Beach Yoga Benefits

Benefi ts of By Julie Phillips-Turner, RYT, AYS Beach Yoga n a warm, sunny day in Th e beauty of doing yoga in the can help you more comfortably south Florida, what bet- sand is that it conforms to your access a pose that you might not ter place to be than the body, or wherever you move it – feel comfortable with on a hard, O beach? And, of course, unlike hard fl oors or grassy earth. non-malleable surface. It can also why not take the time to practice help manage over-eff orting, and a little meditation and asana while Sand allows the fi ngers sink to help you to relax into the pose as it spending the aft ernoon quietly grasp the earth, or form little divots conforms around your body. sitting and looking at the sea? to support the knees. It also serves as a wonderful anchor, allowing the Th e balance of the cool sand and Take a deep breath and run your feet to bury in the sand, or a great the warm sun can also balance hands through the cool, soft sand source to lift the body by building the body and mind – which is the and you’ll immediately feel the little mounds beneath the hands or whole purpose of hatha yoga. calming qualities of the beach. sit bones. 6 poses to try in the sand: While moving through each pose It helps to experiment with the in the sand, feeling it’s qualities formation of the sand and how it 1. Tree Pose (Vrksasana) to support and mold to the body, can be moved and molded to en- or even be fl attened out to hold a hance the stability, or comfort, of a At fi rst, the sand’s lumpy surface balance pose, you’ll fi nd that sand pose. It really is a great prop. may seem like an obstacle, howev- is a malleable surface could be used er, allowing your foot to form with as a supportive prop like a block or Practicing yoga on the beach can the sand can make your pose even a soft blanket. bring a new sense to a basic ha- better. Gaze at the water’s horizon tha yoga practice, as it focuses and focus ont he breath for a steady personal energy through balance balance. and strength. Th e qualities of sand (Continued...) 2. Monkey Pose (Hanumanasana) If you’re truly open to this pose, 6. Savasana the sand is a great surface to practice sliding the feet forward and You may also want to call this one “Sunbather’s pose” - perfect for back simultaneously – which some 4. Headstand (Sirsasana) practice on hard fl oors with feet on ending a practice on the beach. blankets. Th e surface of the sand Th e soft sand is so forgiving on can also be built up into a mound the crown of the head. Just build a to support the sit bones and legs if small divot, place your head, and Th e balance of the cool the full pose isn’t quite reachable. bottoms up. Th e view of an up- sand and the warm side down beach scene even more sun can also balance beautiful! (Note: be sure the surface is fairly fl at and not slanted, such as the body and mind the slope near the water’s edge.) – which is the whole purpose of hatha yoga. 3. Heroes Pose (Virasana) Sand is especially good for giving the knees a little soft ness just like a 5. Extended Side Angle Pose blanket. Th e sand can also be built (U hita Parsvakonasana) up into a small mound under the sit bones to raise the hips – just like a Th e sand is a great prop for anchor- block or blanket would do. Finally, ing the feet, just like a non-slip yoga for sputa Virasana (or the reclining mat. If you usually prefer a block version of this pose) you can build to support the lower hand on the a mound of sand to support the fl oor, can simply build a mound of back as well. sand to your own personal height – Julie Phillips-Turner, RYT, AYS, just grab the sand and keep build- teaches Beach Yoga in Sarasota, ing until the appropriate height is Florida on Turtle Beach. reached. For more information about classes: [email protected].

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