My motto is yoga anywhere anytime. While all the accouterments are nice perks, I don’t need yoga mats, studios, special apparel, or props to practice yoga. Often, people use those things as excuses to avoid the practice. “I forgot my mat.” “Oh, no, I don’t have a large enough space.” “These jeans are too tight.” Or, “The studio doesn’t offer my favorite class on Sundays.”
Around the world, I’ve never had a problem finding my yoga space. My yoga anywhere anytime nooks have included being perched on top of stones, fallen trees, damp sand, tall grass, and concrete. I know enough to avoid kneeling or doing a headstand on a hard, rough, slippery, or other potentially dangerous surfaces. Above all, I adjust my practice to my studio for the moment.
Likewise, I do yoga stretches and breathing exercises when I’m out and about. For instance, great ad hoc “props” are lamp and electricity posts, the racks at the library, the check-out counters at the grocery store, the benches in museums gazing at art on museums. I admit, as unobtrusive as I may have been, one security guard in Italy did not appreciate my yoga anywhere anytime philosophy.
I don’t relegate yoga to a 60-minute time block. With my yoga anywhere anytime mindset, I infuse the eight branches in my life. Every day.
My favorite places for introspection are wherever I can best absorb the most prana. Usually, that means outdoors. At the very least, with windows wide open and A/C and heating off. For example, I love feeling the sun and wind on my skin. Being surrounded by mist or under light rain doesn’t bother me. Those are ways to up my daily dose of prana.
First, The Namaste Getaway has a dedicated indoor yoga room, where I open the window for sun and air to stream through. Next, the BarnOm has a rolling 16-foot-wide door that opens to a high ceiling. But, my favorite spot on my property is my covered back porch yoga deck. Even though I have a dozen mats, I like to feel the wooden boards underneath my feet and hands. Doing my chaturangas on the bare floor gives me a greater sense of grounding.
On weekends, I hike a few miles and practice vinyasa flow on the concrete lanai-covered walkway (sans mat). Often, with my dog. My site for savasana is a park bench.
I recently found a gem of a place for yoga and meditation just a five-minute drive from my Airbnb.
My new special digs are on the top of Old Baldy aka prayer mountain. It’s a four-acre park with a 360-degree view of Wimberley. Perfect vibes for praying — or meditating. It’s an easy climb up the 218 limestone steps to get to the plateau. Although the peak is a rough surface, there is plenty of room for multiple people to practice yoga at the same time. Plus, for meditation, you can sit directly on the grass and dirt-free crest. Or, to elevate your hips, pick one of the big rocks surrounding the big flat top.
I want to share my delight for this prana-filled prayer mountain. That's why I’ll lead a free session in this magical locale to anyone who makes a reservation at The Namaste Getaway or my BarnOm (before September 1, 2021) and mentions this article.