Event: Wanderlust Yoga and Music Festival at Mont-Tremblant
Yogis rejoice! Wanderlust Festival has finally made its way to Canada’s east coast. With roots in California’s Squaw Valley, this
Yogis rejoice! Wanderlust Festival has finally made its way to Canada’s east coast. With roots in California’s Squaw Valley, this music and yoga festival has outposts in Austin, Colorado, Vermont, Oahu, Whistler and Chile. And now we can add Quebec to that list, too! When we got the opportunity to attend the first-ever Wanderlust Festival in Mont Tremblant, our yoga-loving hearts simply couldn’t resist. So with yoga mat and Lululemon attire in tow, we headed up north to take in all that Wanderlust has to offer.
One look at the itinerary and we knew we were in for an awesome weekend. With top yoga teachers from around the globe, like Eoin Finn and Quebec’s own Lyne St-Roch, musical acts like Sarah Neufeld (of Arcade Fire fame) and Bears of Legend, and the widest range of yoga classes we’ve ever seen on offer, there’s a lot to love about Wanderlust. From beach yoga to the basics of breathing, stand-up paddleboarding yoga on the lake to energy hikes, parkour to vinyasa, the hardest part was choosing where to split our time. Of all the classes on offer, the most fun had to be Hooping in Place. Going in with no hula hooping skills whatsoever (like, hoop to the ground in two seconds flat ‘ that bad), we left with the bragging rights to four straight minutes of hula hooping! Plus, we basically just giggled our way through the entire hour. Highly recommended.
The only site with a beach outside of Hawaii, Tremblant made for a good choice for the fest’s east coast home. The only downside? Vegan, veggie and all around health-conscious food choices aren’t numerous. While kombucha and coconut water abounded ‘ we got to sample all kinds of flavours from RISE and sipped complementary bottles of Coco Libre all weekend ‘ the fest’s food contingent left a little something to be desired. Beavertails and poutine are inarguably delicious, but perhaps not the best post-yoga meal choice. Fluide Juice Bar was our saving grace, slinging nutrient-packed smoothies (like the kale and berry one we sipped) all weekend long.
But that’s nothing a few added food trucks or stands couldn’t remedy. We’re looking at you, Crudessence! But who are we kidding? We’ll be back next year either way.
-Ashley Joseph, senior web editor, Reader’s Digest
Related:
‘ Summer’s best Canadian yoga festivals
‘ 8 yoga moves to boost your energy
‘ Should you try a 30-day yoga challenge?