Friends of mine attended one of these events in Brooklyn a few years ago and really enjoyed it so when the ad popped up on my Facebook I was all excited and signed up right away. 40 Euros didn't seem too expensive at that point.
Yet, I think the location Wanderlust picked for its first event in Munich was not ideal: while Olympiapark is great for a run the parking lot like square they chose for the yoga session was far from cozy and inviting. Additionally, the sun was out burning by 11 AM and there was hardly any shade to be found. Obviously the organisers could not have known what the weather would be like but in my opinion it would have really made a difference to start off with the yoga session earlier in the morning or else shift the whole event to later in the afternoon so as not to be exposed to the worst heat. Moreover, there were no water bottles, no welcome package nothing that Wanderlust could have easily done with the help of its sponsors.
The other thing that seemed strange was the way the event was accompanied by a moderator who tried to rap about the mood and how everyone was friends with everyone when in fact none even talked to one another. It may be that this kind of cultural connotations don't quite translate - this may work in the US but it seemed to be created artificially here in Germany.
I think I was most disappointed with the two yoga sessions- each of them was only 45 minutes and seemed more like a work out session than anything remotely related to yoga. The teachers may have done well with a smaller group but in this setting, their intentions had no chance of coming through. The lady from kickass yoga or however she called her brand was difficult to follow and the guy from the States couldn't really make himself understood properly.
The one thing I enjoyed in addition to the run (which I ran too fast but that was my own fault) was the meditation session - the guy was a buddhist meditation instructor and while he talked a lot, I think it was the one thing I could relate to on this day.
But overall it felt like a very commercialised event that was too expensive for what was on offer. Patrick Broome studios had a booth and gave away a free yoga class. When I went to make use of that I was told that the free class only applied to those who hadn't been to the studio before which I found rather sad as none of this was communicated at the booth. Again, all of these things to me don't seem very yogic and while I don't regret having tried this kind of event, I don't think I will go back even if it happens again here in Munich next year.
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