Yoga in the beach - recommendations and tips please.
May 22, 2012 7:59 PM
Yoga on the beach: looking for routines/workouts to follow... And any tips/tricks.
I've been doing yoga for a little while and I really enjoy it. I mostly enjoy the physical aspect of it, don't rally get anything out of the spiritual part of it.
I'm going on a beach vacation next week and would love to do some yoga on the beach. But I am used to going to the studio with an instructor saying what to do. Left on my own, I would probably just go 'ok, what next?'
The beach I'm going to is NOT a white sand beach, and some reviews on the resort comment that it can be hard to walk barefooted on the beach, not sure if that's due to heat or rockiness. I also read somewhere that beach yoga can be especially hard on the wrists, so may not want to do so many poses on the hands (eg. downward dog)
So I'm looking for recommendations for either audio files I can put on my iPod or maybe a book? I don't mind paying some amout, but would like the following criteria:
- mixture of workout tyope routines and relaxing type routines
- few/no poses on the hands
- somewhere between beginner and intermediate level
- I've mostly been doing hatha so that's what i'm most familiar with, but open to other types. Not a fan of yin though.
- preferably little/minimal woo-woo... Though this is not too important. I wouldn't mind it at all, if your recommendation otherwise works well.
And if I go the iPod route, would you recommend just strapped on to my arm, or is there a better way to do it that minimizes entanglements with the earbud wires?
Also, any tips/tricks for doing yoga on the beach that someone who's only done indoor yoga might want to know?
Thanks!
I've been doing yoga for a little while and I really enjoy it. I mostly enjoy the physical aspect of it, don't rally get anything out of the spiritual part of it.
I'm going on a beach vacation next week and would love to do some yoga on the beach. But I am used to going to the studio with an instructor saying what to do. Left on my own, I would probably just go 'ok, what next?'
The beach I'm going to is NOT a white sand beach, and some reviews on the resort comment that it can be hard to walk barefooted on the beach, not sure if that's due to heat or rockiness. I also read somewhere that beach yoga can be especially hard on the wrists, so may not want to do so many poses on the hands (eg. downward dog)
So I'm looking for recommendations for either audio files I can put on my iPod or maybe a book? I don't mind paying some amout, but would like the following criteria:
- mixture of workout tyope routines and relaxing type routines
- few/no poses on the hands
- somewhere between beginner and intermediate level
- I've mostly been doing hatha so that's what i'm most familiar with, but open to other types. Not a fan of yin though.
- preferably little/minimal woo-woo... Though this is not too important. I wouldn't mind it at all, if your recommendation otherwise works well.
And if I go the iPod route, would you recommend just strapped on to my arm, or is there a better way to do it that minimizes entanglements with the earbud wires?
Also, any tips/tricks for doing yoga on the beach that someone who's only done indoor yoga might want to know?
Thanks!
Hm, if it were me, I'd probably just do variations on sun salutations. Easy to remember, easy to branch out from. But I'd probably have a backup plan for sitting and meditating (or a nap on the beach!) if the terrain wasn't good for yoga.
posted by instamatic at 7:55 AM on May 23, 2012
posted by instamatic at 7:55 AM on May 23, 2012
Thanks for the responses.
I really like the idea of making my own audio. I normally hate listening to a recording of myself, it just sounds so weird, but... it's a great idea.
Yin = iyengar? Maybe? Sounds like it. I don't mind the moving slow and holding long aspect of it. It's just that the poses that I've been exposed to in that style have just felt really awkward. But yes, I agree, moving slow is probably a good thing. Don't want to be kicking up sand/rocks all over the place.
It's the branching out and improvising part that I have problems with. I like just being told what to do, so I can focus on what my body is doing rather than thinking about what to do next.
Do you agree that on-the-hands poses are hard on the wrists at the beach?
posted by cheemee at 10:31 AM on May 23, 2012
I really like the idea of making my own audio. I normally hate listening to a recording of myself, it just sounds so weird, but... it's a great idea.
Yin = iyengar? Maybe? Sounds like it. I don't mind the moving slow and holding long aspect of it. It's just that the poses that I've been exposed to in that style have just felt really awkward. But yes, I agree, moving slow is probably a good thing. Don't want to be kicking up sand/rocks all over the place.
It's the branching out and improvising part that I have problems with. I like just being told what to do, so I can focus on what my body is doing rather than thinking about what to do next.
Do you agree that on-the-hands poses are hard on the wrists at the beach?
posted by cheemee at 10:31 AM on May 23, 2012
Do you agree that on-the-hands poses are hard on the wrists at the beach?
On a rocky beach, sure. On on a sandy beach, maybe your wrist sinks into the sand more than the palm which creates some weird angles and pressure?
posted by RandlePatrickMcMurphy at 3:47 PM on May 23, 2012
On a rocky beach, sure. On on a sandy beach, maybe your wrist sinks into the sand more than the palm which creates some weird angles and pressure?
posted by RandlePatrickMcMurphy at 3:47 PM on May 23, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
- Yoga on irregular surfaces can be difficult - consider getting and using something like the vibrams or similar, or they make special yoga shoe/socks with sticky rubber soles that can either replace or complement a mat. They have them for hands too if you decide you'll do some hand work.
- Make your own audio. Get any basic yoga book, get some suggestions from your instructor, and record yourself reading instructions. Nothing too technical, just what pose you want to do; what to do next; what you remember that you usually have problems with or do "wrong" in the pose; how long you want to hold it.
- You say that you mostly do hatha and "Not a fan of yin though". Did you mean iyengar? Because that's a style of yoga that focuses on holding poses for longer, not moving too fast but getting the form and alignment right. Alignment may be hard on rocks, but moving slowly may be a good idea.
posted by RandlePatrickMcMurphy at 5:03 AM on May 23, 2012