| Sometimes the beach offers adventure and excitement, like when the surf is up. Other times relaxation is the order of the day. One of the most relaxing activities I've found happening at the beach is yoga. Originally from the East, yoga has made its way to mainstream American culture and helps many of us reach an improved state of wellness. I've attended quite a few yoga classes, but never in the sand on the beach. Now that has changed.
My first beach yoga class was on Indian Rocks Beach on the Gulf coast, near St. Petersburg, Florida. I found out about the class from my fiance, Sue, who is a yoga teacher and knew about this class. She had been suggesting for a long time that we try yoga at the beach. So, on a slightly cool and breezy Thursday evening we drove out to the beach with our blankets and yoga mats.
As we strode out onto the sand and into the breeze, we could see Tom, the yoga teacher, smoothing out the sand and getting ready for class. A small sign stuck into the sand read: “YOGA, Come Join Us.” We introduced ourselves to Tom and his wife Tania, then settled onto our yoga mats as the rest of the participants slowly arrived and made themselves comfortable. A wide range of ages was represented, from twenty-somethings to sixty-somethings, and many of them were clearly regulars, as evidenced by their familiar greetings and warm hugs.
Tom Meagher has been leading yoga classes on the beach here for “six or seven years” after taking an early retirement from corporate America's tech sector. He decided to come to Florida and learn to teach yoga. Tall and slender, with his hair in a small pony-tail and his beach-yoga attire and bare feet, it's obvious Tom had no trouble with the transition to beach-yoga-teacher. He speaks with a calm voice and leads a very informal, creative, relaxing yoga class and requests feedback from the class. “Is there anything anyone would particularly like to work on today? Lower back? Hips? Shoulders?”
Tom explains in the beginning: “There's no way you can make a mistake, as long as what you are doing doesn't hurt.” “Don't be static...keep movement in each pose.”
I felt the warmth of the setting sun on my left cheek, and the cool breeze off the water on my right. Tom's voice carried just enough over the sound of the waves to keep me in sync with the movements as the sky got darker, the first stars appeared, and the planet Venus shown brightly just above the orange horizon. We all stopped and faced the sun in meditative acknowledgement as it slipped beneath the horizon over the Gulf of Mexico. The class continued for another half-an-hour or so, and we finished with the classic “savasana” pose, lying on our backs, in complete relaxation. Every time I do yoga I always say to myself "I've got to do this more often." It makes me feel so calm, relaxed, and focused.
Tom's yoga classes on the beach last for one hour and fifteen minutes and are held Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m. during the summer, and an hour earlier during the winter months. He also has a wonderful Saturday morning class at 8 a.m. The beach classes are held at the 22nd Avenue easement in Indian Rocks Beach. Parking is free. During inclement weather classes are held at a nearby church. Suggested donation is $6. You can call Tom Meagher at 727-365-4901 for information on current locations and times.
To find a yoga class on the beach near your vacation spot, just do a Google search on "Florida beach yoga" and you'll find lots of options. |
