wan·der·lust: [n.] a strong desire to travel. This pretty much sums up my state of mind about 99% of the time, so when the opportunity to combine, yoga, travel and social media at Wanderlust Festival arose, I was first to volunteer.

I’m a little ashamed to say that in the month leading up to the festival, yoga was lacking in my life.  Work was busy, the weather was wet and excuses were plentiful.  I was literally counting down the days until I could escape to my mat and find some sunshine and peace.

Getting to my first class at Wanderlust was hectic to say the least.  I was running on 2 hours of sleep, there was torrential rain, thunder, lightning and crowds of people everywhere.  Despite the less than ideal conditions, I was determined to unroll my mat, begin my practice and be present in the moment.

As I walked out of the tent after a powerful class with the legendary Sean Corne, I couldn’t help but laugh at my boost of motivation.  Where had this drive been for the last month or so?  Why was this class any different than my ones at home? Four days of handstands, backbends, vinyasa flows and meaningful insights reminded me why I fell in love with yoga and how integral it is in my life.  It’s my time for expression and reflection. It’s my place to feel strong and to relax.

Though at times getting to class can seem like a hassle or even a stressor in itself, we need to remind ourselves that it's always worth the effort.   My biggest takeaway from Wanderlust was that I don’t need to wander to find time for my practice.  I just need to roll out my mat.

the gratitude tree at wanderlust Vermont

Here at lululemon athletica’s Store Support Centre, we have a truly wonderful yoga and fitness program. Five days a week, instructors come into our light-filled studio to conduct classes consisting of various styles and degrees of difficulty throughout the day – and all you have to do is grab a (provided) mat and show up. With all these resources at my fingertips, you’d think I’d be the downest dog in town, right?

Wrong. Exceedingly, surprisingly, embarrassingly incorrect.

It’s time for a shameful admission: In my four months of working here thus far, I have NOT been to a yoga class at the Store Support Centre (editor’s note: those meowing noises are the symphony of a litter of inflexible kittens pawing their way out of the bag).

Alexis is going to her first yoga class today!

It didn’t start this way. I had the best of intentions, sure. But like many of you, I was so caught up in the workings of my new job that I completely forgot what attracted me to lululemon in the first place.

The reason I’m sharing this with you is to prove a point – this can happen to anyone with the best of intentions, even someone working in a building BASED around yoga. It doesn’t matter how near or far you are from your yoga facility, or gym class; how cold it is outside, how much work you have, or how your running crops are in the wash. If you want to make excuses, you can.

Clichéd, but true: you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. Well friends, get ready, because this old chestnut (neigh?) is getting ready to take a trot (scratch that: CANTER!) through the Hatha fields on Monday with Ingrid, one of our lovely instructors. As for her correcting my woeful use of animal metaphor, it’s too soon to tell.

What are you going to do today with no excuses?