Namaste Y’all Wanderlust Austin Day 3

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ED LEHMANN, WANDERLUST AUSTIN

It’s so hard to say goodbye.

Saturday was my last day attending Wanderlust Austin and I’m truly sad to leave the new practices I’ve learned and the new friends I’ve made.

I started off the day by attending Chelsie DiPaolo’s Flow & Float, Yoga on a Boat class. DiPaolo teaches with such ease and authenticity, you’d wish she lived in your city to lead your daily practice. This early morning session was a great way to show the non-locals just how active our city is. The trail around Lady Bird Lake was heavily occupied with runners and walkers and the lake was filled with rowing teams perfecting their own fitness practices.

Next up was Meditation 101, led by Ashley Turner, where we “flexed the muscle of focus.” The class had a good mix of hardcore meditators and first-timers (myself included). The session took place on the outside deck, the highest place of Wanderlust Austin, offering up a pretty awesome vibe and view of the surrounding city.

“Look 360 degrees around and really take it all in,” Turner instructed. Having taught yoga for 15 years, and going back to get her Masters in Psychology, it was clear that diving in and going deeper was something very familiar to Turner. She’s a nurturer for understanding things (and people) in life, and rightly so.

“Meditation is about getting into a relationship with our minds,” she said. When she meditates, Turner said, it’s her way of sharpening her tools and banking her much-needed self worth for those times when life throws you a curveball. Because we all know curveballs are an inevitable part of life.

My last, and perhaps favorite, class of the festival was Hip.Hop.Yoga with instructors Ashley Clauer and Jo Kutchey.

When any soundtrack starts with The Fugees’ Killing Me Softly, I’m a BIG fan. Add to that a unique yoga practice from two of the most awesome chicks in Austin along with the option to add your own elements, style, and pace, and you just may have found your “true north.” Which is what we were are all after, right?

The past three days at Wanderlust Austin have taught me a lot. Not just about yoga and the sense of community it fosters, but about myself, my limitations and my goals in life. A big thanks to all my new friends and mentors. I’m excited to keep up my practice during my travels and when I arrive back home in Houston.

Hope to see some of you next year and at Wanderlust O’ahu!

This post originally ran online at Austin Fit Magazine. Check it out there to see more photos and links.