Yoga + Nature = Perfection. Right? So then why are there so few yoga classes on the beach? This is SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA! The scenery alone begs for yoga outdoors yet only a handful of options exist in Santa Monica.
One can easily burn out trying to find the right yoga studio on the Westside. After spending several hundred dollars on the right clothes, best mat and BPA-free water bottle, (not to mention the membership fee for the studio) it’s easy to throw in your $78 sweat-soaked towel and give up. If you have a non-confrontation demeanor like me, then you are definitely not cut out for half of these classes. Perhaps you are familiar with the packed lobby full of hopeful yogis ready to claw each other’s eyes out for a spot on the floor no less than 2 seconds after the previous class leaves? To me, it defeats the purpose of finding a zen minded place to practice love and acceptance as well as our vinyasas. Not to mention the fact that it is shamefully unsanitary.
Once you’ve made it inside the sacred studio and you’ve found (fought for) your spot on the floor you can stretch your limbs, spread out and relax! Just kidding. You now have no more than one half inch between your mat and your eight neighbors. GROSS! There is no expanding and breathing deeply without involving your neighbor’s limbs and “heat” whatever that means. Trust me when I tell you that I find no peace in this space.
ENTER BEACH YOGA WITH BRAD – A daily yoga class on the sand by Lifeguard Tower 29. Total cost per class $15. No membership required.
After exhausting several options, I find Beach Yoga with Brad and Friends – a simple, relaxed outdoor yoga class taught by a warm guy with a booming voice and an obvious love for life. Gone are my flashes of rage brought on by a stranger’s sweat splattering across my mat. I am no longer distracted by the choice of ceiling tile, fingerprints on the mirror or the plastic Buddha in the studio. Instead, the aesthetics have been replaced by sand, towels, waves crashing and a cool breeze – as well as the occasional tourist snapping photos of the natives in their natural habitat or a dolphin or two cruising north.
The classes are basic. Simple breathing, stretching and light strength. The purpose is to find your breath, but along the way one might find an extreme gratitude for the chance they took on this class. To step outside of the studio and into nature, where I believe our spirits are the most fulfilled, offers new sensory elements to a yoga practice that seem to be missing or contrived while practicing indoors.
Yesterday evening, in a dreamlike state, I ventured across a lonely sand stretch toward Tower 29. I stepped slowly toward the sound of the waves, through the dense grey fog to our location. Once I arrived, there was no battle for a spot on the sand. I simply set my towel down, wrapped myself in a scarf and started breathing.
The fact that there was no brilliant sunset last night didn’t bother me at all, although it is a pretty great perk when we do have them. I took in my surroundings. There was no pretense. No expensive mats or trendy yoga pants. (Um, don’t get me wrong. I have an entire drawer full of those pants at home which I typically reserve for shopping at Whole Foods.) We practiced in the thick wet air and I left feeling calm yet alive. Isn’t that what most of us are looking for with our yoga practice? Besides fabulous arms?
Here comes the obvious caveat – practicing outdoors leaves you exposed to the elements. Some breezes are cooler than others. Solution: bring a sweatshirt or layer up before class. The sun can be hot. Solution: wear a hat and bring sunscreen and plenty of water. Sand sticks to everything. Solution: enjoy it! You’re practicing on the beach! But seriously, a little forward thinking will help make the natural “uncontrolled” elements tolerable or even pleasant.
Second obvious caveat – there are killer yoga studios all over Santa Monica with the right intentions. Bryan Kest has a donation only class that I’ve adored for over a decade, but the purpose of this post is to draw awareness to the spiritual benefits of a practice set in nature.
Here is the link to Brad’s Facebook page with info on the classes: http://www.facebook.com/beachyogawithbrad/
Also, if you haven’t read this post from Craigslist a few years back, take a look. It’s one of my favorites and guaranteed to give you a laugh:http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/sea/2597736393.html
*Namaste* WM