Summer is officially here! It's time to plan a vacation and beach spots are often vacationers' top choice for rest and relaxation. I loved the beach vacation my children and I enjoyed in a quiet resort in Cozumel, Mexico in August 2009 where I took the above photo. I adore relaxing by the ocean as I find it so soothing and restorative. I love swimming and floating in water.
But, I usually only travel to a beach spot once a year, maybe twice if I take a long weekend to visit friends in Clearwater, Florida. And, that's probably true for many if not most of us. So, how can you enjoy the type of rest and relaxation you get at the beach year-round? I think you're going to guess my answer - through the daily practice of gentle hatha yoga!
Yoga can surely make your 'livin' easier (remember that famous song from the powerful old musical, Porgy and Bess?) because you can create a soothing, relaxing practice. Many of us (including myself) enjoy vigorous aerobic exercise like running, jogging, bicycling, swimming, playing tennis, or jumping on a mini-trampoline to blow off steam and reduce stress. And those activities are wonderful. Yet, we can enhance our performance of those activities and also gain the relaxation and rest we enjoy on a beach vacation by doing gentle yoga.
As I shared in the book event I gave the other day, if you pour your heart into your yoga practice and focus on how your body feels as you stretch and hold yoga poses, you will likely notice both a surge in energy and relaxation. As I also suggest, you can transform your yoga practice into a mini-vacation by using imagery. Imagine yourself rolling your mat out on a gorgeous soft, sandy beach and then moving and stretching to the lapping back and forth of the ocean waves. It is a wonderful experience! Why not try it today or tomorrow and notice if your "livin" feels easier this summer even before you hit the beach.
Your for enjoying summer time and easier 'livin' with yoga,
Laura Venecia Rodriguez
For more tips like the above, check out my new book at Amazon.com.
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