All too often, we think of yoga as something we need a mat for. That we need a 10-class card, a hardwood floor, and an experienced teacher to guide us through our 90-min practice in order to check ‘yoga’ off our to-do list.
While none of that hurts, of course, we know that in our hearts yoga encompasses much more than that, yet we don’t often indulge ourselves in something that feels like ‘yoga’ when we are in a different context than our home studio. Sure, it might feel a bit weird to do a sun salute in the conference room, or to travel to work in tree pose on the A train, but when was the last time you were on a hike and busted out your down dog to waggle your tail’s “Hello!” to the sun and sky? Nature is the one canvas that practically begs for your yogic contribution, and at Wanderlust, we are fortunate to have Heather Hollander on duty to bring you into a state of mind where you can freely explore what your body is craving whilst soaking in the serenity of the outdoors in her ‘Nature. Yoga. Play.’ classes.
“What I’m inviting people into with ‘Nature. Yoga. Play.’ is embodiment — which is not about the pose, but about your personal experience and your personal connection with the earth,” explains Heather. As you will see in this video, filmed at Wanderlust California 2013, participants aren’t limited by the four edges of a mat to express themselves: they use trees, rocks, and even waterfalls to add dimension to their poses.
Heather encourages people to be playful as they discover how their bodies want to move in the outdoors: “Play is the source of vitality; play is the source of creativity and production.” And as one participant describes, “Every time I was thinking, ‘Oh, I should be doing something…’ I would remember that I don’t have to try so hard, I could just be in the moment, so I loved that.” And there aren’t too many more glorious places to just ‘be’ than the sumptuous Shirley Canyon at Squaw Valley.
Learn more about Heather’s programs involving (yes) nature, yoga, and play on her website www.bodaciouslivingyoga.com and follow her events on Facebook here.