I think of myself as a yoga-slacker. Headstands intimidate me, yoga wear makes me self-conscious of how anti-fashion my sweat-drenched wife-beater tank top is, and I’m not a big fan of the full length mirror scene either. Despite this, I hope to be sitting, as lotus-like as I can, on the grass at Whistler Olympic Plaza, on Thursday 23 August, to hear Krishna Das do his chanting singing thing, for the kick-off of Wanderlust. Amazingly, it’s free.

I love Krishna Das because at the end of one yoga class, the teacher powered up her iPod, and as we wound down our poses and settled into savasana, the corpse pose, the collapse-on-your-back-and-try-and-catch-your-breath-at-last pose, his voice filled the studio. I heard a friend behind me gasp in happy recognition. The song was familiar and ethereal, his voice is so deep it’s a kind of slow rolling thunder that moves through your body, and I would do anything to find out what it’s called. So I can hear it again.

The New York Times has called him the Chant Master of American Yoga. He’s otherwise been called yoga’s “rockstar.” This does make me feel like a bit of a groupie. But hey, if you’re going to get caught up in something, why not a giddy trip that takes you closer to enlightenment?

Mindful partying is the lovely combination sauce that Wanderlust aims to be seasoned with. I had the chance to chat with co-founder Sean Hoess for this article for the Vancouver Sun. (He’s a fugitive lawyer, too, so I was inclined to trust him off the bat.)

We wanted to create a festival that is literally about balance. Sean Hoess

With his college room-mate and business partner Jeff, and Jeff’s wife, yogi Schuyler, Hoess wanted to create an place you can drop into and possibly have a transformational experience, as well as a lot of fun, in a beautiful place. Sounds like a fine intention to me.