The beautiful benefits of yogalates, the fusion of yoga and Pilates, can be taken to the next level when practiced on the beach! Beach yogalates brings images of moving and breathing to a gentle sea breeze, the sound of the sea the salty air. This not only seems peaceful and idyllic but yogalates on the beach has been found to improve your physical and mental wellbeing,
Here’s why taking your yoga and Pilates your practice to the beach can help you connect with yourself in nature, build strength and openness, protect your body, and feel amazing…
Stimulate your senses to create a mindful practice…
Doing yoga and Pilates in the outdoors can have profoundly beneficial effects on the nervous system. The sensory enhancement from of the sounds of the sea and the birds, the invigorating sea breeze, and the scent of the salty air can help you to both relax and to enhance and deepen into postures and sequences such as warrior pose, bird dog, balancing postures and salute to the sun. Stimulating through movement and then calming the nervous system in cool down for a mindful yogalates practice.
Connect with yourself and Nature
Practicing yogalates by the ocean, can generate many healing emotions, such as clarity, peace of mind, calmness, joy, gratitude and creativity and can facilitate focus and self-confidence.. research tells us that connection with nature is also associated with lower levels of poor mental health, particularly lower depression, and anxiety.
Sometimes, we may forget this as it may be easier to roll out a yoga mat at home or stay curled up under a blanket on our iPhones than we would making our way to a nurturing spot on the beach to practice yogalates!! . Feeling the sand in your toes and the fresh air on your skin brings us back to our evolutionary beginning and can help us to feel grounded and centred in yogalates practice. Practicing yoga and Pilates on the beach enhances mood and makes us feel much more positive!
Broaden your horizon and escape Your Comfort Zone
When you do yoga and Pilates on the beach or in a new environment you start noticing things about yourself and your yogalates practice you never noticed before. You may notice your body responding to a yogalates exercise in a different way or you might feel completely different about a pose you normally like or struggle with.
Varying your practice and expanding your horizon and your comfort zone can help you look at the world (and your yogalates practice) through a different lens.
Use the beach and Sand for Support
At times finding balance and learning to support yourself on the sand might create some. challenge to your balance and proprioception, your transitions and other aspects of your yoga and Pilates practice,. As you progress, you’ll get start to embrace the benefit of having a soft cushion of support beneath you. The texture of the sand will help support your hip’s knees and butt too. You can also build the sand up under the wrists to reduce wrist flexion if this is a struggle in postures such as plank and down face dog. Also, you may wish to build up the sand beneath your knees when practicing savasana or meditating during yogalates. You might want to try out a few more challenging yoga and Pilates poses on the beach because you won’t need to worry about falling on a hard wooden floor if you happen to get one wrong.
A healthy dose of the sun and Vitamin D
Whenever you practice yoga and Pilates on the beach it is going to give you a healthy dose in vitamin D, (remember the sunscreen ) even on a cloudy day. Vitamin D is essential for regulating the calcium and phosphate in your body. We all require plenty of vitamin D to feel happy and healthy. A lack of vitamin D is associated with autoimmune diseases, such as MS. Vitamin D plays an important role in bones and muscles healthy, necessary as we age and to enjoy life!
Breath the sea air
Breathing in the sea air whilst practicing yogalates has numerous health benefits. Your body is able absorb oxygen more efficiently and easily thanks to the negative ions that are present in the ocean air. These negative ions can help naturally boost the happy hormone serotonin, this boosts mood, happiness and a sense of wellbeing.
Salt also has antibacterial properties. This means that it can help you to recover more quickly from any infections or bacteria.
Take the online class to the beach.
Self-guided movement and breath is fabulous but if you are used to practicing in a studio or class setting or just not sure where to start, an online subscription may help get your yogalates practice on track. You can take your iPhone down to the beach and open your online yogalates app to follow a practice of your choice depending on your fitness and mood.
The benefits of practicing yogalates on the beach via an online app or through your own direction are many. Stroll down to the beach and find your special place there. Get started!
Experience Be Yogalates and our Workout Library for FREE! Get Started with a 7-Day Free All Access Pass.
