OM Blog + Press

As much as we love our local yoga studios, sometimes a change of scenery can be just what's needed to achieve a breakthrough in our practice.

The Tahoe Wanderlust festival, from July 17-20 in Squaw Valley, California, may be one of the best changes of scenery around.

Wanderlust organizers say they look for stunning natural settings when choosing sites for their festivals. Squaw Valley is no exception. A popular spot for skiers in the winter, summertime visitors enjoy blue skies, clean mountain air and low humidity. Lake Tahoe’s crystalline waters are nearby.

Squaw Valley hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics, and some may still draw inspiration from the passion and dedication of the elite athletes who competed there.

Wanderlust offers a variety of experiences to suit a wide range of participants. Those who are serious about their yoga will want to check out the classes on yoga and meditation, taught by respected instructors from a number of disciplines. There is additional training for yoga instructors. Wanderlust is almost as well known for its live music as for its yoga - a diverse musical lineup keeps energy levels high.

Others might just be looking for a fun and healthy vacation, with yoga as a component. For foodies, the festival will have special farm-to-fork, vegan and wine-tasting dinners.

Outdoor expeditions have been organized, including mountain biking and river rafting.

Here at The OM Collection, we’d find it hard to resist the standup-paddleboard yoga session on Lake Tahoe!

Camping is available for Wanderlust festival-goers, as is a range of indoor lodging options. It’s also easy to find fun things to do on your own at Lake Tahoe.

We like that Wanderlust creates such a great sense of community. You’re just as likely to gain a new insight from a fellow participant as from one of the instructors.

Yoga Festival Packing Checklist: Top Ten Things to Bring.

Overall, yoga is all about union: you know, fitting in.

1. Wear Feather Earrings or hair extensions that come from abused chickens and whose faddishness is adversely effecting fisherman (who are often the best environmentalists among us). Feathers in your care say “hippie” about as eloquently as driving an SUV to your yoga class does.

2. Practice your favorite Spiritual Materialism Catch-Phrases. Jai Hanuman! Namaste! No need to know what it means, so long as you say it enthusiastically—as if you were saying “Fuck Yeah!” Bone up on your spiritual treefort password lingo (you don’t need to know what these terms mean, but make sure you pepper them throughout your normal watercooler talk): namaste, efficacy, peace, love, open up, resonating, what else?

I’m a bit weak on this one, please leave comment below with other good terms.

3. Pack really tight pants that show off your yoga butt. Yoga is all about lookin’ hot: do your best to look the part of your chosen hippie sorority. Extra points: ridiculous flare at bottom of your yoga pants is optional.

If you’re a guy, make sure you have a spiritual tat: yoga chicks dig sensitive tough guys with mysterious back stories and rock hard, shaved chests.

Step one: stare into one another’s eyes, touch your heart and shake your head silently.
Step two: approach respectfully, while mentally making plans for fucking later that night.
Step Three: Hug. Do not Pat on Back. Commit. Holllld. Hug tight, but gently.
Step Four and this is key: keep your eyes closed while hugging.
Step Five: keep hugging.

5. Don’t keep it Real—keep it Happy. Whoever is loudest and happiest, they’re cool. Go be with them and do as they do, or you’ll be lonely, awkward, vulnerable.

6. Pack a few Sir Richard’s condoms, and try to get laid. You’ll fail—getting laid is only for the really cool people, or the really desperate people, and as usual you’re right in between, living a safe, fake, boring life. So much for your big getaway weekend.

7. Go up to every yoga teacher after class: see and be seen. Say how wonderful they are and how they touched your heart—doesn’t matter what, unless you’re hot, they won’t care…this is simply about being seen talking to the teacher, and the teacher being seen having a big long receiving line.

8. Spend $1,000 bucks, give or take, for a total of maybe five yoga classes over three days. No, this is not a good deal, even if your parents forget they’re also footing the bill for a motel with your friend and plane fare and food and cab rides.

9. Get lots of overly packaged samples that you can throw away. Hurting the environment with packages labeled “coconut” or “natural” is so awesomely ironic, it’d be funny, but humor isn’t a prerequisite at these conferences.

Photo: longtime-now elephriend Carl Kerridge of lovely elephriend Katie Armstrong of ecofashion line Om Collection (see below).

10. The only real requirement is that you’re to be absolutely wonderfully joyfully exuberantly positive about everything. DO NOT be negative about anything. Suppress genuine-ness or integrity or truly open heart in favor of business, making money, PR, marketing, hype, and happy facebook posts on your and their Walls after the fact.

Remember: yoga is an industry, a demographic—and not merely a spiritual path or a way of life. Grow up.

Relephant Bonus: elephant’s hometown favorite, The Om Collection.

 http://www.merrickchasephotography.com/2012/06/10/hanuman-festival-boulder-theater/

Featuring Desert Dwellers, DJ Drez, Duke Mushroom, and Cosmic Fire and the OM Collection Present an incredible cast of  Acro-Yogis, Circus Performers, Phenomenal Dancers- and more!  A great time was had by all, have a look…