I remember first thinking that I’d never seen so many people in yoga pants all in one place.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves; first we should start from the beginning. This June 11th-14th I was fortunate to find myself in Boulder, Colorado for the fifth year anniversary of Hanuman Festival. It was a weekend of firsts for me, first time ever being in the beautiful Colorado altitude, first time being at a yoga festival of this size and magnitude, and the first time I’d ever seen this many people in yoga pants all in one area. To say the least, I was in a hipster, organic, squeezed juice and mala bracelets yogi haven.
When I was first asked to recount my experience at the festival, I was unsure. In my mind how could I accurately describe the atmosphere of such an event, the taste of tangy beet vinaigrette, or the words of instructors in their element? After thinking it through, considering my experience was so good, so positive, I felt I should at least try to explain it to you. I mean, if you had a great secret place you’d share it too! So here we are.
Let’s talk logistics first -- this festival is a three day affair (friday-sunday), and it consists of three classes per day (class of your choosing), and during breaks you can enjoy Vendor Village, free community events, and more. Basically all your essential needs are right there on site. I was luckily enough to not be stepping into this unknown terrain alone, I had my FORM girls with very own Momma Andrea and twin sister, Paige, with me. We all had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, but we left our rental house, mat in hand and were off to the races as they say.
Now instead of walking you through every class, every meal, every conversation, I want to highlight the things that really made this experience amazing for my cohorts and me.
Warning: nostalgia ahead
1.) The People.
I can’t help but start first with the people at the festival. In just my three days I met so many amazing people from all over the United States like California, Arizona to Boston, and even through from other countries such as Czechoslovakia. What surprised me the most was that everyone I met was genuinely authentic, kind, and friendly.
This got me thinking, is every yoga festival this way?
And lucky for you and me, I think it is, and here is why:
They are living and practicing Yoga. I know that may sound like a pretty crazy idea, but when I say “yoga” I don’t just mean the asanas (the poses), I mean they are enforcing the values of yoga into their everyday. Through my teacher training, M.C. Sweet told me that the purpose of yoga is not to master cool poses to show your friends, but rather to silence the winds of the mind. That means, in all you do in life on and off the mat, you are coming back to the one important thing, your breath. This idea allows people to find contentment, humility, and most important love of themselves, and the ability to serve others. Again, like M.C. Sweet and the age-old saying says, “How are we to love others, if we cannot love ourselves?” With everyone sharing these idea, these values it’s hard not to be overwhelmed with feelings of happiness and kindness especially in a setting where people get you. I am happy to say that I left this trip with more friends and contacts then I started with.
2.) Vendor Village Experience.
Imagine walking into a huge oval expanse that is known as Vendor Village that showcases artisans, food, retailers, nonprofit organizations, and more. I know you’re thinking it, and I agree with you -- it’s a small heaven.
Okay, it wasn’t quite heaven, but for a girl like me it was better than I could have imagined! Lined up were organic super food trucks, all natural supplements like essential oils, and all types of yoga pants ranging from brand names like Teeki to independent companies I’d never heard of. Not to mention the ridiculous amount to hand-made jewelry vendors, malas galore people! Of course when you’re holding a necklace made in Nepal or trying on another mala bracelet the question “Do I really need this?” runs through your head, but if you’re one for nostalgia like me, I quickly buried that thought in the necklace and shirt I’m about to purchase.
Every once in awhile you just have to treat yourself. Write that down.
One of the coolest vendors the had there was one for a nonprofit called Global Glue Project, and their mission is to connect the world through REAL relationship stories one couple at a time. Essentially, they go out and ask couples, “What is the glue that holds you two together? What makes a relationship sustainable?” Basically they are just sharing the love of the world with everyone! I was so in awe and amazed by the simplicity this idea, but the incredible need for it. So if you have some advice on what makes you and your person work hit them up at globalglueproject.com to share the love.
3.) The Atmosphere.
Just walking around the festival is enough to make someone happy. Not only were their fun vendors, free samples of all kind, but there was also activities and time for relaxation.
So, if you are feeling more adventurous and active after your class or during a break, you can kick it with the Yoga Slackers as you test your balance walking across slack lines set up on the green. Not to mention, there are always free activities under the community tent such as panel discussions with the yoga instructors themselves!
But maybe after your 2 hour class you’re just ready for some much needed R&R. Lucky for you, there are options. First being massages. But, wait for it… They are free massages. Is your mind blown yet?! Yes, I will repeat FREE MASSAGES PEOPLE. Of course this was an incredibly thing to have on sight, and it stayed busy consistently through our three days there, so my advice to you is sign up for a massage right away! Now, if you just want to relax, sit back and kick off the imaginary shoes you’re not wearing cause you’re a yogi, then the YogaGlo Lounge is for you. Think plush. This tented area is set in the middle of the festival, offering shade from the sun and comfy couches and chairs to kick back in. Not to mention, they had my personal favorite, the hammock.
However, what I loved the most was grabbing some food after my 11am class, and finding a nice spot of green near the community tent right near the entrance. Here this tented area featured free events for the public such as yoga, Q&As with the professionals, and live music. For me nothing was better than setting my bum on the ground after a tough class, crossing my legs, food in hand, to simply catch up with friends about our classes and enjoy the amazing live music and chanting.
4.) The Food.
Can I just say yum for a second? Yum….
Okay now that that’s done, my heart and tummy are a little saddened being home because I think I went through a few withdrawals.
At the Hanuman Festival a majority of the vendors, specifically those who are in the business of selling food items, are majority of natural/organic businesses. It could have been just as easy to bring in pizza like they do in college, or serve burgers and flies, but that’s not what they did. Everyday for lunch I had a chance to diversify my palate by trying foods I’d never eaten before. An instant favorite was the kale-quinoa burger with spicy mayo and the most delicious potato salad I’d ever tried. I’m not gonna lie though, the first time I ordered the burger I missed the part about there being no meat in it, and so when I was handing this weird look patty of quinoa and kale, I will admit I was skeptical. However, by the end of the third day I’d eaten this sandwich two more times while at the festival.
I was further surprised by a meal I ate at a food truck for the a little Boulder cafe/restaurant called Zeal, and boy has it changed the way I look at salad, beets and avocados. Trying to give this meal justice is dang near impossible, so I’ll just focus on specifics. The last day as I was making my way over for my final kale burger of the trip, I was deeply disappointed to find out that they were all out (food’s a big deal people, and I was getting hangry, hungry + angry). So then I looked around to view my options, I’d eaten Indian food before and wasn’t feeling that, but saw that there was a line at this one truck called Zeal where I received a spinach, pomegranate and ginger juice earlier in the weekend. I saw people walking away with split avocados that had a magenta colored center. Instantly I was confused, but intrigued. I ended up ordering a super salad with beets, quinoa, collard greens and what I learned was a beet vinaigrette (magenta mystery filling), and of course, an avocado dish. The food was so amazing, and I could feel my body thanking be with every bite, but even better than the food was the company. I sat cross-legged with my mom and sister and three amazing yoga instructors we just met, and under the shade of a tree we all went around talking about ourselves, and classes and just enjoying this amazing type of fellowship, this feeling of belonging. So, I will say, good food in itself is amazing, but good food and amazing people is exceptional.
Last, but definitely not least, the amazing teachers.
Words cannot express my awe of these practitioners who so deeply love their passions that they have immersed themselves into this practice with such fervor for knowledge.
I was overcome with emotion in Tommy Rosen’s Kundalini yoga class in the afternoon of my second day. Maybe it was a perfect storm:
I just finished a challenging class with the Darren Rhodes, a class that pushed me deeper into postures with his talent of specific cuing, and after this I was ready to catch my breath. Thankful I’d signed up for Tommy Rosen’s class next, which happened to be outside in a tented area. I had only tried Kundalini once before, and I loved it, so my mood was instantly better. Kundalini yoga is the yoga of awareness and its aim is to cultivate the spirit by empowering one to speak their truth and find the compassion to heal and serve others. So just to give a little idea, in the beginning of class we all started in a seated posture, one hand on our knee, the other arm reached up so the palm was facing down toward the crown of our head. We kept this posture for 11 minutes straight, with the intention of blessing ourselves. I just remember Tommy saying, “Why can’t you bless yourself? You’re thankful for who you are! Bless yourself, forgive yourself everyday.” The passion in his voice, and the experience of feeling the vibration of us all chant together with the band was profound. We sang “Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo" meaning, “I bow to the divine in all things, I bow to all the teachings that bring us from darkness into light.” It was an incredibly liberating experience once that 11 minutes ended, just to realize you had done it and pushed through the discomfort. What a lesson for life as a whole -- often times things hurt, things are difficult and we just want to quit before we even start, doubting our abilities. But, in the end we realize that if we just believed, just pushed ourselves and trusted in ourselves, that on the other side of that barrier would be something great.
There are so many more stories I want to share with you about the DJ at the club who dropped a beat for the singers who sang and rapped in sanskrit, Tiffany Cruikshank’s dog, the nice lady Sue, and the amazing adjusters in every class, but I think this blog would better be suited for a small book and no one wants that ;) So to end this, I will say that if you are someone who enjoys yoga, wants to learn more, eat good food, and meet amazing people then Hanuman Festival is for you.
