Bikram Yoga El Paseo

Bikram Yoga Palm Desert El Paseo welcomes our Festival Out of Town guests sporting their colorful wristbands during April every year. This year was no different in some respects yet very different on a personal level.

I personally hosted at my home a dear friend from New Zealand, Gordon, and his dear friend from London, Kayte, as they checked off Coachella Music and Arts Festival attendance from their bucket lists. The now famous event which is literally in my back yard (I can hear the music if I’m standing on my patio) and draws world wide attention has become quite the phenomenon.

Coachella Music Festival started in 1999 and after a rough start and a money loser, the passionate organizer mortgaged his house, got some ducks in order and gave it another go in 2001. This time with very different results.

In 2001 the Coachella Music Festival was a huge hit and the rest is history. It has received more attention with greater crowds attending every year. They even had to add a second weekend to accommodate the masses that descend on our valley specifically for this event yearly.

Living a stones throw away from the venue and dealing with crazy traffic and longer lines at my neighborhood grocery store and coffee shop, the Festival’s presence seemed more of a nuisance than anything. That is until Coachella Fest 2018 when I couldn’t help but be swept up by my guests enthusiasm.

In the 11th hour I obtained a wristband and special parking privileges near the event thanks to a dear friend of mine with connections. Armed with water and comfortable shoes the three of set out on our Journey.

It was truly a Journey, figuratively and literally as our swollen feet and numbs legs could attest. If you are not a walker, skip the fest. We laughed as we sat down on a bench for the first time and all groaned.

Truthfully, apart from the walking , the dust in the air and getting our “metal” water bottles confiscated at the entrance, Coachella Festival Weekend II, “Chella” as the locals say, was an amazing, magical experience that I will always treasure and never forget.

It brings new meaning to the phrase, ‘people watching’. If I didn’t see things with my own eyes I’m not sure I would have believed it. I am now enlightened that I no longer need to wear a top and that a bra solo is stand alone attire.
Maybe next year………………… 😉

The magnitude of the Venue, the Art and the kumbaya connection as the crowd sang, swayed and danced with some pretty awesome bands was truly an amazing vision. According to Kayte a festival enthusiast that has many festivals under her belt, ‘Chella’ was “thoroughly impressive.”

Additionally I could spend a memorable block of time with and be reunited with my 9 week study partner from Bikram Yoga Teacher Training 2011 and became fast friends with his additional guest, Kayte. Back in Bikram Yoga Teacher Training Gordon was always stealing my water during Bikram’s two hour, hotter than hades classes. At one point he handed me his water bottle and said, “ here, I”m returning the favor.” I immediately got the (7 year ongoing) joke and we both laughed leaving Kayte a tad confused.

The biggest laughs however came from the dialogue amongst our trio. Three English speaking people discovered something was definitely lost in translation. The accents, the slightly different variations of wording, slang and pronunciation had all three of us stating, ‘what?’ more often than you would think.

At one point I stated, “don’t we all speak English?” We all laughed. We would sometimes have to reword , rephrase or simply just explain. Yet all in all this trio did not skip a beat with the camaraderie.

Gordon was born in Germany, lived in London for a time and resides in New Zealand and his “english” has it’s own unique accent. Katye was born and raised in England and speaks, “Proper English” and myself well, American English with a “Chicago” accent so I’ve been told.

Is it “GAARage” or is it “GarAAHGE”? ( You know the place you park your car…. or is it a car park?) Is it Skeletal or is it SkelEEEtal?

In the end it doesn’t even matter. As we navigated through uncharted waters with our very first attendance of the Coachella Music and Arts Festival it was nothing short of Epic!

After two days my weary bones and stiff / sore muscles were screaming for a hot, sweaty Bikram Class. Nothing like the 90 minute full prescription to get the kinks out, detoxify the body from dust and soot and reenergize me “inside out , bones to skin, fingertips to toes!”

Hope to see you in the hot room soon! I’ll be with there right with you down in the trenches with my “temporary” glitter tattoo that is not so temporary and is hanging on as the mark of a most remarkable weekend!

Namaste`