At: Jupiter House, Denton – I can see why this place is voted one of Denton’s best. Charming, cozy and home to one of the best signs I’ve seen. 
Munching: Blueberry Muffin
Drinking: Iced Peanut Butter Mocha (it’s like this place knows me)
Listening: Stand by Me – Otis Redding
Reading: Travel blogs
Making: Lists for future blog posts (if only I wasn’t slothful)
/wanderlust/- a strong, innate desire to rove or travel about
I just had the absolute pleasure of experiencing my first Wanderlust 108 Festival last week. To say it was exhilarating would be an understatement!
Wanderlust 108 is the world’s only mindful triathlon. The day began with a 5k around Downtown Dallas, followed by a swinging dance party hosted by MC Yogi, which flowed into an invigorating yoga class and capped off with a mindful guided meditation.
It was incredibly humbling to be around such an amazing group of people. Lots of high fives were shared, lots of hugs and not to mention, lots of sweat poured!
To my surprise, the event was the push I needed to begin running. I never found enjoyment when I tried track in school and always blamed my lack of endurance and stamina. Now I realize that it’s essentially the same excuse as when someone says, “I can’t do yoga because I’m not flexible.” So this marked my foray in to the running world. I have been running thrice a week and when I say running, I actually mean I walk for 2 minutes and run for a minute (heh). Baby steps. I mean, I didn’t enter my first yoga class and attempt to handstand.
So here I am, trying to be a more rounded yogi. I have come to appreciate running. Amidst panting for dear life and aching hamstrings, I noticed that it is a beautiful complement to my asana practice. Where one is rather focused on stretching and lengthening, the other is focused on strengthening and supporting. And if that isn’t balance, I don’t know what is.
Which brings me back to this aspect of wanderlust. I have been so blessed to be able to travel to various places around the world and it obviously aroused this insatiable desire to keep moving. Not just in the sense of seeing other places but in this way of traveling and weaving within yourself to unravel and tap on your potential. And I think that’s what running did to me. I felt something unlock within that brought this equilibrium that I didn’t even know I needed.
Accordingly, I am grateful. Grateful for discovering yoga. Grateful for Wanderlust. Grateful for unending potential.
How often can one say that they practiced yoga on the beautiful Margaret Hunt Hill bridge? Bowing to the sun on this bright day, I practiced alongside hundreds of smiling yogis. Big thanks to All Out Trinity for facilitating this wonderful festival that brought together Dallas’ thriving yoga community.
Jai Dallas!
I remember my first biking experience vividly. I was about 5 and my mom just bought my sister and I new bikes. It was the coolest bike I ever owned. It was green, it had tassels on the handlebar and a little basket where I can stuff my candy stash. Oh, and it had training wheels, which at the time no one told me I needed to learn to bike without them. The idea of ‘training’ was lost on me. So I became dependent and attached. When they were taken off the bike, I completely lost my sense of balance, or lack thereof, fell and hurt myself and vowed to just be one of those people who never bikes.
Fast forward to 20 years later and you realized how essential certain aspects of your life are and that it’s completely not okay for a modern 24 year old woman to just blatantly swear off an activity so loved by many. At least, I had to know what the hype was all about! So a resolution came into play when I came to Texas that by any means necessary, this stubborn chick is gonna learn to ride a bike.
A mountain bike was bought. A cool helmet was bought. I wanted a little basket for my candy stash but apparently, it doesn’t go with a mountain bike. So that was a sacrifice on my part. A hilly park was found and off we ventured to my unknown.
I digress. I am that modern woman who is constantly compelled to research everything and anything. Otherwise, what good is the Internet for, if not for endless cat gifs and how to bike videos. I gathered what I thought were helpful tips to soften the blow of my inevitable fall.
So while on that grassy hill, I kept telling myself that all I needed to do is glide and the momentum will make it easier for me to find balance and ride. Instead of gliding, I screamed my way down, zeroed in on a tiny pothole on the ground, tried to avoid it and went stumbling down the hill. Not only were my knees and palms bruised, but also my ego.
Then I really swore to never bike again, because falling to me equated being defeated.
However, persistence and perseverance are two of my favorite words so we found a empty parking lot with a very slight slope and instead of focusing on that inevitable fall, I just started coasting and just like that, my feet were off the ground, and I was pedaling and I wasn’t falling. I was screaming in profound joy though because I just learned to bike!
And now as I write about it, I laugh to myself at the absurdity of my stubbornness. I was so attached to my fundamental gap of not being able to bike that I wasted so many years of potential biking wins and fails.
Last weekend during a bike ride, I underestimated an edge and took a nasty fall, scraping my fingers raw. It hurt. My ego hurt. Then there was that sudden realization that nothing is permanent. It’s so easy to zero in on the negative and dwell on a downer, but what takes effort is realizing that you shouldn’t take anything for granted. One day you’re happily biking and the next, you can’t button your pants because of your messed up fingers.
It’s all in the perspective.
Side note: Just because you practice yoga doesn’t automatically mean you can ride a bike because you’re so ‘centrally inclined’.
One of my favorite things about living in Dallas, besides the over-the-top gourmandism and cowboy boots, are free yoga classes at Klyde Warren Park. If you know me, you know I’m a sucker for all things free. So when I found out that Dallas Yoga Center (which is a great yoga studio here) was sponsoring free yoga classes at the park every Saturday, you didn’t need to pull my leg twice. I was on that like peanut butter on toast.
© Klyde Warren Park
I am an avid supporter of yoga studios or anyone for that matter, who give back to the community. The yoga classes at the park always seem to yield a great crowd, especially on beautiful sunny days and I am extremely pleased to see people participate in such a potent space.
Besides yoga, I’ve also had the pleasure of attending their kirtan performances which occur every couple weeks. We once braced 2C weather just to check it out, and while we froze our buns off, it was still an immensely satisfying experience. While I can see why kirtan (musical meditation) isn’t for everyone, it was surprisingly easy to fall into an honest, meditative space.
However, if there’s one thing I look forward to on Saturday mornings, it’s not the asana practice, but the La Ventana breakfast tacos and margaritas I get to indulge in after! As they say, everything in moderation!
La Ventana!
Natasha Iris 