As I look to the New Year, one of my goals is to remember that my phone is not my friend – my friends are my friends. It sounds simple, but like many, I spend way too much time on my phone – even to check the time.
Another goal of mine for 2015 is to be more productive, especially during the hours of 9-5, which is nearly impossible when you work from home. I want to make the minutes count and virtually “clock out” as close to 5 everyday as possible. I think this will help me prioritize things more, and stay on a schedule as well as help me sleep more regular hours (which is much needed!).
What better way to make some of these goals happen than with a shiny new watch? I realize buying a new watch doesn’t help with my goal of “not spending as much money,” but I consider my new Seiko watch a great investment.
I think a watch says a lot about someone and I love that Seiko has a ton of amazing athletes (like Landon Donovan and Hope Solo) as their brand ambassadors. If these watches are durable enough to keep up with their lifestyles, I’m fairly confident it’s spot on for me as well.
It’s a pretty dainty watch, which is good for me since I don’t always dress up and will help balance it out. What new splurges did you get for the holidays or to kick off the New Year?
For those who may not be familiar with the phrase Day Club, it’s simply a club during the day. Ok, I’m being an ass. Basically it’s the adult-only pools in Vegas that require quite a bit of money to get through the line and are overflowing with overpriced drinks, water you probably wouldn’t let your unborn son swim in, copious amounts of unfinished and faded tribal art, and more rules than an 8th grade Catholic school.
I’m sure a handful of people will read this piece and think, Oh this girl’s lame, she must not have had any fun – what a loser. And you’d be wrong. I did have fun. Quite a lot of fun, honestly, but I feel compelled to paint a fairly accurate picture of one of these said “Day Clubs’ through my eyes. And my mom says I’m not a loser.
Since I’m a travel writer, I don’t really want to knock anyone’s facilities, so for now, I’ll omit the names. If you’re familiar with Vegas, you can probably make an educated guess at A, B and C.
Pool A
Upon arriving in Vegas early morning, I stumbled upon a man who worked at the hotel we were staying at. While one of the girls was checking us in, two of us stood in the lobby and and struck up a conversation with him. We asked for tips on the best “pools” (not knowing we were using the wrong vernacular) and he recommended (obviously) the Adult Pool at this particular hotel. He made a call and put the four of us on the VIP list. Upon walking through the entire property, we stumbled upon two lines – one was VIP, the other was the regular entrance. Since we got hooked up in VIP, the guy in our party tipped him $20 as a courtesy. The “regular folk” in the general line each had to pay $80 for guys and $50 for girls, just to enter.
Then we proceeded to a security checkpoint line where I was told I couldn’t bring my GoPro inside or the selfie pole that attached to it. The guy in our group was wearing a tank top with the #10 on it (in a floral pattern), but he was told that it resembled a jersey too much so he was asked to check his shirt for $10. Not to remove it and put it in a bag, but to check it. Same for me with my GoPro. Add another $10 on to my tab and $10 onto his. Then I had to go through another security checkpoint (different guy) who opened up my cross-body lululemon bag with what seems like hundreds of pockets. Each and every pocket was searched along with all ten of my lip-glosses, which were opened and then smelled. I had gum in my purse – not allowed. My friend had mints – not allowed. I also had allergy medicine – not allowed. I could either check that stuff (for another $10 because I no longer had access to check stuff with my old stuff) or throw it out. Then we went through one more checkpoint (exact same procedure opening everything in my bag, including the lip glosses) and could almost see the pool…I mean club. But wait, one more checkpoint, this time a pat-down by an overzealous, burly security guard.
Having just gotten off the plane from Houston, I assure you the pat-downs and security checkpoints at this Day Club were much more in-depth than TSA, which is equal parts annoying and scary.
And we’re in! Finally. And that was being VIP! The pool was absolutely packed, the World Cup was on a huge projection screen over the pool (which was incredibly awesome), the setup was nice (unless you needed somewhere to sit) assuming you didn’t want a $2,000 cabana to rent for a few hours. Off to the bar we go and I order a pretty hefty sized blueberry vodka, sprite and cranberry juice–$41. Refills? Of course not. Enough vodka to do the trick all damn day? Of course n…well, almost.
Hanging in the pool, dancing, and people watching was fun, until we had to keep refilling (and paying for) our drinks. I was at the pool for about four hours, and my bar tab (no food) was over $400. Oh, and I’m a girl. But it was fun. Probably my favorite Day Club during this trip.
Pool B
For starters, Pool B was a maze. We asked about 20 staff throughout the hotel and casino
Drinking Moet in a bikini – is there anything better?
where this Day Club was (again, not the regular pool) and finally made it after being searched (barely) by one guy who just opened our bags. It was $20 for girls to get in and $50 for guys (our total was $160 just to get inside the pool). The guy at the door noticed my Texas driver’s license and he happened to have grown up here – very nice guy. As our last guy walked in, he handed the money back to him (all $160) and just said he was taking care of his Texans. We ended up tipping him $40, which he was hesitant to take, but I stuffed it in his pockets. Probably the nicest, most down-to-earth guy we met all weekend.
We see a much smaller pool than the day before, and we were there pretty early so it was wide open. The only “seats’ at this pool were daybeds/cabanas you had to buy or to set your towel around the perimeter of the pool.
The guys in our group wanted to buy a bottle ($400 for a bottle of Grey Goose, which came with three free mixers and we ordered six Sugar-Free Red Bulls–$63), which luckily, got us a daybed where we could relax and stake our claim. We ordered food, of course not cheap, but pretty tasty.
We did a round of Fireball, which in hindsight, was beyond stupid. Sitting in the sun and it still only being 1pm and all, but we rallied. I don’t even want to know what a round of Fireball cost…
Pool C
This is the Day Club/Pool I’ve been hearing people rave about for at least a year or two since it opened. It’s the reason you are supposed to extend your Vegas trip an extra day (to leave on Monday). This Day Club in particular was the first time I realized that douchebags are in fact high rollers. Either that or they save up every last dollar they have to attend one of these.
The guys in our group were smart – they had already called ahead and reserved a cabana – which comes with your own waitress and a minimum. The minimum for our cabana was $1400 – that meant during the time we spent there, our bill had to be AT LEAST $1400 (not including the automatic 18% gratuity, the taxes and the live entertainment fee, which is later added on). And the $1400 minimum here was the cheapest cabana – the ones in front of us (with a better view of the pool and stage) started at $2500. $1400 might sound like a lot (it still is), but when each drink is $45 and there are five people in your party, it goes fast. Really fast.
Here (of course), we went through another vital checkpoint (x2) where our bags were opened and objects pulled out in plain sight (like my bikini from the night before?). A friend had a makeup compact with a mirror in it and we were told nothing with a mirror was allowed to enter, so trash it went.
A huge pool, great music and even better people watching. If they say the freaks come out at night, then it must be accurate to say the douchebags come out during the day?
The Blonde Side: 0 | Vegas: 1
I will end this piece with my favorite story of the trip. While in Pool C, a guy swam up to me while I was sitting on the edge and started to flex his muscles, without saying a word. He waded there awkwardly for at least 30 seconds still flexing and kissing his biceps in the most awkward way until I say, “What are you doing? Are you saying those are big?” all the while laughing at this character whose arm tribal band of course stops halfway, probably because it was too painful on those big muscles.
Him: “Yeah these guns are huge.”
Me (with an annoying drunk laugh): “Well sweetie, I’m from Texas where everything’s bigger – I wouldn’t brag about those.”
Him: “You (expletive, expletive, expletive) – I’m a 20x Olympic Gold Medalist Cage Fighter, I could rip you to shreds you (expletive, expletive, expletive).
Me: “Well that’s funny, because Cage Fighting isn’t even an Olympic sport…”
At this point, the unfinished tribal armband man decides to turn his aggression and attention to the guys in our group, who just so happened to be black and the guy starts calling them a name you might have been accustomed to hearing back in 1930. When our guys pay this knucklehead zero attention (smart move), he diverts his attention to perhaps one of the largest (and by largest I mean fattest) guys in the world, to where three security guards and his entire cabana entourage can barely hold him back. Picture Billy Bob from Varsity Blues, but add 100 lbs. and 15 years on the guy and there you have your visual image. And then add to that image the tribal armband douchebag and there you have the scene.
Vegas is still a fun place, but perhaps I’m just getting too old to party like that. I’m not a fan of having to “check” my items or have my belongings searched multiple times. Plus, I work for myself, so my money is very important to me.
If you are planning an upcoming Vegas trip, here are a few tips:
– Check the rules of any Day Clubs (and Night Clubs) you plan to visit. Some have very strict dress codes and then the weird stuff like “no gum.”
– Have plenty of cash. This may seem obvious when on vacation, but the ATM fees in Vegas are much steeper than your hometown. You can always redeposit your leftover money when you get home (if there is any).
– Go with a fun group. Odds are, you are going to run into quite a few douchebags during your stay, but if you’re with a good group, who cares?
– Leave the Affliction clothing at home (or better yet, donate it to Goodwill), and don’t talk about Crossfit. Let your abs and your muscles do the talking.
– As much as I love the slogan “What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas!” remember in the age of social media, that is not at all true.
– Have fun!
*Note, at all three Day Clubs, even hotel guests staying at that property had to pay a cover to get in. Bring your debit cards, kids.
This article originally ran on CBS Man Cave Daily. Click here to see it on their awesome site.
https://theblondeside.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/IMG_2348.jpg24483264Jaymehttps://theblondeside.com//wp-content/uploads/2018/06/1526998321020-300x192.pngJayme2014-12-25 10:50:392015-01-15 11:13:25What Happens in Vegas is Terrible
This collage of wants from Zappos.com should speak wonders for how diverse I am
It’s no secret I’m a big fan of Zappos.com – mostly because I have this little thing known as buyer’s remorse where I buy everything I want and then realize I’m a freelance writer with an extremely modest salary so returning it would be the responsible thing to do. The thing with Zappos.com is that you can return things (for free) and shipping is free. So it makes my buyer’s remorse thing easy to deal with, except I end up keeping it all anyways. I put together a quick and dirty list of what I want this Christmas – seriously, if you have extra Santa dollars in your pocket and you want to buy me any of these, that’d be more than welcomed. Or of course, use my favorites and go shopping for someone in your life you’ve actually met before… The Blonde Side’s Christmas Wish List from Zappos.com:
Because my future’s bright, these Eagles green Ray-bans would be amazing.
I spend enough time in airports (262 days in a hotel just in 2014), my feet should look amazing, be comfortable and stay warm, so these Uggs in the port color (almost Florida State garnet if you will…) are perfect. Size 6 please.
I don’t know about you, but I plan to make A LOT of money in 2015, so I need somewhere to keep it all. This Kate Spade wallet (color warm putty) would be perfect.
Some crazy person somewhere said you can’t look good while sweating. I wholeheartedly disagree, so I’d like these Nike (in black) running tights to prove you wrong.
I’m not a big jewelry person – either statement earrings or rings and why not keep it local with these Kendra Scott earrings in cobalt blue?
Because even on December 25th, bikinis are always in style, especially l*space bikinis.
If my future’s bright, my skin better be too. I love Bliss products, so imagine how much I’d love this Bliss let it glow set.
Did someone say party? Oh, no? Ok, let’s plan one. This would be the perfect little black dress.
I plan to push myself to the limits in the New Year, but a girl’s gotta relax, right? These ALO Verge Sweatpants are amazing (I have them, I want more).
Keeping up my fitness goals in 2015, and these New Balance foam fresh have never let me down. Too many miles on my last pair, time for new ones!
My overall goal in 2015 is this: BE HAPPY. Being happy means I plan to smile a lot, so I’ll need this Butter lip gloss to make that smile even prettier.
https://theblondeside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/IMG_8380.jpg19361936Jaymehttps://theblondeside.com//wp-content/uploads/2018/06/1526998321020-300x192.pngJayme2014-12-17 23:13:242014-12-28 00:48:42Zappos.com Holiday List
How was I so sure? Because the jackass did the same thing to me recently. After reading the article I immediately sent this tweet – “Funny I reported this Steve Lepore BS months ago TO his editor at USA Today & she tweeted snark back to me.”
Curiosity got the best of me so I looked back at past emails and tweets and realized my own personal situation with Lepore took place NOVEMBER 2013 – more than a year ago. Has he been treating people like shit and soliciting pictures using his sports gig as a way in for an entire year hiding behind a Twitter handle without cause for concern?
I find it grossly ironic that I had brought this to the attention of not only the Twitter world, but his editor (at the time) at USA Today Sports and got nothing back. Actually, even worse, the exact second I hit send on the email detailing my issues and run-in’s with Lepore, the same editor RT’ed some of his nasty tweets about me. Tweets making fun of me and other nonsense completely downplaying my career. Yes folks, The Blonde Side is my career. I devote countless hours researching athletes and coming up with new angles, pitching editors, networking and making connections, keeping up to date on some of my favorite writers recent work. It’s work, I promise. And in one fell swoop, Lepore and his editor discredited everything I had worked for, all because of a backstory of me not wanting to tweet-flirt with the creep.
The sad (and yet simultaneously cool) thing about having a Twitter bio fueled by “writer for USA Today Sports,” is that you kind of have a built-in posse salivating at your every tweet. The moment you say attack – they’re on it – all for the simple and basic hope you’ll shout them out on social media for a brief moment of solidarity. (Can I get a RT for my birthday!?)
While I can’t speak to what Lepore is like in real life, I can speak to what his faux-balls and power as a writer at a highly regarded publication made him in the Twitterverse – a complete jackass with a bunch of lemmings ready to crucify you just because he gave the go-ahead. Hockey fans are intense, and if one of their beloved writers says to go after you, well that’s exactly what they do not even knowing the backstory.
Because there is a backstory.
My conversations with Lepore started just like every other one with a sports fan/potential creeper – we start following and RT’ing each other, then we progress to try and outwit one another with our regionally biased sports trivia and banter, and then out of nowhere they inevitably get that urge to send a direct message – a private message no one else is privy to.
Since this wasn’t my first rodeo with a not-so-good-looking guy with a stellar vocabulary and exceptional use of oxford commas, I knew his game – he’d start by telling me how rare a pretty girl into sports was and how much he loved my column and if he could ever be of assistance to let him know. My response as always was pleasant and appreciative, but I left it alone.
His direct messages quickly became more frequent and flirty and I started to taper back. After all, I’m not a huge hockey fan and he wasn’t all that entertaining. Truth be told, I never read his work. He started commenting about my Instagram photos (yes, he’d send a tweet to talk about Instagram, which is Creeper 101…) and how I should show more cleavage. I was too pretty not to show more. When would I be in his area? If I get you an interview with my editor, can we hang out? When can I teach you all about hockey – we need pretty girls like you covering hockey. How come you only post a bikini picture every few weeks? Why not more? What’s your favorite thing to wear?
It got annoying. It got creepy. I may be single, but I wasn’t interested.
Yup, this is him.
And then it happened. I unfollowed the schmuck. I’ve watched enough Lifetime movies to know it wasn’t pretty once you block a number or click unfollow, but I did it.
I had to – he was that annoying. And wouldn’t you know that very same day he took to Twitter (this time in a public forum) to try and call out one of my previous tweets. He took to a handful of messages (some he eventually deleted and karma-loving enough now he has deleted his entire account since whistleblower Toni M. called him out, which eventually led to his firing) of telling me my “job” wasn’t real and that I didn’t know what I was talking about.
Totally fine, you’re entitled to your (wrong) opinion…
He then resorted to saying that any girl who says she loves football (i.e. me) was just a t-shirt fan and in it to find a husband. All very insulting things, then he’d RT my original tweet with a rude message so his basement loving vultures would come after me. He would @ me and say “girls pretending to work in sports,” and just wait for his “pals” to tear into me. And then other USA Today Sports writers would chime in on his behalf. Honestly, it was one of the few times I’ve felt bullied and disrespected, and this all coming from someone who was simply butt-hurt I didn’t want to play the DM game with him.
Don’t get me wrong – I can handle ridicule. Hell, it’s basically been a part of my life since I learned to tie my shoes. But the part that really sucks is I debated long and hard to reach out to my acquaintances at USA Today Sports and whether or not to send an email to his editor. I mean, I did want to pitch a few freelance ideas to this same editor, so I didn’t want to be that tattle-tail girl. In the end his unprofessional behavior deserved to be called out and perhaps looked into. But to my knowledge, it wasn’t.
Quite frankly, USA Today Sports should have been ashamed that one of their employees, a grown man, had to be BLOCKED from another adult.
I’m glad other women felt the need to call him out and it finally led to his dismissal. I do believe in Freedom of Speech and not everyone has to agree with everyone by any means, but to put a bounty-tweet on another human when you know your ravaging fans will be relentless on your behalf is just nonsense. And all because I didn’t want to get all cuddly and talk about photos with you?
It may be Twitter, but the computers and mobile devices that Twitter lives on still exist in real life.
Imagine if this had been a more serious issue that was ignored by so many. Sure makes you think…
[Updated 12/2 12:25p]: Since the world wide web is always full of controversy and speculation, I wanted to rephrase who the “she” was in reference to Lepore’s editor – I realize there are many “she’s” at USA Today Sports, so please don’t assume. She may have been interim, in charge of particular stories/assignments, or just in general over social media since that was my complaint. Heck, my email could have been buried in an inbox for all I know (but the tweets sent by her certainly did not). I applaud USA Today for letting Lepore go and for all the other women who stood their ground, unfortunately this kind of behavior happens a lot more than people realize.
https://theblondeside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/047f9de.jpg200200Jaymehttps://theblondeside.com//wp-content/uploads/2018/06/1526998321020-300x192.pngJayme2014-12-02 01:12:002014-12-02 13:51:32Told Ya So: Steve Lepore Creeper
Make the holidays happier with these champagne marshmallows
Today is Small Business Saturday and I wouldn’t be much of an online presence if I didn’t share info of one of my favorite online shops (a brand new one), which also happens to be local to Houston – Manor.
One of my favorite suggestions this holiday – whether for purchasing a few boxes to pass around the office as thank you gifts or to clients at year-end hoping to strum up more business, for stocking stuffers, or even better FOR YOURSELF (especially if you have company coming during the holidays) are these tasty small packs of flavored marshmallows.
There is a holiday pack, as well as about 10 different flavors – click here to see all the options. AND get 25% off your order by using code: blondeside25.
I promise this will make your hot chocolate the best you’ve ever had. Unless of course you could drink the same hot chocolate in my favorite ski town of Aspen, then that would be the best hot chocolate you’ve ever had, but you get the point…
(My personal order of LOVE for these flavors goes like this: s’mores, champagne, bourbon, Guinness – and I still need to try the others.)
The 25% code (blondeside25) is good for all of Manor’s site – there are some truly unique gifts on there at all price levels, so take a peak and enjoy. Happy Holidays!
https://theblondeside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/IMG_1434.jpg25923888Jaymehttps://theblondeside.com//wp-content/uploads/2018/06/1526998321020-300x192.pngJayme2014-11-29 08:19:082014-11-28 16:25:19Marshmallows for the Win
I am SO bummed they don’t come in a size small (which is odd because the NFL keeps tooting its horn that 50% of NFL fans are female and we ALL know females love theme parties the most), but I digress.
If you’ve got an ugly Christmas sweater party this season, get yours here – you’ll be the talk of the town.
Which one do you think is the ugliest? Or the funniest? The Alabama one looks legit (even though it’s still Alabama…).
Got a Texans fan in your life? As holiday shopping is approaching, I thought I’d help you out by sharing Fanatics.com, where A TON of Texans (and other college and pro) licensed apparel is on sale. Ladies, Mens, Children, dogs – they’ve got it all.
Jingle BALLS – Houston’s best holiday part/charity event
The date has been set for our third annual Jingle BALLS – mark your calendars for Thursday, December 11 from 7-10:30 pm at Gage Lounge in Midtown.
The Blonde Side is SUPER excited to announce this year’s co-host as Morgan ‘Moe’ Dean, former Texans cheerleader and just all around awesome gal (and yes, she’s blonde too!).
Admission to get in: please bring one (or more!) balls to donate to the Ronald McDonald House Houston. This has been our charity partner all three years because they have been able to happily use every dollar and ball we’ve donated in the past to their Santa Store. The Santa Store is a room where parents can pick out gifts for their sick children as well as their siblings, since holiday shopping usually isn’t on their mind during these tough times.
Dress code: no strict dress code, but we want it to be fun! Come in your favorite football gear, add some glam, slick back your hair or whatever, and come on!
Drinks: two complimentary drinks, specials TBA & lite bites
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.
The Blonde Side’s Jayme Lamm with former NFL player Keith Mitchell
Things are getting real.
I started Day 2 with Wanderlust co-creator Schuyler Grant’s Kula Flow: Hips, Hearts & Hands class. Kula is Grant’s signature style of yoga that integrates the breath-based flow of Astanga yoga with the precision of Iyengar to create a deep, sweaty (ok, super sweaty), transformative mind/body experience.
Her signature style is a pretty big deal. The 10 a.m. class was filled to max room capacity.
Grant uses instructions like “use full imagery,” when talking about movements, body parts, and breathes as well as cues like, “surrender completely,” which is a popular mantra in all practices of yoga. Grant was hands-on as she went around the room, showing participants what ‘surrendering completely’ actually meant.
“How high you go is up to you,” was my favorite line during Grant’s session as it’s not just applicable to yoga, but to all of life. And the class was set perfectly to the chill tunes of DJ Taz Rashid, who was stationed in front of the class.
Next on my schedule was the crazy popular AcroYoga for Beginners classtaught by Mateo J. Daniel, with tunes by Happy Happy James. AcroYoga is clearly a thing all over the world, and yogis are chomping at the bit to learn the basics. By the end of the class, many had found themselves as stable bases (on the ground) while others were happy and willing flyers (in the air). This practice illustrated the importance of trusting and communicating well with your partner.
What quickly became clear in this class was that each person has their own style and limitations. And that’s okay. In fact, that’s what a good practice entails—learning your own style and moving along and growing with it. Another vital life lesson: “It’s important to come home, come back to center and sit back up, ready to do it again.” Sure, Daniel meant yoga, but it applies to so much more.
I’m pretty confident every attendee of this class was more than ready to do it again. The class was a great bonding experience.
Next up was my personal zen moment taught by former NFL player Keith Mitchell for FOCUS: Foundation and Expression. Have I let the cat out of the bag that I’m more of a runner than I am in tune with yoga practices? Because if not, now’s a good time to make sure we’re clear on that.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES GUIRY, WANDERLUST AUSTIN
Dare I say it? Keith Mitchell may have made me believe in (and perhaps become obsessed with) the potential of yoga. After class Mitchell scolded me for not informing him I was just in the beginning stages of my own personal yoga practice. “You would have been my [class] favorite,” Mitchell told me as he talked about his love for teaching others.
One of the songs on his playlist went something like this: “I am not the mistakes I have made. I am not the things that caused me pain.” This song played as we went into Savasana—the lying down, meditative state that ends a yoga practice. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt a more zen moment.
I don’t mean to compare religion to yoga because I take religion very seriously, but I feel it’s an accurate emotional parallel. When I go to church and get inside my own thoughts—my prayers, being truthful to myself about myself—it’s an un-earthly, cleansing feeling. And that’s how I felt during Mitchell’s class. I felt like it was a personal moment where I could forgive myself and feel renewed and cleansed and free to just start over. Every breath felt like a new moment in life, and I was reminded that it should be treated as such.
Afterwards, I took a brief peak into the class Rock n Roll Flow with Vinnie Manno to see what all the hype was about. Because, who doesn’t love Rock ‘n’ Roll?
“There’s a moment when you switch your perspective—when you’re more into feeling than thinking,” Manno said.
I finished off the long and soulful day with Kurt Johnsen’s Workout and Wine Down, which of course featured a wind down from all your practices session followed by a glass (or two) of wine. Johnsen is the host of Yoga for Life on Z Living TV, so crowds and cameras are his thing.
Stay tuned for my last post from Wanderlust Day 3 tomorrow (the festival officially ends on Sunday) and follow my adventures on Twitter: @jaymelamm.
This post originally ran online at Austin Fit Magazine. Click here to see the original post with more Wanderlust Austin photos.
