Beachcomber Yoga Warmup

By Teri Hall

1. Mountain Pose: Stand with your feet together or slightly apart. Snuggle your feet into the sand, connecting with Mother Earth. Lift up all of your toes and then softly allow them to come down onto the sand. Although your legs are straight, your knees are relaxed. Your arms are next to your sides; fingers pointing towards the beach. As you inhale, lift both shoulders up towards your ears, pause, and then roll them back, allowing your heart center to open. Gently rock back and forth and side to side. Slowly reduce the swaying coming to stillness, your weight evenly balanced on your feet. Your gaze is soft. Firmly grounded in the Earth, the crown of your head reaches upward and skyward. Stay in the pose for 30 seconds to a minute, breathing easily as you take in your surroundings.
2. Staying in Mountain Pose, inhale slowly and turn your head to the left, pause then exhale your head to the right. Chin remains level. Continue this movement of inhaling left, exhaling right, taking in all that Mother Nature has to offer you. Take your time. Continue for 30 seconds to a minute.
3. Staying in Mountain Pose, as you inhale stretch your arms upward, perpendicular to the ground, with palms facing upward. Allow the fingers to touch overhead (or not). Pause. On the exhale allow the arms to float down next to your sides, palms facing down. As you continue with this movement, guided by the breath, you have the option of looking up as your arms go overhead. Do as many as you are guided to do. Slow and steady.
4. Come to Stillness: Stand in Mountain Pose. Bring your hands to your heart area, one hand over the other. With a soft gaze, inhale deeply and slowly thru your nose. Pause at the top of the inhale and then sigh the breath out thru an open mouth. Do this breath pattern a few more times, signaling your body to relax. Sighing breath, releasing breath, cleansing breath; inviting the body to release all tension and 
come to a place of calm.
5. Child’s Pose: Come down onto your hands and knees. Knees are directly below your hips, hands beneath your shoulders, called the Table Top Pose. Connect with the sand using its softness to cushion your knees and hands. As you exhale, lower your hips towards your heels and your forehead to the sand. You can have the knees together, slightly apart or wide apart if more comfortable. If wide apart keep the tips of the big toes touching. The arms can be reaching forward with the palms on the sand or fists stacked under the forehead. Breathe slowly and deeply for 6 to 12 breaths. To release: place the palms under your shoulders and slowly inhale up to a seated position.
6. Rise slowly and shake yourself out. Wiggle your fingers and toes, rotating your ankles and wrists. Small movements of the body.

Let the search begin!

This article appeared in the Beachcombing Magazine September/October 2021 issue.