Teaching Beach Yoga and Practicing Non Attachment
I remember the first time I taught yoga on the beach like it was yesterday. I was on vacation in Hawaii with my family and went down to the beach early in the morning to take class. I showed up at the activities station at the resort and asked Marla (the resort employee) for some towels for the beach yoga class. She said, “well there isn’t going to be a class today because the instructor hasn’t shown up.” I said, “well that is a bummer, but what about the group of 5 people waiting on the beach a few steps away?” She said she was going to inform them that it would be cancelled. In turn I said, “you know what, I can just teach the class if you’d like. I always wanted to teach yoga on the beach.” She was very grateful and the class went off without a hitch. My mom got to take my class too which was extra special.
After returning home from vacation to Delray Beach I realized that I wanted to teach yoga on the beach locally. A now friend of mine Jessica had been holding classes on the beach for years and I thought how cool would it be to teach for her out there someday (I had never even met her at this point). Fast forward a little time Jessica and I met at a yoga event and I told her my dream to teach yoga on the beach, it was even on my vision board. She said maybe someday I could sub for her! I didn’t practice any attachment to it, but soon enough within a month or so she needed a sub and I got the call 😊.
I remember the first class out at Atlantic Dunes Park, It was a Sunday at 5:30 pm, sunny with a slight breeze, not a cloud in the sky, and a beautiful ocean. I thought wow this is amazing and that all the classes went so smoothly like this. I mean it was a picturesque day with 35 yogis and truly a dream come true. Again, I thought all the classes went like this… well boy was I wrong.
I soon realized after subbing for Jessica a few more times while she was traveling over the next 6 months, that every single class was soooo different. Nothing was in my control on the beach between the patrons, parking, waves, and the weather. I mean the weather is always out of our control, we know that. But, when you show up to lead a class and it is raining on the way to the beach, then sunny at the beach, and then 5 minutes later in down dog it is breezy and about to rain you have to practice so much non attachment to the outcome and literally be with what is in the moment and hold the space for the group.
After joining forces with Jessica earlier this year and creating our monthly Full Moon Beach Yoga community gatherings, and starting my own Sunrise Beach Yoga class, I have realized that each and every time we meet on the beach for yoga it is going to be completely different from all the other times. I say the same thing in a yoga studio setting and it is true, but on the beach it’s an a whole nother level. It has really driven me in the direction of non attachment to specific outcomes and expectations not just on the beach, but in day to day life. How are you responding to things that are going on around you that aren’t exactly going as planned? Can we be a little bit more compassionate towards ourselves? It would certainly go a long way. If we can simply show up fully in each moment, and do the best we can with whatever we have to work with then and there, that would be more than good enough. Just show up and be open to the infinite possibilities, and outcomes that are available.
So, the next time you are show up for something in your life and are experiencing doubt, fear, or concerned about the outcome, take a deep breath. Show up as you are, be with what is, and embrace the moment! We overcome obstacles and experience growth by taking action, not sitting on the sidelines. You got this! Happy New Year my friends.
Peace, Pedro
Pedro Luna is a south Florida based yoga instructor, event host, and international retreat leader. He is also the co-host of YogaFestFL (the largest yoga festival in Florida), and creator of the globally recognized and hilarious Instagram page @yogimemes. Pedro is on a mission to share the gift of yoga with the world, one person at a time.
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