Wanderlust Festival >> Feathers + Fauna

imageI may not yet have unpacked from yoga classes at the Wanderlust Festival (relax–thanks to striking Vacation Rental by Owner gold, they’re clean) but have now reviewed the images more times that I care to share. Highlights of the second year of the summer fest include fantastically-led outdoor classes under inflatable shapes, Ritual coffee available via bike and Airstream, and quality time with mindfully-minded folks. A set of “Speakeasy” talks led by Wisdom 2.0 conference founder Soren Gordhamer focused on meaningful connectivity, and I’d like to see more along those lines next year. See official photographer TinyWater’s great images should you not be able to get enough; they’re best enjoyed when set to the sounds of a roving band.

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Dancing Yoga into Schools

imageJust as the cool summer weather starts to warm and Kombucha makes its way back to store shelves in SF (a girl can dream), Flavorpill is planning a dance party this Saturday at YogaWorks on Divisadero. The $15 fee for Get Your Dance On will benefit Headstand.org, an organization that brings yoga into Bay Area schools (per previous coverage of the non-profit, it looks to “provide access to yoga in the place where these students spend the most time: school”). It will also get you organic wine, raw chocolate, and a week of free yoga classes. Alxndr of False Profit and Ecstatic Dance will be hitting the decks as you make your way to the floor.

Wisdom 2.0 for the Weekend

The Wisdom 2.0 Conference that started today at the Computer History Museum is a rare opportunity to hear sequential mentions of “psycho-sensory emotions” and “Twitter fail,” and I think it’s long overdue. Not to fear–I won’t get too yoga teacher trainee on you but find a lot of genuine value in dialogue about mindfulness in the way we interact with technology and one another.

Should you also be intejugglerested in talks about real-time meditation and advice for the over-stimulated, a trip to Mountain View on Saturday or Sunday could be most worthwhile. Soren Gordhamer, the author of the book Wisdom 2.0: Ancient Teachings for the Creative and Constantly Connected, is hosting the conference to congregate people as diverse as “technology leaders, Zen teachers, neuroscientists, and academics to explore how we can live with deeper meaning and wisdom in our technology-rich age.”

While attention deficit is nothing new, Roshi Joan Halifax, a Zen priest, end of life caregiver and social network fan (it’s true) spoke about the challenge of knowing how to best divide and dedicate her consciousness. She discussed trying to bring the same rigor that enables her 5:30 AM daily meditation practice to being selective in how she spends her time connecting online. Halifax said she does a few gut checks, asking how the tools serve and whether they allow her to be better in touch with the suffering of the world. Consider it technology-enabled compassion.