yoga mats : Get that yoga mat sandy
Yoga means union -- and what better way to unify then by practicing yoga under sunset skies on Laguna's Main Beach with 20 of your fellow coastal Orange County neighbors?
Thanks to one local community-oriented athletic store, you can take part all summer long. Every other Sunday at 7 p.m. on a patch of grass near Main Beach, Newport Beach's Lululemon Athletica is hosting sunset yoga lessons on the beach.
"One of the things we hold in high regard is community relations," said James Freeman, of Lululemon.
The lessons are free, yoga mats are provided for those who don't bring their own and you don't have to be a yoga aficionado to stretch your muscles.
The beachfront yoga is for everyone, all levels of yogis are welcome and the teachers offer pose modifications for those who are just starting out.
Come by yourself or with family and friends. It's also a great way to meet new people, Freeman said.
Yoga instructor Laura Schneider taught what she called a "hatha flow class" on a recent Sunday evening. While most yoga is practiced inside a studio, the outdoor experience can be just as spiritual, Schneider said.
"I think yoga outside is always fun and different," Schneider said.
Hands stretched to the sky and feet planted on different colored mats lined atop green grass, the Sunday evening class began against a backdrop of dusk. Across from Starbucks on Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach, people passing by on the boardwalk stopped to watch, wondering what they had come across.
The ambient noise of an evening in a seaside town --honking horns, music spilling out of a nearby bar and children's chatter -- blended into a unique accompanying music.
"It makes you have to block out the outside to sort of stay focused on the inside, which can be kind of a challenge," Schneider said.
Sherrelle Vogt, of Laguna Niguel, said she usually practices Bikram yoga in a studio with the heat cranked up, but she found the outdoor method a refreshing change.
"It's paradise, it's great," Vogt, said seated on her mat after the session.
Friend Elisa Bohm enjoyed the bar music and pelicans passing over as she looked to the sky during some of her poses.
"It was like a dream," said Bohm, a Newport Beach resident.
Lululemon, a Canada-based store that markets athletic gear for yoga and other sports, has held other beach yoga sessions, but never before in south Orange County, Freeman said.
Yoga in Orange County is starting to command a following, said Schneider, who grew up in Los Angeles where she said yoga has always been popular.
"It's starting to pick up steam," Schneider said. "People are starting to realize the benefits of it."
By Lauren Vane
Thanks to one local community-oriented athletic store, you can take part all summer long. Every other Sunday at 7 p.m. on a patch of grass near Main Beach, Newport Beach's Lululemon Athletica is hosting sunset yoga lessons on the beach.
"One of the things we hold in high regard is community relations," said James Freeman, of Lululemon.
The lessons are free, yoga mats are provided for those who don't bring their own and you don't have to be a yoga aficionado to stretch your muscles.
The beachfront yoga is for everyone, all levels of yogis are welcome and the teachers offer pose modifications for those who are just starting out.
Come by yourself or with family and friends. It's also a great way to meet new people, Freeman said.
Yoga instructor Laura Schneider taught what she called a "hatha flow class" on a recent Sunday evening. While most yoga is practiced inside a studio, the outdoor experience can be just as spiritual, Schneider said.
"I think yoga outside is always fun and different," Schneider said.
Hands stretched to the sky and feet planted on different colored mats lined atop green grass, the Sunday evening class began against a backdrop of dusk. Across from Starbucks on Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach, people passing by on the boardwalk stopped to watch, wondering what they had come across.
The ambient noise of an evening in a seaside town --honking horns, music spilling out of a nearby bar and children's chatter -- blended into a unique accompanying music.
"It makes you have to block out the outside to sort of stay focused on the inside, which can be kind of a challenge," Schneider said.
Sherrelle Vogt, of Laguna Niguel, said she usually practices Bikram yoga in a studio with the heat cranked up, but she found the outdoor method a refreshing change.
"It's paradise, it's great," Vogt, said seated on her mat after the session.
Friend Elisa Bohm enjoyed the bar music and pelicans passing over as she looked to the sky during some of her poses.
"It was like a dream," said Bohm, a Newport Beach resident.
Lululemon, a Canada-based store that markets athletic gear for yoga and other sports, has held other beach yoga sessions, but never before in south Orange County, Freeman said.
Yoga in Orange County is starting to command a following, said Schneider, who grew up in Los Angeles where she said yoga has always been popular.
"It's starting to pick up steam," Schneider said. "People are starting to realize the benefits of it."
By Lauren Vane
