Top 5 Tips for Practising Yoga Outdoors This Summer

It’s summertime, the season of warm days perfect for spending outdoors. Whatever your favourite activities in the open air are, I hope your yoga practice is on that list too. If not, I'm here to help you get started.

Now that summer is in full bloom, I thought you might need a hand moving your yoga practice outdoors. For that occasion, I've compiled a list of my top tips! They briefly summarise what I've learned from running holistic yoga sessions outside of yoga studios. These sessions took place either during my favourite Yoga & Sailing Retreat in Croatia (where every day we rolled out our yoga mats in a breathtaking new location) or locally in Plymouth (where my popular bi-weekly Yoga on the Hoe classes lasted until November last year, thanks to the sheer enthusiasm of our attendees despite moody weather).

1. Find the right spot

Your surroundings have a significant impact on your wellbeing and your ability to focus, especially during your yoga practice. Choose a quiet, somewhat isolated flat spot where you can be yourself and connect with nature without judgment. Consider anything from sparsely attended parks, lakes, and riverbanks to beaches and meadows. Or take the chance to rediscover your own patio, balcony, garden, or conservatory.

Great location – sea view – PERFECT!

Joe Donovan

2. Choose the right time of day

Exercising outdoors is always worthwhile, but certain times of the day might be more suitable than others. Check the weather forecast – on a hot, dry day, you may prefer to roll out your yoga mat during the cooler morning or evening hours, ideally before meals. However, avoid late evenings as you might become an easy target for mosquitoes and other insects if you don't apply insect repellent or wear long sleeves and leggings.

Lovely (generous!) teaching, weather that held perfectly through the session, beautiful view, lovely atmosphere. Thank you very much!

Olivia F

3. Be creative with your props

Are you feeling a little spoiled by the abundance of accessories available in your local yoga studio? Eye bags, straps, blocks, blankets, bolsters, and... walls. If so, at first as you go into the wild, you may feel like all the poses you tried with props must be eliminated from your practice. Nothing could be further from the truth! Be creative, and play with the environment. Use rocks, tree branches, and leaves. In our most recent outdoor yoga session, students even used their water bottles for support.

Thanks Paula, the stretching definitely hit the right spots.

Frankie

4. Find your pack

If solitude isn't your thing, find a local group that enjoys exercising in beautiful natural surroundings. Perhaps there’s a walking or cycling group in your area? You might even find yoga teachers running weather-dependent weekly classes! Start by browsing Meetup, Eventbrite, Facebook Events and Google Search. You'll be surprised to discover how many events in your area run completely free of charge!

Helen & I really enjoyed your teaching & what a wonderful environment to stretch out all our stresses!

Sam Saggers

5. Enjoy silence... or play music

The only thing better than music is silence... and the sounds of nature. The sound of cascading water, gentle ocean waves, deep forest rustle, birds, and crickets singing... Nature's sounds have a powerful therapeutic effect on our body, mind, and spirit. They help us let go of stress and root ourselves in the present moment. However, if you prefer to change the original setting, why not bring a small speaker or smartphone with you? Our top recommendation is the official Yoga & Meditation playlist by Spotify UK.

I really feel like I’m slowly getting better and I’m much more mindful of what I’m doing in movement and breathing techniques. The music really helped me stay focused and present.

Kylie Forster

As you can see, in the summer months, your yoga practice can really get into full swing.

So, where’s your favourite place to practice?