Why I do Yoga Outdoors

Here are some reasons to do yoga outdoors when you get a chance. This follows a great day where I live. The sunshine and warmth gave me a chance to catch my daily practice on the back deck with a couple of sleeping kids.

1. There is more noise but it sounds better. 
Don't let the silence of a serene looking photo or the gentle music of a documentary clip deceive you. Yoga outdoors is pretty noisy, but even the sound of a neighbour felling a tree can be somehow ambient enough to sit in the distance alongside the birds, planes, kids, cows and wind. This kind of noise beat indoor interruptions like TV, radio, conversation and of course the sound of an email or text message coming through.

2. It reminds you what you are really a part of.
Doing yoga outdoors can help remind us of our connection to the earth.  Being more in contact with the sounds, textures and sensations of the outside world can give us a strong enough reminder that we are not somehow aliens landing on a hostile world that needs shunning and walling out. We are intimately linked to everything around us and depend heavily on the balance of nature for our survival.

3. The fresh air
The air outdoors is better for us than indoor air according to the EPA. Even in urban and enclosed environments, the majority of contaminants and and pollutants is indoors. The increased movement of outdoor air also keeps it... you guessed it...fresher.

4. It just feels right
There is somehow a sense that being outdoors is the way that Yoga is meant to be practiced. After doing it, and feeling the effects above, there is a sense that this how it is meant to be.

Let me know your favourite spot to practice Yoga outdoors. Feel free to share your reasons too.