Outdoor Yoga's first Blog

It's 6.50am on 10 June 2009 and the sun is shining over Dublin. As believe it or not it does quite a bit over the Summer months.

I think an awful lot of people think I'm mad even trying to run Yoga classes outdoors in Ireland. When the phrase Outdoor Yoga is thrown around people would immediately think of maybe Central Park, New York or Bondi Beach, Sydney and I'm guessing our fair city would never even enter ones mind.

This is my second year running Yoga classes outdoors in Dublin. This year with the addition of Stephen's Green along with Herbert Park. I really don't know how the idea came to me as I'd never heard of it being done elsewhere but presumed it was. It just seemed silly to stay indoors during the Summer months when regardless of the weather it's always warm enough to be active outdoors.

I suppose the only question I'd like to answer in my first blog and the one any service provider that operates outdoors in this country will always always always be asked is 'What happens when it rain??'

Well the answer is we use the bandstands in the parks which provide ample shelter for an undisturbed practise and some of the best classes happen when it rains as we generally have the parks almost entirely to ourselves.

Dublins' public parks are an invaluable asset to each and every person that lives in the city. Herbert Park is over 100 years old and Stephen's Green has been a park since 1664. The calming affect of walking into either park from the surrounding hustle and bustle that is city life in Dublin is something very special and furthermore practising Yoga in the fresh air, feeling the wind, hearing the birds and stopping for once to just breath, relax, feel, watch and allow is something we can all benefit from.