Wanderlust is far from just yoga. A walk through the festival grounds will prove that. And Hawaii is more than just beaches. (No, really!) While on Oahu we trend towards beach wedding photography, however our love for photographing events in line with our passions touch our hearts in an entirely different way.
Turtle Bay Resort hosts the 4 day festival on the fabled beaches of Oahu’s North Shore, a hidden gem far away from the crowds of Waikiki. Their grounds include far more than just a world famous golf course, with horse stables, calm waters for stand up paddle (SUP), waves for surfing, a cove for swimming, pools, spa and fitness areas, grasses for laying out and feeling Tradewinds blow by, and amazing cuisine!
Keith and I began our yoga around the same time we teamed up for photography. We are neither graceful nor worthy of having the camera turned around on us, but it’s the love of the relaxation, feeling of natural energy flowing through us, open and loving co-yogis and lifestyle that draws us to keep pushing ourselves. Honestly, sometimes we feel like dried out pretzels ready to crack. But at the end of class, we are never left without a sense of calm and internal peace.
Talk about a No Judgement Zone, there are no shortages of varying body types, ability levels, personalities, beliefs and backgrounds. The one thing uniting everyone is a sense of belonging. And a sense of gratitude, as we experienced alongside Kahi and the gang at Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii during a beach cleanup, drawing local families and yogis alike to remove plastiglomerates (look this one up, it’s horrifying!) and litter from Kahuku Beach.
Nope, that little girl’s spirit can’t be broken! And ours was revived through music and food with the Lululemon ambassador team at the opening night beach party. Rick and the Events Int team created an amazing shipwrecked atmosphere with the Indie/Pop/Folk/Classical tunes of Streetlight Cadence bringing us to our feet (yeah, they’re diverse but so amazing!)
True to our ways, we slept in the back of our Prius, listening to the rain glad to not be in a tent. Nasty weather stops many, but not Wanderlusters.
Their silks were slippery, but the banyan trees sheltered us from most of the moisture as we got lost in the beauty of Tara and Marta’s grace, power and dynamism (from the Still Moving Center.)
Confession; I’m a bit of a nerd. I like to track walking distance through my iPhone. Our daily average was 6 miles. From beach to bayans, resort to stables, more beaches, festival grounds, indoor classes, outdoor classes, Ola Restuarant, Kula Grill, an acai bowl at Beet Box Cafe, aerial yoga, the campgrounds, SUP beach, it’s amazing we didn’t burn cow paths into the grass! It left us more than ready for a relaxing evening at the Sea to Table dinner followed by the soul inspiring music of Nahko and Medicine for the People.
And no Wanderlust experience is complete without an Eoin Finn injection of energy, laughs, and surfing styled yoga. Even Nahko will wake up early to join in!
Thank you Wanderlusters for an invigorating, exhausting, soul cleansing, life enhancing, whirlwind of a festival that we are always so blessed to experience! We love being a part of the amazing team that travels the world bringing a taste of the good life and motivation to create positive change!
