WomensHealth
  • News
  • Health
  • Fitness
  • Sex & Love
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Weight Loss
  • Women In Sport
  • Podcasts
  • Video
WomensHealth
  • News
  • Health
  • Fitness
  • Sex & Love
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Weight Loss
  • Women In Sport
  • Podcasts
  • Video
This Simple, Effective Ab Workout Will Shred Your Six-Pack
Watch 0:23

This Simple, Effective Ab Workout Will Shred Your Six-Pack

{headline}

{headline}

6 Soulful Health Retreats To Kick Start Your New Year

6 Soulful Health Retreats To Kick Start Your New Year

The Two-Hour Workout Britney Spears Does Daily

The Two-Hour Workout Britney Spears Does Daily

6 Winter Wellness Escapes To Restore Your Mind, Body And Spirit

6 Winter Wellness Escapes To Restore Your Mind, Body And Spirit

'Six Very Real Questions I Had On My First Yoga Retreat'

'Six Very Real Questions I Had On My First Yoga Retreat'

{headline}

{headline}

Jennifer Aniston Celebrates 51st Birthday With An Impressive Abs Pic

Jennifer Aniston Celebrates 51st Birthday With An Impressive Abs Pic

Miley Cyrus’ Core Is *Crazy* Toned

Miley Cyrus’ Core Is *Crazy* Toned

The Pilates Workout Behind Pia Miller’s Insane Abs

The Pilates Workout Behind Pia Miller’s Insane Abs

{headline}

{headline}

The Eating And Exercise Habits Behind Elsa Pataky’s Seriously Strong Physique

The Eating And Exercise Habits Behind Elsa Pataky’s Seriously Strong Physique

31 Things All Beginner Yogis Have Experienced

31 Things All Beginner Yogis Have Experienced

Taking Mother-Daughter Trips Is The Key To Good Health

Taking Mother-Daughter Trips Is The Key To Good Health

The Fit Girls' Guide To Darwin*

The Fit Girls' Guide To Darwin*

The Internet Is Convinced This A Picture Of Gywneth Paltrow Doing Yoga In The Nude

The Internet Is Convinced This A Picture Of Gywneth Paltrow Doing Yoga In The Nude

Demi Moore's Just Posed Nude At 56 And Ya Kidding, Right?!

Demi Moore's Just Posed Nude At 56 And Ya Kidding, Right?!

How Game of Thrones Star Nathalie Emmanuel Builds A Strong Body And Mind

How Game of Thrones Star Nathalie Emmanuel Builds A Strong Body And Mind

  1. Home
  2. Fitness

We Went To A Huge Yoga Festival In Hawaii – Here's What Happened

Time to party like a yogi at Wanderlust - by Alex Davies
  • 10 Jul 2019
We Went To A Huge Yoga Festival In Hawaii – Here's What Happened
Misha Kreker

The hip-hop beat kicks in as the crowd moves on the grass in front of the main stage. A guy in jeans, a cap and hipster specs is MCing and rapping in a laid-back US drawl, as his fans cheer along between poses. Poses? That’s right. After all, we’re not at your typical music gig. This crowd is doing Cats and Cobras in the name of Wanderlust, one of the biggest yoga festivals in the world.

The guy on stage is superstar MC Yogi, who fuses yoga with hip-hop, electronic and reggae music. He’s one of the headliners for Wanderlust, on the Hawaiian island of O'ahu, where I’ve spent the past few days. The franchise has been going for a decade now, holding events around the US and in cities from Hamburg to Melbourne.

RELATED: What It Means If You’re A Fixed Sign In Astrology

Hosted by Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore, this incarnation of the festival offers a dreamy itinerary of what Wanderlust calls ‘transformational experiences’. There’s acroyoga, SUP yoga, slackline yoga, equine yoga (yep, with horses – sadly already booked out), meditation, horseback riding on the beach and silent discos. There’s also workshops led by chakra experts, sound healers, musicians and thought leaders. Over a fairylight-lit farm-to-table dinner one night, I meet women who shared tears and stories in an empowering session by Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert.

wanderlustfest View Profile
1,921 likes - View Post on Instagram
There's nothing like doing #SUPYoga while at #WanderlustOahu * 📸: @melissagaylephoto . * #wanderlust #wanderlust2019 #wanderlustoahu2019 #wanderlustfestival #yoga #sup #hawaii #adventure #hawaiilife #findyourtruenorth @turtlebayresort #turtlebayresort

Rather than greasy burger stands, the main stage looks out onto food stalls serving fresh poke, tacos, acai bowls and even avo toast. Crystals, bohemian clothes and jewellery replace the usual band-merch stands. I’m intrigued by a green juice spiked with CBD oil. Derived from a cannabis compound – not the one that gets you high – the oil is growing in popularity overseas and, while research is ongoing, it’s tipped to ease anxiety as well as post-workout aches. It’s not yet legal in Australia, so I take my chance to try it. (Verdict? No different to a regular green juice.)

RELATED: 8 Science-Backed Benefits Of Doing Yoga

This is all happening with an ocean backdrop. Hawaii’s North Shore is known for its easy-going vibe, epic waves (lots of surf comps are held there) and awe-inspiring countryside – Blue Crush, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Jurassic Park were filmed there or close by. Turtle Bay Resort itself boasts kilometres of pristine beaches. Each evening, crowds gather at the resort’s outdoor bar to watch surfers catch their last waves before the sun disappears in a display of pink and orange as vibrant as the cocktails we’re holding.

Surfers on a beach in Hawaii
Kharen Hill

One day, I’m up at 6am for a small-group kayak tour of nearby Kawela Bay, home to green sea turtles. As we start to glide through the water, lifting our oars to let the creatures swim undisturbed, the sky opens and unleashes a downpour. The shower gives way to a rainbow and a pinch-myself moment – I may be drenched, but I’m in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen, surrounded by turtles. I could stay out there for hours, but it’s time to get back to the resort. Besides, there’s a chakra-balancing breathwork session to get to.

RELATED: A Beginner’s Guide To The 7 Chakras

In that session I meet two women who live on the island and are checking out the festival for the day. They’ve been best friends for decades. Later, a twentysomething Canadian photographer and trainee yoga instructor introduces herself while we watch live music on the main stage. I meet mums with daughters, couples, groups of mates and a recently divorced woman buzzing after a chat with Gilbert. This is a place for anyone and everyone, whether you’re a yogi or not. It may just be the CBD talking, but as I woop, dance and Downward Dog along to MC Yogi’s final track, I realise I really have drunk the Wanderlust Kool Aid.

A turtle in Hawaii
Shaka Kayaks

I stayed... At The Kahala Hotel & Resort for a night after landing in Honolulu. Think luxe, friendly and with a beautiful beach and bay. Try the shellfish ravioli at the hotel’s Hoku’s restaurant and local dish Loco Moco (meat, rice, egg and gravy) at Plumeria Beach House. Then on to Turtle Bay Resort. With pools, food spots, golf courses and activities including kayaking and surf lessons, plus heaps of trails to explore, it has an everything-catered-for feel that means you could spend a whole holiday there if you wanted to.

I relaxed... In a private cabana at The Kahala Spa for a post-flight treatment: Kala Ko'iKo'i Lomilomi. Think two whole blissful hours of exfoliation, massage, warm stones and me nodding off at times. Heaven.

I ate... At the famous North Shore food trucks on the drive to Turtle Bay. A bustling institution, the line-up includes shrimp, roasted corn, fresh coconuts, poke, barbecue meats and shaved ice. Yum.

Women’s Health travelled to Hawaii with Hawaiian Airlines, which flies to Honolulu from Sydney and Brisbane. (Plus, it connects the Hawaiian Islands with 160 local flights daily.) You’re looking at about nine hours in the air from the east coast, so take advantage of the in-flight wellness series, Ola Pono. It includes yogi-led breathing and stretching videos to promote circulation and ease stiffness, plus mindfulness and yoga content for kids. Book flights at hawaiianairlines.com.au.

  • Fitness
  • Lifestyle
  • Yoga
Alex Davies
Alex Davies
Alex Davies, Women's Health Features Editor, is a Brit who fell head over heels for the Aussie wellness scene after her first avo toast. You’ll find her brainstorming content over a soy chai latte at her semi-chaotic desk, debriefing with anyone who’ll listen about reality TV or embracing the hygge life with friends and far too many candles.

Subscribe Now-

Subscribe Now
Subscribe Now

Subscribe Now-

Subscribe Now
Subscribe Now

Recommended to you

This Simple, Effective Ab Workout Will Shred Your Six-Pack
Watch 0:23

This Simple, Effective Ab Workout Will Shred Your Six-Pack

{headline}

{headline}

6 Soulful Health Retreats To Kick Start Your New Year

6 Soulful Health Retreats To Kick Start Your New Year

The Two-Hour Workout Britney Spears Does Daily

The Two-Hour Workout Britney Spears Does Daily

6 Winter Wellness Escapes To Restore Your Mind, Body And Spirit

6 Winter Wellness Escapes To Restore Your Mind, Body And Spirit

'Six Very Real Questions I Had On My First Yoga Retreat'

'Six Very Real Questions I Had On My First Yoga Retreat'

{headline}

{headline}

Jennifer Aniston Celebrates 51st Birthday With An Impressive Abs Pic

Jennifer Aniston Celebrates 51st Birthday With An Impressive Abs Pic

Miley Cyrus’ Core Is *Crazy* Toned

Miley Cyrus’ Core Is *Crazy* Toned

The Pilates Workout Behind Pia Miller’s Insane Abs

The Pilates Workout Behind Pia Miller’s Insane Abs

{headline}

{headline}

The Eating And Exercise Habits Behind Elsa Pataky’s Seriously Strong Physique

The Eating And Exercise Habits Behind Elsa Pataky’s Seriously Strong Physique

31 Things All Beginner Yogis Have Experienced

31 Things All Beginner Yogis Have Experienced

Taking Mother-Daughter Trips Is The Key To Good Health

Taking Mother-Daughter Trips Is The Key To Good Health

The Fit Girls' Guide To Darwin*

The Fit Girls' Guide To Darwin*

The Internet Is Convinced This A Picture Of Gywneth Paltrow Doing Yoga In The Nude

The Internet Is Convinced This A Picture Of Gywneth Paltrow Doing Yoga In The Nude

Demi Moore's Just Posed Nude At 56 And Ya Kidding, Right?!

Demi Moore's Just Posed Nude At 56 And Ya Kidding, Right?!

How Game of Thrones Star Nathalie Emmanuel Builds A Strong Body And Mind

How Game of Thrones Star Nathalie Emmanuel Builds A Strong Body And Mind

WomensHealth
  • About Paragon Media
  • Contact Paragon Media
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement
  • About Paragon Media
  • Contact Paragon Media
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement

Brands

Our Network

  • Paragon Media Pty Ltd
  • Men’s Health
© 2021 Are Media PTY LTD
Get more from

Magazine Subscription Offer

Subscribe Now-

Shop This Offer
Subscribe Now