Close-up hug-ness with thousands of bright-colour yogis and hearing live-life-to-the-max mantra would scare my hubby so I leave him at home with the kids and soak up lots of downward dogs with others who really enjoy it.
The day starts with mediation with Duncan Peak, founder of Power Living Australia. There's fresh seaside air and I feel the shift of the warm, rising sun. I savour being "still". Duncan tells me he was once in the military and played professional rugby union. He first did yoga aged 14 - it "helped" at a time of turmoil. He loves the physicalness of yoga, but more the philosophical side - "it provokes intellectual inquiry".
I'm next with US instructor Cameron Shayne, who has taught Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Meg Ryan and choreographed scenes for the Rush Hour 1 and 2 movies with Jackie Chan. He learned yoga while being a bodyguard in 1995 for Charlie Sheen, who had a yoga studio in his garage.
Since then, Shayne has blended martial arts and yoga for his own practice. He jokes mid-class "you might not know this move because I made it up".
Watching his skills is a treat. He's as light as a tiger and as fast. I suspect I'm not the only one admiring his muscles; he's only wearing black hot-pants. Oh, and diamond earrings, wrist beads, a necklace and an interesting tiger and flower tattoo.
He chats to students after the class. I tell him his teachings are thought-provoking. I like his saying, "Yoga is not about looking good; it's about feeling good." He reckons most people need to live joyfully, not "sleepily".
Later, teacher Amy Ippoliti makes me mangle my body into a human pretzel. I had my head in my feet and even tried the splits. She challenges even the smuggest yogis. Another highlight is Dr Libby Weaver's talk about eating a nutrient-dense diet and stressing less.
Her knowledge of food science, hormones and emotions is mind-blowing, her skin is glowing. She tells me it's her ritual to do yoga daily about 6am. It gives her deep stillness, awareness of breath and it's a preventive health practice. As she says in her book Beauty From the Inside Out yoga "is accessible, blissful, powerful, and transformational".
Meanwhile, I also love how Shayne sums up the need for an awareness breath, too, "because you need to learn how to breathe to deal with life".
How much? Free entry, yoga classes on the main stage, talks and music. Its specialist classes you must register and pay for (prices via akl.wanderlustfestival.com).
Worth it? You gotta love an event that "balances" vino with your vinyasa. I loved the yoga talent, eating a kale salad and vegan cheesecake, drinking organic coffee and coconut juice and listening to live music. I didn't buy beads or get a reading.
Try it: Lakeside Park, Western Springs, Auckland, next Sunday (March 23).
Rating: 10/10
