Take your yoga outside!
It may seem a bit intimidating, the idea of yoga outdoors. What if people are watching, right?
The idea of the potential for being on display while performing yoga practices – something that many of us view as sort of a special, private thing – can be scary. How much of that fear, though, is our ego? If you think about it, yes, there may be a few people who stop to stare, curious as to what you may be up to. In general, people are so caught up in their own lives, they don’t have time to give a second thought about some random stranger twisting and bending in the park.
When you allow that little voice in your head – the ego – to dictate what you do and don’t do, amazing experiences can be missed.
Consider starting small – your backyard, for instance. Maybe you only venture to the porch, but it’s a start! The most amazing thing about yoga outdoors is how connected you come to feel with the life that is moving around you. When you close off your mind and just breathe, listening to your heart beat, it is almost as if you are breathing with everything around you. Yoga becomes a celebration of life in the great outdoors!
So go on, give it a try, I dare you!
Bethany Traynor is a yoga instructor, longtime dancer and resident of Chartiers Township. She teaches Hatha yoga at Sri Yantra Yoga Studio in Houston.