Worth Every Grain of Sand:
Growing in popularity each year, yoga across Delaware is a trend with a laundry list of physical, emotional and mental benefits. (Take a peek at our previous article: Yoga, Why It’s Not Just for Women Who Want to Stretch. ) Add the sights, sounds and smells of our breathtaking beaches and you’ve found why Beach Yoga is particularly attractive.
You are “one” with the natural surroundings so unique to Delaware. There’s something special about being outside, listening to the waves while you reconnect with yourself.
Joanne W., now of Lewes and formerly of Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, explaining the experience of beach yoga.
Joanne, a certified yoga teacher in her own right has discovered the beauty and difference of practicing this meditative art while on the beach – usually at sunrise, before the sand heats up and while the sunlight has that magical ambient light. Although she has not taught beach yoga herself, she’d like to at some point. For now, she is taking it all in. Sunrises, peaceful waves, space between participants.
The most teaching she has done thus far has been limited to trying to get a few girls in the active retirement community in which she resides to move furniture and make do with the somewhat crammed space available in the neighborhood’s club house. But she believes the practice of yoga – especially for those new to retirement will eventually catch on.
Beach yoga is good for the soul.
Christy Cullen, christycullenyoga.com
After one class, Christy was hooked. Now, years later, yoga is an integral piece of her life, whether rolling out her mat for her own time or offering classes both on and off the beach to share her passion.
Yoga studios abound in southern Delaware. Some studios, including Dimitra Yoga (of both Lewes and Rehoboth Beach) offer an a la carte menu of everything from hot yoga to beach yoga, while others focus on a combination of meditation, health services and of course, yoga. Involution Yoga on Savannah Road in Lewes uses its philosophy of total mind and body experience to accentuate the importance of mindfulness. Just a mile from the beach, you can also experience yoga or Zumba at Lewes Canalfront Park, offered during the summer season at early morning and evening sessions. Not only are these sessions, compliments of Dimitra Yoga free to all, but all you have to do is bring your own mat. The backdrop of the historic canal offers a different sort of scenery, complete with boat slips and the famed Lightship Overfalls, a National Historic Landmark. Why not grab a cup of Joe or breakfast on Second Street after a morning session of yoga, or walk to dinner to one of downtown Lewes’s many resaturants after the evening session?
Not to be missed as well are the yoga on the beach offerings at Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach and Bethany Beach. A schedule of ongoing classes is available on “Shorebread.com.” The site even lists classes in Ocean City Maryland and Assateague State Park! If you are an early riser, do NOT miss Bethany Beach’s Daily Yoga on Bandstand, offered daily from 6 – 7 am. And, if the similar practice of Pilates is more your style, you may want to try Beach Pilates and Wellness, also based in Bethany Beach. It welcomes participants of all levels.
Of course, most of these classes charge nominal fees for their sessions, and some require pre-registration. Check out the listed web sites for more information.
Namiste, all of you yogis. See you on the beach.
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