The Miraculous Thing That Happens When You Take Your Yoga Practice Outside

It's 2017, and we’re boxed in. We live our lives indoors, online, and enclosed in the false fluorescent lights of offices, boardrooms, and yoga studios. For anything to grow, it must have sunlight—and this is especially relevant to our lives and our yoga practice.

It’s funny, really, because we were never meant to be boxed in; we were born free. So why are we happy to carry on indoors?

The answer is simple: We are biologically wired to seek shelter, and from an evolutionary standpoint, we feel safe inside and like we're in danger when we're outside. While this made sense for our ancestors, spending time outdoors is important too, especially because the outcome of an indoor yoga practice is always at least somewhat predictable. No matter how amazing your practice is, you’re still boxed in with a defined set of parameters. As humans, these boxes are comfortable and safe; they give us certainty and sanity. Studios are defined by their limits. But as humans, we should not be.

Think about how amazing your favorite class would be if it were taught in the exact same way but outside in the sunshine on the green grass, or first thing in the morning, outside on a rooftop, as the world is waking up. When we take the time to practice outside—that's where the growth happens and the connections deepen.

As living and breathing organisms, we need sunlight and fresh air to grow. We need real-life inspiration and experiences, and that goes for our practice as well. So break the routine, bust out of the box, and move your mat outside to feel the shift. Going outside recharges the mind, rejuvenates the body, and inspires life.

There is no posture you can do inside that will make you feel as good as saluting the sun at sunrise, or taking a tree pose surrounded by an army of oaks. When we get a chance to really connect to what's real, we start to feel so much more, and this is the real power of the practice.

See you on the mat.