I am so thankful that there was a vegan option. Lunch was a buddha bowl and hibiscus tea. It was simple and filling. It was a bowl filled with rice, black beans, guacamole, tomatoes, lettuce, mangos, etc. Perfection! I loved it so much that I have incorporated buddha bowls into my cooking at home and we have them weekly.
Following lunch, there was a meditation session. By that time I was exhausted. It was nice to sit still and close my eyes for a while. The day was beautiful but the sun was hot and I was getting sunburned. My next activity, after the meditation, was an essential oil workshop. When we paid for our tickets to the festival, we were able to pick one additional activity and I chose the essential oil workshop. There were many other choices though: acro-yoga, aerial yoga, music and yoga, walking and yoga, etc. I would have loved to take part in some of the other activities and I totally would have been able to because the classes were not full but I was so tired. I just decided to check out the booths before my essential oil workshop. There were booths that were selling clothing and other items and services. I walked around and then decided to check out the Wanderlust Igloo. There was a huge igloo that they set up to be the official Wanderlust shop. It was complete with a fountain in the middle and little pathways all around. Very cool!
After checking out everything, I headed to my workshop. It was relatively informative. I have been really into essential oils lately. I have been diffusing them and using them for different ailments and it’s been great. I’m amazed at how we can heal ourselves with them. Anyhow, the lady who led the workshop was upbeat and had a bunch of great information on them. I was really happy to learn more about them and how to use them. When it was over though, I was completely spent. I found my friends and they were getting ready to leave as well. I headed to my car and got on the road. It was a long journey home but my heart was full of love, fun, and wander.
On the way home I chatted with my mom on the phone and told her of my fun time. I stopped to get a snack and continued on home. After I got home, I took the best shower ever and went to bed really early. I knew that in the morning, finals season would be on me yet again.
Speaking of finals, I just finished my last final yesterday. I will be posting about my finals experience and all the amazing things that have happened recently soon. I wanted this blog to go up a lot sooner but things got extremely hectic for a while. Wonderful things have happened for me so be sure to check back within the next few days for my new post about finals and all that love that I have been blessed with. Thanks for reading. Talk soon!
P.S. Below are some pics of my Wanderlust Experience! I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed Wanderlust!
XOXO
Stay Fabulous,
LawGirl.