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Ohming on the Strip at the Wanderlust yoga festival
Wed, Sep 14, 2011 (5:27 p.m.)
Pose that refreshes: Spandex and stretching at the Wanderlust.
Photo: Beverly Poppe
At 3:25 p.m. I’m not feeling very centered. I’m stuck in the far right lane on the I-15, and it’s blocked. So is the far left lane. A sea of hot, angry metal is funneling northward, and the Wanderlust yoga festival’s afternoon class starts in five minutes. I try to breathe deeply. This blows.
“God is everywhere in Vegas,” instructor and Anusara yoga founder John Friend says to the Lululemon-clad crowd sitting before him when I finally arrive at the Cosmopolitan’s Boulevard Pool. His voice has the calming drone of a cult leader, but his monologue is peppered with jokes about Las Vegas, this odd setting for the traveling yoga retreat. The thump of bass from Marquee Dayclub rises now and then as if to prove his point.
Anusara yoga founder John Friend.
Soon we’re standing on our mats trying to “separate our groins” and “spiral our hips.” I’m not sure what that means, but I try anyway. Friend tells us to push our knees together, closing off our pelvises. “If you stay like that you won’t have any fun tonight,” he chuckles into the microphone.
For the next hour we work through poses and stretches a few stories above the Strip. Just when I’m feeling like an abused Gumby toy, a smiley assistant comes over to pull my body further in directions it doesn’t comfortably go. I grin and wonder if I’ll be able to tell when my muscles start to shred.
To finish, we lie still, relax our bodies and listen to Friend talk again in that smooth, steady voice, a nice puddle of calm starting to set in. Then I hear a light snore from the yoga mat next to me. Her breathing is steady. She’s feeling centered. She’s fast asleep.
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas dares to be different. From the hotel’s red reservations desks to fine art found throughout the resort, The Cosmopolitan’s signature style is helping to pave its own path on the Las Vegas Strip.
Upon entering the resort, you’re greeted by pillars of video boards playing video art by Digital Kitchen and David Rockwell Studio exclusively produced for The Cosmopolitan. Just beyond that, you’ll find all your favorite casino games on the resort’s 100,000-square-foot casino floor.
The Cosmopolitan’s rooms standout as the resort’s most unique feature. About 2,220 of The Cosmopolitan’s 2,995 rooms have 6-foot deep terraces that span the length of the room, a first at a modern Strip hotel. Other in-room amenities include soaking tubs, kitchenettes and quirky accessories like artsy coffee table books.
The dining experience at The Cosmopolitan isn’t something you’ll find at other Strip resorts, either. All of The Cosmopolitan’s 13 restaurateurs are new to the Las Vegas market. You’ll find American steakhouse fare in a modern setting at STK, top-notch sushi at Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill and the freshest fish flown in from the Mediterranean daily at Estiatorio Milos.
Whether the sun is up or down, Marquee Nightclub & Dayclub is the place to find the party at The Cosmopolitan. The venue is a dayclub/nightclub, complete with a pool and cabanas outside and three different rooms with three different vibes inside.
If nightclubs aren’t your thing, you can grab a drink at one of The Cosmopolitan’s five other bars, like The Chandelier, which is encased in 2 million dripping crystals.
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