Unlocking the Power of Outdoor Yoga: Connecting Mind, Body, and Breath Beyond the Mat - June 8 2025
- rockbriarfarm
- 12 hours ago
- 4 min read
I do not exercise indoors. I dislike gyms and really do not like staring at a screen or wall while pedaling or walking nowhere. What? You ask, but you do so much yoga, that’s indoors and exercise, isn’t it? While there is a physical element to yoga, I do not really think of yoga as exercise. If we define exercise as an activity that exerts the body with the goal of developing and maintaining physical fitness, then the practice of yoga can have this result as a welcome by product. For me, practicing and sharing this ancient practice is much more than its physicality and its bodily health benefits. Yoga is a practice which unites the mind, body, and breath. The asanas, the poses, are only one eighth of a full yoga practice. Conversely, activities other than yoga classes which support yoking the mind, body and the breath are indeed yoga. When we view yoga as a journey of uniting mindfulness, breath, and the surrounding environment, walking in nature is perfect yoga practice. As we connect with nature, we can absorb its natural rhythms, find contentment, and acknowledge the importance of our sacred planet.
Patanjali’s defines yoga as a practice resulting in “the cessation of the modifications, or fluctuations, of the mind”. I contend, therefore, that any activity that allows your mind and body to achieve harmony is yoga.
The other day I went for a bike ride just after dawn. As I rode in silence, through the greyish foggy morning it felt almost mystical. The beauty of the fields shrouded in mist inspired awe, my inhalations bringing me the scents of cut grass and honeysuckle which seemed more pungent enhanced by the heat and rain. Bird song was the only interruption to the silence. As I returned home and began preparing for my day, I understood that I had been truly absorbed by the present, in the beauty of the morning, lost in a calm, meditative state. I was so grateful for that experience as my solo walks or rides often find my mind perseverating on life’s noisy dramas and challenges and absorbed with trying to concoct solutions. A sense of peace and joy overcame me, and for those few moments I was so grateful. This was indeed yoga.
This week let’s get off our mat, into nature, and find our yoga off the mat.
Our Practice - Tree Pose (Vrksansana)
As we think about our yoga practice off the mat, we realize how many of our yoga poses are inspired and named after the natural world and its creatures. Anyone who has done yoga outdoors understands the joy of holding a pose and noticing a subtle brush of the wind on your cheek, the "music" of the bird song and the warmth of the sun on your skin. As discussed, our yoga is many things other than a mat class. Hiking and pausing for a view that takes your breath away, walking lost in thought in the woods, these, to me, are all yoga. In celebration of yoga and the nature connection, we celebrate tree pose along with many other poses inspired by nature.
Tree pose helps strengthen our core and legs, stretches our groin, and opens our hips. Practicing balancing poses is important especially as we age; balance, along with a strong core, will help keep us active and healthy for a long time!
Start in mountain pose (tadasana), hands at heart center. Check in with your alignment head to feet, and that your feet are rooted into the floor evenly through all four corners.
Begin to shift your weight into your right foot, lifting your left foot off the floor. Keep your right leg straight but don't lock the knee.
Bend your left knee and bring the sole of your left foot high onto your ankle, calf, or inner right thigh. If on the ankle, you can keep your toes on the floor, and your hip is open to the side.
Press your foot into your leg and your leg into the thigh, engage your core, focus on your drishti (focal point that is not moving). Take 5-10 breaths, adding your arms (branches).
Remember, most importantly, maintain sense of humor, smile and breathe.
Meditating - On Nature
“If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive”. ~ Elenora Duse
Elenora Duse (1858-1924 was an Italian actor known for her naturalistic style of acting expressing the character’s inner life an emotions, rated by many as the greatest of her time. She performed in many countries, notably in the plays of Gabriele d'Annunzio and Henrik Ibsen.
Nurturing with Food - Crispy Vegetarian Fried Rice
In recent months I have been reworking my (mostly) vegan diet. I know officially now that I cannot eat dairy. I have also learned that less of some foods that I love is more (like kombucha, Kim Chi and legumes). For example, I should eat the lentil soup I love for dinner or lunch, not both.
As I add back my favorites and discover which ones really taste good (and feel good), we are eating more rice. We have adjusted this recipe to add even more chopped vegetables so that the proportion of vegetables to rice is even more pronounced, experiment with this yourself – more veggies than the attached recipe if it is takes center stage on the plate, as written if more a side dish. Enjoy!
See you on the mat!
Namaste,
Julia Anne
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