For four days on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii at the Turtle Bay Resort, Yoga Alliance® took part in Wanderlust Festival, the world’s fastest-growing yoga and music festival. The multi-day event from Feb. 25 - 28 was attended by more than 6,000 yoga supporters, practitioners and enthusiasts who came to the “The Gathering Place” – Oahu’s apt nickname – to participate in yoga classes and guided adventure activities, watch musical acts perform and hear noted speakers discuss the state of the industry and the latest trends in yoga.
Laura Gross, Wanderlust’s Vice President of Partnerships, says the four-day festival is about creating a community around “mindful living” as well as building a holistic appreciation for the arts, travel, culture, health and sustainability. Yoga Alliance’s team welcomed flocks of festival-goers to the YA booth, situated near the main concert stage and yoga venue, and informed them about the latest happenings at Yoga Alliance.
"We spoke to hundreds of people at our booth,” says E-RYT 500 Andrew Tanner YA spokesperson. “[Seeing all those people] gave our booth a fun and exciting atmosphere while we spoke to people about our specific programs like Social Credentialing and our advocacy work.”
Attendees posed revealing questions for YA staff that pointed to emerging trends, especially for the west coast yoga community, and unmet needs of the community at large, including whether stand-up paddleboard (SUP) yoga instructors warranted specific credentialing, the kind of training needed to teach children yoga versus adults, and how YA can provide more educational or professional development content to audiences.
Yoga Alliance is headed to the Boston, MA area next! Come see us March 29, 2015, 2:00 -4:00 p.m. ET at Down Under Yoga, where we will host a fun and festive gathering with the local yoga community. Hear live music, participate in a self-directed flow practice, enjoy refreshments and take part in a dialogue about how we can better serve teachers, studios and the greater yoga community.