For three days, I woke up each morning with the beach on my mind. I gathered my yoga mat, camera, tripod, neon-green-ultra-tacky-rubber bracelet for resort access, and room key card. It felt burdensome to start the day with so much stuff, but I wanted some fun pictures for you guys!
I lay out my new Manduka travel mat and warmed up. It was tough. I was distracted by filming in a public place. I kept looking up to see who would run off with my camera! I became more concerned as waves of tourists flooded the beach but eventually, I let go, and went with the flow.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind for your first beachside yoga session:
5 Tips for Great Yoga on the Beach
- Let the crashing waves set your tempo! Let the swell be your inhale and the crash queue your exhale. It’s a terrific way to make sure you’re focused on your breathing. You’ll also stretch each side of your body evenly (if that’s what you want).
- The damp, compacted sand near the tideline is the best practice surface. The softer, drier sand near the dunes blows into your eyes. It can also shift a lot under your feet. The damper sand provides a bit more stability and less wind-blown sand in your eyes and mouth. Downside: damp sand is harder to get off of rubber mats.
- If you’re using a tripod, don’t forget sandbags on days with heavy wind!
- If you’re using a DSLR camera be sure to at least use a UV lens cap. Sand is very abrasive.
- If you’re using a smartphone, it’s worthwhile to get a weather-resistant case. You don’t necessarily need to splurge on a submersion-proof case, but something that keeps sand out of the outlets.
Doing yoga on the beach is pretty amazing! I’m so happy for the men and women who have such a beautiful sanctuary to focus in each day.
Want something more awesome? Take a surf-side jog as your warmup. It’s a terrific way to loosen up your muscles. The sand reduces impact on your ankles, knees, and hips, so the beach probably the best place on earth to run! On the third day, I went for a jog before my asana practice. It was my first time running in that town since I completed the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon. Great memories 🙂
5 Tips for Running on the Beach
- Again, the tideline is your friend. The firmer sand makes for easier running–though if you want an ultra-intense workout, then running near the dunes is the way to go! Your legs have to work harder to get traction and propel forward.
- It’s never too early for a run. At 8:30am, the sun was already SUPER intense. Get out before 7am to enjoy a cooler, fresher run.
- Think you’ve got it together because your remembered your sunglasses, visor, and sunblock? Think again. Your lips are already chapped by the one mile marker–and you’re too far away from the hotel to go back. Remember lip balm with SPF 15+.
- Running barefoot on the beach can be incredibly therapeutic! Just be mindful of things that wash up, such as dead jellyfish…
- Kids are dumb. Do not expect them to get out of your way or hear/see you coming.
That ended on a weird note but I swear that beach jogs are the best! Enjoy!