Get Outside & Play!

Happy summer dear friends!  It’s such a wonderful time of year to be outside – to play, to ride bikes, to run, to picnic…and of course to practice yoga! 

One of my favorite things during my summers as a yoga teacher in NYC was to practice and teach free yoga in our neighborhood park. Luckily, I’ve been able to do some outdoor yoga here in Northampton too.

There’s something so magical about breathing the fresh outdoor air, moving our bodies under the warmth of the sun, and feeling the true earth with all its unevenness under and our feet while looking at the blue sky above our heads.  It becomes even more magical when we get to share it with a community of other yogis – you can feel the positive energy spreading out into the atmosphere!

Be it in a class situation or on your own, see if you can get outside this summer to practice – you won’t regret it!  Here are some quick ideas to build your outdoor practice off of:

• Try a simple sun salutation http://www.thisisyourbliss.com/news/this-is-bliss-fall-2006 .  This is a great way to connect with and honor the physical sun as well as our own internal source of light, energy and knowledge.
• I also love to practice poses on the ground  - like baddha konasana (bound angle pose - sitting upright with the soles of your feet together, knees apart)  or sukhasana (sitting cross legged), so I can literally ground myself
• And of course poses that have me looking up at the sky –like setu bandha (half wheel – lying on your back, knees bent, feet on the ground, lift your hips and open your heart) – are so much fun – to really see the sky above you as you practice…so gorgeous!

(for more information on the above-mentioned poses, you can email me of refer to www.yogajournal.com)

I hope you have some fun during this playful time of year.  Share a note about your outdoor practice on our Yoga Bliss Facebook page!

Peace, Love, and Bliss,

Beth