NYS Music 20​16

Tag: yoga

  • The Whirlwind of Wanderlust: Stratton, VT

    Wanderlust Yoga & Music Festival was four full days of enlightenment and adventure. The weather was perfect all weekend long, creating an amazing environment for attendees to experience the very beginning of summer while enjoying their journey!

    wanderlustThe music and entertainment was happening all over the festivals landscape the entire weekend-from the Rue Boheme in the center of the village, to the campfire at night by the slack-lining pond, to Stratton’s well known late night music venue ‘Grizzly’s’. A broad spectrum of musical tastes resonated throughout the beautiful Vermont mountains, including: Elijah Ray; a solo performer, bringing the Hawaiian-island sound, Michael Franti & Spearhead; a powerful group that spreads the message of unity and peace through their upbeat, high-energy performance, Morley; a solo artist with incredibly strong vocals, who sings about justice and equality, and many others.

    The over-all festival experience was more than fulfilling. There was such a diverse variety of classes offered, opening up many opportunities to learn and take home fresh perspective on what yoga truly means. Wanderlust is known for a high-quality learning experience, surrounding physical well-being, mental clarity and community building. It far exceeds what one could ever expect to receive from a typical festival. I already can’t wait for the next, and strongly recommend checking this one out!

  • Photo Gallery: Relive Mayfest 2016

    The beautiful grounds of Surprise Lake Camp in Cold Spring, NY, provided the backdrop for the second annual Mayfest during Memorial Day weekend 2016. The offspring of SkyBaby Yoga and Catskill Chill Music Festival, Mayfest articulately blends music, art and yoga together, as a three-day, intimate wellness retreat. The vibe was bright and relaxing, and it was a welcomed addition to the arguably crowded festival scene here in the northeast.

    MayfestTargeted at the yoga enthusiast, the daily schedule was packed with activities, ranging from various yoga classes, group meditation, workshops, lectures, pilates and hooping. At any give time between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., festival-goers had to choose from about nine different offerings—there was no excuse to hang out at your cabin or tent. As the sun was closer to setting each night, the focus shifted to the main stage, a stone seat amphitheater across from the lake, which was scheduled to go at the relatively early time of 11:30 p.m. each night (although it was cut about 45 minutes short on Sunday due to the weather). The one late night activity was the Sensory Collective, a “Cirque-de-Solei-esque” troop of performers who entertained attendees Saturday night, keeping us night owls happy until 1 a.m. on Sunday.

    A review of individual bands or yoga classes is well beyond the scope of this photographer. I would advise to those reading this who might be interested in attending next year, if you take yoga on the regular, the lineup is mostly within your musical wheelhouse, and the location doesn’t change, then you shouldn’t hesitate to go. While only in its second year, everything is well run and the staff brings a wealth of experience to this event. Also, I would spring for the cabin rental; they were recently updated and place you closer to the action. Finally, it did seem most of the classes were still available to sign up when onsite, but chances are you will be going in knowing what classes you want to take. Procrastinating on the sign-up will be of no benefit.

    Hopefully this has offered some sense of what went down in Cold Spring, and what to expect next year assuming no major deviation from the current formula. Of course, check out the pics below and see some of the sights of Mayfest from my perspective.