Yoga is undoubtedly one of India’s most weighty and well-received contributions to the World. Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word ‘Yug' which means ‘to unite’ or ‘to yoke’. So we can say that the primary purpose of Yoga is uniting the consciousness of the Individual with the consciousness of the Divine. One way to do that is to cultivate oneness of the body and the mind and a oneness of the internal and the external environment (Hatha yoga).
And what setting can be more perfect for practicing this sublime art than the secluded beaches of Gokarna where the tranquility of the beaches are accented by the mystical and historical vibes of the temple town? So when you book a holiday in Gokarna and Kumta, make the break all the more rejuvenating and life-changing by enrolling in a Beach Yoga course offered in one of the centers nearby. Here are some of the reasons why you must unroll your yoga mats on the gritty beach sand on Gokarna’s beach resorts :
1. The positive in Negative :
Sea air is abundant in negative ions. But the negativity in the negative ions exists only in its name. Negative ions neutralize free radicals in the body, revitalise cell metabolism, enhance immunity and promote sleep and healthy digestion. Negative ions also boost production of serotonin, the happy chemical that revs up the mind and body.
2. Heal the body with the mind :
Meditation in the beach needs no other music than the relaxing rhythm of the sea waves crashing the shore. Yoga practitioners in the region advocate and teach Meditation centric disease healing techniques where the body can be trained to follow the dictates of the mind and make it function at it’s best.
3. Nature’s magical potion:
What if i say just getting sprayed by the sea water while you do your yoga rids you of your ailments? Sounds unbelievable? But believe me, it's a proven fact that salt has anti bacterial properties. The salty air and waters in the beach can promote health by clearing out the lungs and easing breathing. Cuts, scrapes and inflammations in the body get healed faster when you spend time in the seawater or seashore.
4. Better your Balancing ability:
In any discipline or area of learning, higher challenges are absolute requisites for going up the learning curve. Unlike doing yoga on sturdy indoor surfaces, doing it on the soft shifting sands makes it harder to maintain stability in the yoga poses. So when you practise in the beach, you get better at developing that balance in your body. This also helps you exercise secondary muscles in the hips, shoulders and legs that are otherwise ignored in regular workouts or indoor yoga.
5. Health in your Feet -
Walking or practicing yoga on the sand stimulates the acupressure points in the feet which in turn accrues a host of health benefits like better sleep, improved nervous system, stronger immunity and relief from chronic inflammation and pain.
6. Wholesome workouts :
Yoga in the beach allows you to get creative with your physical routines. You can combine a yoga session with swimming, walking, jogging, trekking, beach volleyball and make your workouts more wholesome and more fun!
7. Get Sun-kissed, Soak up on some Vitamin D :
Spending time near a large water body that reflects the sun’s rays blesses you with an abundance of that difficult-to-catch Vitamin. Yes, I’m talking about Vitamin D that eludes you in your AC offices and homes. Vitamin D as we all know is not available in food sources and the only way to get a healthy dose of the bone-strengthening Vitamin is to be kissed by the Sanguine Sun. Be careful not to get sun-burnt though!