GET OUTSIDE!

As the last days of summer approach, take advantage of that warm sun and put your mat outside! 

I started practicing outside this summer when I went to visit my boyfriend in Chicago.  The building had a rooftop deck space that was never utilized (shame!) and I took advantage by bringing my mat up there, putting my ipod on speaker, and doing some true sun salutes.  While I was reaching my pranamasana (prayer pose) up to the sky, I realized what all the outdoor-yoga fuss was about.  Nothing like the wind on your toes in shoulderstand to get you happy! 

I didn't have this luxury in New York City in my own apartment, so when I returned before THE BIG MOVE, I began to seek out places I could pop my mat outside.  One time at my grandmother's, I woke with the sun, put the mat down on her deck by the pool, and went through a lovely, sweaty vinyasa.  That all came crashing down, literally, when a wasp landed on me and I fell out of shoulderstand, both trying to avoid killing it and getting stung.  I had a stiff neck for three days, so just make sure whereever you practice is not near a beehive. Yikes!

Since my move to Chicago, I have been seeking out free yoga, which is often outside.  I took a great class during sunset in Lincoln Park.  The class ended in the dark, by the light of some street lamps, complete with alternate nostril breathing.  It was a bit chilly that night and the feel of the cool grass was a joy.
Just the other day I joined about 100 other yogis on Oak Street Beach to celebrate SalutationNation.  We watched the sun come up over the lake as we went through a vinyasa practice in the sand.  This was definitely the most challenging, as the lumps in the sand made for tired wrists, and I believe my mat still has sand in it! But it was fun to expand my practice through various environments.

My meditation practice is much stronger outside, something about the feel of the wind on my face keeps the thoughts from their usual pace and I am more content to sit for a long period.  I  like to imagine the outside edges of my skin are somewhat less defined, merging into Nature, into the True Self.  My practice becomes an offering to Mother Nature, to the whole, and to the beauty which surrounds us everyday.  As the air gets a little chill into it, put on a long-sleeved shirt, trek your mat to ANY outside space, and do some sun salutes out in the open air.  You will never want to step inside a windowless studio again!