Benefits of Outdoor Yoga

We’ve seen it before. You finish your 9-5 after being stuck in the office all day and you’re finally ready to relax. You schedule a yoga class for that evening and can’t wait to move past the stress you felt that day. As you’re walking into your yoga class, you realize you’re just walking into another dark, small room just like the one you’ve been crunching numbers in all day, yuck! How can you fix this? Introducing...outdoor yoga! First and only step to get involved, bring your mat outside and get comfortable! There is nothing more beautiful than enjoying your flow while simultaneously enjoying the nature around you. Need some convincing? Just in case you do, we put together some benefits that outdoor yoga can bring you:

Get Your Daily Dose of Vitamin D

No more spending way too much money on vitamins at the store (I know, I get stuck in that aisle too, the bottles are too cute). Although there are other ways to get our vitamins, the best source of vitamin D is sunlight, so outdoor yoga is the perfect way to take advantage of this. Vitamin D helps our bodies absorb calcium which helps strengthen our teeth and bones. Vitamin D also boosts our energy and makes our muscles work more efficiently. This will allow you to stretch even further and make your yoga experience even more rewarding. Getting a workout done outside while also rewarding your body with natural vitamins...sounds great to me! Now get out there!

Help Your Creativity Thrive

During outdoor yoga, you are faced with further challenges that test your abilities. These could include changing weather, uneven surfaces, or even small things such as bugs crawling on your mat. These instances channel your creative side and make you ask yourself; “how can I combat this challenge while staying in a good mindset?” Embrace these challenges, don’t think of them as negative things, but things that can make you even stronger through your mind and body connection. Really focus on your breath and tell yourself this minor inconvenience is not going to ruin your attitude. Try to move your body in different positions that work best with the areas around you. This practice helps us adapt to changing situations in our everyday lives and realize our potential to grow outside of our comfort zone.

Further Connect with Yourself and the Environment Around You

We all know that yoga has a large focus on connecting with your inner self. The cool part about outdoor yoga is it allows you to not only connect with yourself, but also what is around you. Take advantage of all of your senses to deepen your experience. Is the wind helping you breathe deeper? Is the sunlight helping you stretch further? There’s plenty of yoga poses that actually mimic the environment around you in order for you to fully embrace the practice of outdoor yoga. Practice vrikasana, otherwise known as the tree pose. Raise up on one foot and rest it on your opposite thigh as your other foot stays on the ground and your hands are in prayer by your chest. Feel the Earth below your foot and focus on stretching your hands up to the sky above you. Embrace the stillness of the trees around you, stand tall and breathe in the oxygen that they produce. Pretend like you’re reaching all the way up to into the clouds, let the sun enhance your stretch. Continue back to your hands in prayer and embrace the calming energy around you. This is just one of many poses that can help you connect with nature.

Create Memories in New Places

We know it’s tempting to stay in your comfort zone, but outdoor yoga is the perfect time to get out of it! If you find yourself visiting the same park all of the time or the same beach, change it up! Try out that new trail that you’ve always been wondering about. Venture a little further up the road, it never hurts. Trying new things and finding your new favorite hangout spot is a win-win! While this will bring you out of your comfort zone, it will also grow your confidence. If you feel unsure about trying a certain yoga pose in the studio and you conquer it on the side of a cliff, now you know you can do anything! Well...maybe practice it a little before. Don’t know where to start your journey and want to share it with others? Here are some recommended outdoor yoga meetups!