When you think of yoga, the first thing that comes to mind is a fitness studio with artificial light, but if we go back to the roots of the practice, it’s supposed to connect one to nature and the flow of life in it.
So why not try and implement that in your daily yoga practice as well, especially if you’ve got access to a backyard or even a bigger stretch of land?
It’s been proven time and time again that time spent in nature has healing qualities, and if you combine that with the beneficial effects of yoga, you’re practically getting a 2-for-1.
From muscle tension to relieving the symptoms of ADHD, exposure to nature and natural light can be tremendously helpful, and it’s part of why “backwoods” yoga as they call it has been growing in popularity for the past couple of years.
Why is it better?
Yoga on its own has been studied for years, and scientists have found that it can improve one’s ability to deal with chronic back pain and even reduce inflammation inside the body, and those are just some of the more basic things.
Whether you’re looking to heal physically or emotionally, yoga may just be the thing for you, and if you’re looking to improve its effects, you may want to get on this nature-friendly trend that’s been popular lately.
Laura Loewy was one of the first people in the US to present this new approach, and her company, Backcountry Yoga has helped people find the right combination of outdoorsy activities and relaxation.
Soon after beginning to practice outdoor yoga, Laura experienced a shift coming from deep within, one that helped her reduce anxiety, and insomnia and deal with depression with ease.
A daring venture
Laura’s company was born out of her desire to bring people who enjoy nature together, with her claiming that she wanted to create a community that offered something for everyone.
While some don’t particularly enjoy camping outside or hiking, they may already be used to practicing yoga in their own homes, and by putting them together with people who grew up with outdoor activities, she hoped to help them connect with the natural world.
In the past couple of years, she’s managed to amass a great following, with people venturing from the confines of their own homes into the great outdoors to spend time together, discuss their own yoga experiences, and simply enjoy the beauty of nature that America has to offer.
With climate change having such a great impact on the world, we must learn to cherish what we’ve got, and what better way to do it than actually spending time in our country’s lush forests and vast fields, absorbing it all, and connecting to it on a deeper level?
The effects
Aside from being healthy, and somewhat of a growing trend, outdoor yoga has drawn in people who are looking to live a sustainable lifestyle.
Being connected to nature helps one appreciate a more organic lifestyle, and people soon begin realizing that even the smallest of actions can help preserve this planet, so long as they’re being mindful.
This wonderful combination of yoga, nature, and mindfulness helped Laura’s message reach a great number of people, most of which went on to embrace a more eco-friendly lifestyle and started their own battle against the pollution and climate change that threaten to destroy our planet.
If we simply open our minds to the practice’s original purpose, we could bring additional balance into our lives, and with it, physical, mental, and emotional health will follow suit.
Yoga is nothing more than a set of guidelines to help us deal with the issues the world throws at us, all through the subtle management of our innermost needs and desires, and if you apply this strategy to entire communities of people, you can bring about change regarding sustainability and the preservation of nature.
How can you get in on this trend?
Of course, this doesn’t mean that you have to join Laura’s movement to experience the benefits of outdoor yoga, in fact, you don’t have to be part of a community at all if that’s not your sort of thing.
What you can, and should do, is embrace the idea that nature has always been a part of us, and by practicing yoga outside of your home or a fitness studio, you’ll be able to establish a deeper connection with it.
By doing this, you’ll allow yourself to see the infinite possibilities within yourself and possibly put them to good use by doing your part in protecting this planet.
A sustainable life may sound difficult at first, but it’s a highly rewarding practice, and if you do adopt this approach to living, you may just become part of something much greater.
Our lives are insignificant in the grand scheme of things, at least if you look at how old our planet is, but it’s our contributions that will count and possibly leave something for us to be remembered by.