It's been a long cold winter or a long hot summer and you're just a little bored with the beige walls and white ceiling tiles of the yoga studio. The water fountain, the salt rocks, the incense, and the photographs of lotus flowers put out to replicate nature just aren't enough to satisfy. Your practice seems dull and you're looking to reinvigorate it. The solution? Get Out! Take your yoga practice outside. An outdoor practice session or two can bring benefits from pure, fresh air and natural light, and a invoke a spiritual feeling from being close to nature.
Picture yourself doing your favorite asanas on the beach, in the desert, in a meadow, in the forest, or on the dock by the lake. Sound incredible? It can be. Yoga is meant to get you in touch with nature, both the greater nature of the universe and your own true nature within. Many yoga poses are named after animals or other facets of nature.
Practicing outdoors can feel liberating and relaxing. Breathing in fresh air can make every cell feel alive. Feeling the cool, green grass under your feet when you begin in mountain pose, a warm, sun-kissed rock as you sit in lotus, or the soft sand moulding to your feet as you head into tree pose can inspire you. You may feel an expansiveness that simply isn't possible in the studio class or in your living room during your home practice. When you look up, you won't see the white ceiling tiles, but the blue sky or the celestial ceiling of the moon and stars. The sounds of birds chirping, surf pounding, and frogs croaking can add another rhythm to your ujjayi breathing to center your thoughts. The smells of fresh cut grass, rose bushes, sea foam, or pine needles can provide much needed natural aromatherapy.
Outdoor practice does also present some challenges. If you are in a park or other public place, you may feel self-conscious. You could run into flies, mosquitos, or other bugs. Uneven surfaces may make it harder to balance. The big breath you take could be polluted air, and the sun on your shoulders during a Sun Salutation A could burn you. Sand can stick to you. And, mother nature could always surprise you with a rain shower.
Most of these obstacles are easily overcome, however. Bring along a friend or two; in a group you're less likely to feel self-conscious even in a public setting. Or, try a private yoga retreat held in a natural setting. If you head out on your own, Look for a safe, level spot conducive to balancing or just look at an uneven surface as a new challenge. Use your yoga mat (or one you dedicate to outdoor practice) or even a tarp or old blanket alone or underneath your mat to secure your footing or insulate you from wet or uneven ground. Head for a secluded setting far away from noise, air, and water pollution. Use sunscreen and bug repellent. Use your mind to focus on the benefits and exhilaration of being outside, not to dwell on nature's little imperfections.
Shake off the doldrums of last season's practice. Get Out! Before you know it, practicing yoga outdoors will exhilarate you and the fresh air and natural light will lead to a spiritual feeling that will reinvigorate you and your practice.
Ms. Holm, with her husband Steve, is the owner of Seahorse Ranch and Vineyard, a premium boarding facility and retreat in Florahome, Florida adjacent to the Etoniah Creek State Forest and George's Lake. She is enrolled in yoga teacher training at Sara Torbett's Yoga Life Studio, Deerwood, Jacksonville, Florida and host of the East Meets West Neighmaste Yoga Retreat at Seahorse Ranch and Vineyard Oct. 22, 23, 24 2010. For more information see [http://www.seahorseranchevents.com/Neighmaste-Yoga-Retreat.html]
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