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An outdoor yoga session in nature is one of the best kinds of outdoor activities. It gives you a chance to disconnect from all the stresses of the outside world and enjoy a little piece of paradise with fresh air and sunshine.
The beautiful thing about outdoor Yoga is you don’t need an acre of land or acres of space to start. Even if you only have a few minutes, or even a few feet, to do a session in nature, you’ll find it an incredible experience.
But you have to know the right way to do it. This guide will show you how to practice Yoga outdoors correctly so that you can reap the rewards of a great outdoor yoga session.
The difference between practicing yoga outdoor and indoor
The main difference between practicing Yoga outdoors and indoors is the level of distraction.
Indoor yoga practice is usually done in an enclosed space allows for the room to be heated and cooled, making it easier for the body to relax.
Meanwhile, in a natural environment, there are always distractions to take away from your practice. Human, temperature, weather, and wildlife can all make your experience less than ideal. However, with the proper preparation and a little patience, you can practice outdoors with ease!
Choosing the right type of yoga for practicing outdoor
Yoga comes in several forms, and not all are fit to practice outdoor. A few of them are described below.
- Hatha: The basics of Yoga.
- Vinyasa: The basics but follows a more vigorous routine.
- Ashtanga and Power Yoga: faster-paced variants.
- Iyengar: Focusing on body alignment and specific areas of the body.
- Kundalini: is a particular type of Yoga that emphasizes breathing with movement.
- Bikram (Hot) Yoga: takes place in a room heated to 95-100 degrees so you can sweat and loosen your muscles.
As you may know from the above list, you should start with Hatha if you’re a starter. When your get used to the process, you can try out the other forms.
Tips to Start Outdoor Yoga Successfully
There are many ways you can practice Yoga outdoors. You can simply go for a walk on a trail and do some sun salutations as you go, or you can use a yoga mat and set up your outdoor yoga studio. However, you need to be careful not to overdo it when you’re outside. Yoga is a form of exercise, but it’s also an art form. It’s essential to take it seriously, but you should never push yourself too hard. You don’t want to end up in pain.
Here are the most important tips you need to know about practicing Yoga outdoors successfully:
Choose the right spot
The best place to practice Yoga outdoors is a spot that gets a lot of sunshine. That way, you can get some vitamin D, which is good for your bones and helps your body absorb calcium. However, it’s a great idea to practice at a place without direct and robust light to protect your eyes and skin.
Wind can be really distracting during yoga practice, so make sure you pick a spot that’s sheltered from the wind. You don’t want to be distracted by how strong the wind is blowing when you’re trying to focus on your yoga poses.
You also want to do outside Yoga in a private space since random spectators can watch an outdoor practice. They may misinterpret your poses as awkward, provocative, or bizarre, making you and everyone else in the group feel self-conscious and violated somehow.
Make sure you have all necessary equipment
Based on what type of Yoga you’re going to practice outdoor, you need to prepare some essentials.
Basically, you need to have a yoga mat. You can get a portable one, but it’s better to have a dedicated one if you’re going to practice Yoga outdoors all the time. Here are some mats professionally designed for outdoor use:
It’s also essential to make sure you have a water bottle with you because you’ll probably get thirsty after doing some sun salutations.
Dress properly
The way you dress to practice Yoga on the beach maybe not be the same as how you do in the park.
In general, you should always wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothes. You can choose from a wide variety of styles, including a tank top, a t-shirt, or a sports bra. If you’re planning to practice Yoga outside for long periods, it’s best to wear a sports bra with a supportive underwire.
Adjust Your Practice to Fit the Environment
Below is the typical Yoga workflow:
1. Warm Up Your Body
2. Stretch and Tune
3. Do a Basic Sequence
4. Finish with a Relaxation
But, the environment that you’re in can make a difference. For example, if you’re doing practice in a park or along a trail, you may want to add more stretches and poses to your sequence. These would include things like calf stretch, hamstring stretch, and shoulder openers. This will help you get warmed up and ready for your practice.
If you’re practicing on a beach, you can make adjustments to your workout by doing things like sun salutations, standing poses, and headstands.
No matter how you want to adjust your practice, make sure that you warm up carefully before starting your training. That way, you won’t have to worry about getting cold after you’ve been outside for a while.
Focus on the present moment
As being said above, the most challenging task of practicing Yoga outdoor is focusing since there are so many distractions.
It would be best if you didn’t think about what you want to achieve, about your future, or whether your poses look weird to others—just counting your breath. At first, it cannot be easy to prevent your mind from wandering. But with practice, this will become easier.
Final Thought
By practicing outdoor Yoga, you can relax and be in nature. It will also help you keep a healthy body and mind. However, you must make sure that you are practicing outdoor Yoga accurately. You need to take note of the safety concerns and how to deal with them too. If you have any experience with outdoor Yoga, drop a few words in the comments section to let us know. We’d love to hear your story.
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