10/9 Yoga Blog

     Recently I've attended an hour long yoga class on the beach not too far from my house. The teacher's name was Carrie Godesky and she led a vinyasa class. I've done a class on the beach a couple years ago when I first started doing yoga and I wasn't really prepared for the practice. This time around though I was able to really enjoy it in it's entirety and was able to get into a flow. Normally it's hard for me to get into a peaceful state of mind when I'm out in the environment because I get more distracted by the nature around me instead of focusing on my body, but this time I felt like I really got the most out of this practice. 

    Some things I liked about this practice was that we started the practice with a sequence to warm up the body. That morning it was pretty chilly out and it felt good to get the body warmed up through movement. I also really liked that Carrie talked about how, even though winter is approaching, it shouldn't be a time where we fall into a depression or regress into laziness. She emphasized that now is the time to reflect on the past year we've had and see this time as a time to relax. I was so caught up in taking in everything she was saying that I didn't even realize my body was moving. Normally I become a homebody once the days get shorter but Carrie made me have a different outlook on the changing seasons and instead of dreading the cold, it's made me appreciate it in a new way.

    This practice could be considered a ritual because, even though this practice took place in a public area, it felt sacred since we were all breathing and moving together. Doing this practice outside changed my practice because it made me feel like I could practice anywhere and get the same benefits out of it as I do when I practice in a more private setting. It showed me that I can find relaxation in different places by making a setting more comfortable through rituals like conscious breathing or simply closing my eyes. It also felt like a ritual in the sense that the practice had a theme to it, the theme being acceptance of the things we can't control. There was a ritualistic emphasis that change is the only constant and even though we might not like it, we have to choose to be optimistic and look at the challenges in our life with love instead of negative emotions. 


Beach Yoga – Get in Tune with Your Mind

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