Review of Outside Yoga on the National Mall

Yesterday was such a beautiful day for yoga outside. Initially I thought it was going to be a bit chilly, but as the sky was clear and full of sunshine we heated up pretty quickly, layers shedding after each Surya A!

The event was sponsored by Lululemon and hosted on the National Mall with the backdrop of an amazingly blue sky, the sun and of course the Washington Monument.

What was interesting about the practice in addition to being outside, which is a unique way of practicing yoga in itself, was the music. BlueBrain Music, which I had never heard of until this event, met with the teacher,
Alison Adams, in advance to prepare the unique music for this event. She had a heart rate monitor attached to her as she practiced the class she had planned for the event. The music played by Blue Brain was centered around this heart beat, sometimes it was simply her heart beat and then at other times it was combined with other elements of music for a faster or slower tempo. Coming from the not-so-musically-inclined person, I really enjoyed this experience and thought it was an excellent way to combine yoga with another form of creative expression for a beautiful outcome.

There is something fun about a city-wide event which draws similar like minded people together that may otherwise have never been at the same place at the same time. As we walked down the mall to the event I was excited when I started seeing other yogis carrying their yoga mats to the event. Something about the energy of a large group of people practicing together, you can't help but get excited.

Featured --> is @bigblueyogamat, meet my husband's yoga mat, the yoga mat larger than life and with an attitude. I can't believe I actually got him out to a yoga class, outside and on his birthday!! That's love.

The one thing about practicing outside is you never know exactly what your surroundings will be, so you may need to adapt your practice a bit and be open to new experiences. For example, practicing outside in a public place is not the most 'peaceful' experience, especially during full-on 100th cherry blossom celebration, tourists were everywhere, passing by snapping pictures, giggling, gawking, proclaiming 'wow', etc. Being able to move into a more centered place may not be possible. PLUS, I have to admit I am completely distracted by my surroundings, I enjoy taking in the sights and experiences. What a unique way of becoming familiar with nature, feeling the blue sky, moving into a standing back-bend watching your arms extend towards the sky with the sun in your view is an amazing feeling, tilting just enough to see the Washington monument behind me. WOW! That's amazing. Featured above is the view behind me of the monument and yogis, while we are in Uttanasana (forward fold).

Family visiting us for Adam's birthday
and Easter weekend! It was lovely for them to
join us for some yoga on the mall :)

The other aspect of this outside practice is the practice itself. It was a very challenging class, the teacher is a power yoga teacher, but it wasn't so much her style, it was the fact that the hill was downward sloping. I know it seems like an excuse, but WOW, all of my muscles needed to be engaged in different ways to stay balanced and aligned properly. And boy did my wrists hurt after this practice...a bit too much weight tilting forward.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience, Music was good, practice was good (and I'm sore the next day from it, so I'm thinking my body needed it), beautiful weather, fun family bonding....good times.

If you are thinking yoga outside might be for you, and are in the DC area, the next event I know of is Saturday, May 19th sponsored by DC Yoga Week. Maybe we'll bump into each other there :)

Some more fun pics from the lovely event.......