Editors note: After speaking with Alli and her love for this nut oil I was inspired to do a little experimenting myself. Getting carried away would be an understatement. I may or may not be completely covered in the stuff… and also added it to my morning smoothie. Have you gone cuckoo for coconut oil too?

Whenever someone mentioned the words “pole dance,” like most people, Maiah visualized a sequined bikini, a Neil Armstrong-like desire to defy gravity and, ahem, the “human anatomy.” After attending her first class, Maiah tells us that pole dancing was more much sweat and tears than it was T&A.

dancing around pole fitness

With a new job (as an educator!), new roommates and living in a new city in California, I made it my goal to be open to as many new things as possible. Despite all my apprehensions (and maybe even some misconceptions), I was intrigued by the idea of a pole dancing class and the way it was quickly becoming the trendiest way to sweat.

I spent some time researching studios online and found one in my local Carlsbad neighborhood. Comforted by the fact that I was attending “pole fitness” rather than “pole dancing,” I reserved a spot online and was ready to cross this item off my bucket list.

what to expect from a pole fitness class

The promise that the class would focus on a routine that includes ‘poses, transitions and spins designed to build strength and get your blood pumping’ was spot-on. The class started on a yoga mat warming up the body with some great stretches and toning exercises. From here we moved into some pole work where I quickly realized that upper body and core strength are essential to succeed at this discipline.

top tips for mastering the pole

If there’s one thing I’d like to make clear, it’s that pole fitness is no walk in the park. Far beyond my expectation, the class proved to be an amazing aerobic and anaerobic workout. I was initially sore and slightly bruised but once I learned a few basic moves and spins, I was surprised how skillful and competent I felt. One tip I found helpful is to keep those toes pointed and extend the legs for a beautiful line in the body. I also found that I needed attire that allowed for a great range of motion. I wore my boogie shorts, the same ones I wear for hot yoga.

One of the best aspects of pole fitness is the way I see myself incorporating my flexibility and strength from my yoga, gymnastics and ballet background. What started as the need to fulfill a curious desire has developed into a weekly fitness commitment.

While pole fitness has become Maiah’s new favourite way to sweat, she’s still committed to her goal of trying new things. What other fitness bandwagons should she hop on?

want more?

• give stand-up paddleboarding a try before the season ends
  
• dare to go bare? Tess trades in her sneakers and goes au natural

On my journey back to Vancouver I thought about what to put in this wrap up post and found myself coming back to the idea of how yoga can change the world. I wanted to put some really deep stuff in here, but it's difficult because my learnings from Wanderlust 2011 are bigger than the space of this blog post and I don't think are fully revealed just yet.

Without further ado, my summary of the weekend, in list form.

top things to expect

1. You will laugh, cry, or both of the above at some point during the weekend.

2. You will find yourself doing something you never thought you would do, whether it's tipping over in Bakasana for the first time or dancing in Navasana in Jonny Kest's Detox Flow on Sunday morning, even though you purposefully did not schedule yourself for any classes that had "spontaneous dancing" in the description.

3. You will LOVE the thing in #2 that you never thought you would do. (Thank you, Jonny Kest!)

4. You will realize that your life is pretty darn great.

5. You will change your body. It may come in the form of pain (i.e., deep hip openers) or in the form of freedom, or maybe it's the thoughts about your body that will change (e.g. "I have new respect for my feet" after you watch your toes hold your weight after your hundredth chatturanga), but it will happen.

6. You will find yourself in conversation with someone you just met, and it will feel like you've known them for years.

7. You will realize, multiple times, how grateful you are to be exactly where you
are, in the body that you have now.

New friends from New Jersey (p.s. she's an educator and he photographs ambassadors!), plus Molly and Brenna, fellow lululemon Wanderlusters

unscientific stats

The number of times I...

had my head between my legs in some capacity = 314
thought "thank God for gussets" = 314
had my head between someone else's legs = 6
fell over = 3
held hands with the person next to me = 3
held feet with the person next to me = 1
got covered in glitter from my neighbour's pimped out yoga mat = 1

lululemon Wanderlusters after rock 'n rolling with Vinnie Marino: me, Janine and Molly

top trends at wanderlust

1. Feathers.

2. Reconstructed t-shirts (mostly the Wanderlust volunteer shirts) courtesy a skilled woman and her pair of scissors (also spotted: this pair of DIY Wunder Unders):

3. Body paint as seen on Tai, who takes many of our ambassador photos in California!

4. Tails.

thoughts on what i packed

1. I didn't need the sweater I brought with me. A tank top and Vinyasa scarf were fine at night. Plus, there were lots of local vendors set up if you were missing anything, like this one from Tahoe.

2. Next time I'd bring a block or cushion to sit on.

3. Fresh luon saved my life. I busted out my new Peacock Wunder Unders after almost leaving my morning class on Day 3 and highly recommend saving something clean and/or new for when you hit an energy low on the third or fourth day.

4. My hotel room card was the same size as the front inner pocket of my Wunder Unders. Perfect for the yogi on the go!

5. The Travel Mat fit neatly into my luggage, was easy to carry, and kept my asanas in place, but after 6 hours of yoga, four days in a row, my joints would have appreciated a little more padding. Next time I will pack a slightly thicker mat.

6. The Wanderlust backpack was perfect for the daytime, especially because I was toting my computer around as well and it has a separated laptop sleeve inside.

thank you

Thank you to every single person I met, to every instructor for opening our minds and bodies, to the Wanderlust folks who hosted such an unforgettable experience. I am so grateful to have been a part of this experience and know that each person will be taking what they learned on their mat back with them and out into the world.

The sun setting over the last night in Tahoe

See you next year, Wanderlust.

Love from Vancouver,
Alana

If dancers are sighted in an unusual public space, moving seamlessly, you may have stumbled across a site-specific dance project. Innovative choreographers are ditching the stage and going public by choreographing movement in and around public spaces. With the current credit crunch, creating movement in public space is a win win situation as more people are exposed to dance and no one has to worry about paying for a theatre.

I am spearheading a site-specific dance project inside our store at Grant Ave in San Francisco. The show premieres June 5 and 6 and utilizes the stores' front space, window and sidewalk. I enrolled floor manager Chris Cano and local dancer Kristin Cheng to choreograph, as well as our very own educator Anna Carnes to dance. Performing also will be Cameron Growden and Mayuko Ayabe. The goal of this project is to get our feet wet as artists and for our store to move, touch and inspire the community.

Making dance in public spaces has great possibilities. The movement is made in relation to the environment, it is intimate and we get a super work out on the pavement. Not to mention curious crowds watching as we rehearse inside and outside of the store. I am seeing that there does not have to be an announced time and place for dance to be appreciated and seen.

Site-based dance is also happening in Philadelphia where choreographer Kate Watson-Wallace is creating site-based performances that re-imagine everyday spaces such as cars, living rooms and bathrooms. In fact, one of her dancers, Alexandra Holmes, is an ambassador for the lululemon Walnut Street store.

Keep your eyes peeled for random acts of dance in your neighborhood as the epidemic spreads.