This past weekend was full of these kinds of moments.
My sister and I fell upon this event called Wanderlust. A few months ago a friend, for whom I will forever be grateful, shared a link on my Facebook timeline about paddleboard yoga. Curious, I signed up for the class and drove up to the lake by myself. The experience was awesome. After the class, I was searching through the instructor’s Facebook page to learn more. I eventually arrived at one particular post that said something to the effect “I bought my Wanderlust ticket, have you?” Once again my curiosity peaked, so I googled ‘Wanderlust’. In a split second, I was hooked. Yoga. Wellness. Whistler. Immediately I thought of my sister who practices Saturday yoga with me. She responded to my email with “Hell yeah!!! Are you serious??”
We had no idea what to expect. We purchased our tickets and registered for a variety of classes that seemed somewhat ‘normal’. The yoga world has a language I’m just becoming familiar with and we tried to stick to the classes that seemed less ‘out there’.
She and I both had to sacrifice a bit to make the weekend happen. I was missing a weekend with my kids, which in shared custody land is extremely difficult. My sister was missing time away from her daughter and husband. Our families were sacrificing to keep things running smoothly while we were away. Leaving town I was a little out of sorts and somewhat regretting our decision to go.
All it took was one step in the Wanderlust world to realize we were right where we should be. I can easily write words to describe the activities and our timeline of events. But to adequately illustrate the experience is far more challenging. I can only attempt to do so by describing one particular moment.
It was the last day of our trip and we had just finished a morning hike on the mountain. We had spent time walking and meditating by a beautiful glacier lake. Surrounded by the vastness and the strength of the mountain you couldn’t help but feel small and large, powerless and powerful all at the same time. This hike was about taking in our surroundings and being present in every moment. Had our trip ended with that experience on the mountain, we would have felt fulfilled and blissful for such an incredible journey. But as luck and time would allow, we were able to practice one last yoga class before we left to drive home.
We laid out our mats on the grass in the outdoor Olympic plaza. The sun was warm and the view was extraordinary. Seane Corn stood on the stage with musical artist Michael Franti and she began our practice by taking us through a Vinyasa flow. With every breath in, we absorbed all the amazing things we had taken in that weekend. As the sequence progressed so did the volume and the beat of the music. Pretty soon all the yogis in the class were out of flow and dancing on their mats. Franti asked us to grab both hands of someone standing nearby. Just like when we were little girls, my sister and I held hands and danced. I will forever remember the tears running out from underneath our sunglasses while he sang,
“Wo-oh, wo-oh, life is better with you.
Wo-oh, wo-oh, life is better with you.
And when I think about the things that we’ve been through,
I know just one thing is true, life is better with you.”
The pain of the last four years and the grief of what we’d lost streamed down our faces. But the feelings of pure unadulterated joy and gratitude filled every empty space those tears left.
This weekend was full of moments difficult to explain, but powerful in their impact. Moments that recharged my spirit and filled my heart with hope. Moments that reminded me of all the wonderful things in this world and what is truly important. Love. Health. Nature. Family. Joy. Faith. Connection.
It is through open minds and curiosity we can let go, and free our hearts to experience beautiful beginnings.