A Story about Yoga on the Beach

A Story about Yoga {On the Beach}

It was that time of day when the light is so magical you can hardly bear to tear yourself away from staring at the horizon, except that there are young children with you who do not care about the color of the sky. They care about making it to the climbing wall before it closes.

And so we were walking towards the gym at the resort where we were staying in Mauritius, and we passed a gentleman who was carrying a roll of yoga mats under his arm.

I stopped him to ask about yoga and it was starting in ten minutes. On the beach. At sunset.

Sally graciously allowed me to leave our party and follow Roj back to the beach.

I have an up and down relationship with yoga, which is strange because I enjoy it immensely. If I charted my yoga frequency, I’m pretty certain it would look something like this:

Winter: Almost Zero
Summer: Lots

I know that my muscles need yoga (and exercise) in the winter but it just feels better in the summer.

Yoga clothes are summerish. Beachy.

Sun salutations work best for me when there’s a sun to salute.

So being in Mauritius where the breeze is warm and the air is soft opened my heart wide up for yoga. And for all that yoga on the beach in Mauritius has to offer:

Breathing in the sea air.

Balancing in the warm wind.

Walking barefoot on crushed seashells as a form of acupuncture for tired feet. (Yes, really)

Soft light and softer voices.

Kicking sand on your mat and brushing it off again.

Slower than slow sun salutations. Light, simple movements that remind you that you never want to be in a hurry again.

No rushing. Just being.

Receiving praise for doing something so simple. Taking time to stretch. To pull yourself wide and just be still.

Falling over from your tree pose into the sand and being put at ease by a new instructor’s soft guidance. A kind reminder to take your time.

I love to meet a good yoga teacher. I have done some yoga teacher training myself and I have so much awe for instructors who can lead a class and maintain an air of relaxation themselves. A good yoga instructor’s voice draws you in to their circle of peace, their good vibes are part of your experience.

Roj was definitely all good vibes. You would never know it, but by day he is a headmaster of an all boys’ school. Practicing and teaching yoga is an outlet from the stress of his daily life, and he teaches classes at Long Beach three evenings a week. They are free to attend for guests or private sessions can be arranged as well.

What a gift to get to practice yoga in such a magical setting!

Simon and I were sent to Mauritius, along with Sally and Flea, as part of our role this year as First Choice Out of Office Bloggers. First Choice has chosen five bloggers to visit their resorts in 2014 and blog about them. I’m feeling super thankful for the privilege and already looking forward to my next trip Out of Office!