Boho Chic Yoga – Venice Beach

A friend of mine came into town and rented a house on Venice Beach.  At first I thought, oohh that’s kind of far.  Then I thought, how blessed am I to be able to get in my car and take a 35 minute ride to one of the most popular beaches in the world, in the winter!

I got up really early in the morning, picked up one of my friends and headed to Venice.  We were all bundled up, we even had our long johns on.

The weather was gorgeous.  It was a beautiful crisp day and the sun was shining brightly.

We grabbed a few spare yoga mats I had in my trunk and got to walking.  First we walked up and down the Venice Pier.  We decided to skip the toursity boardwalk and enjoy the more quite side of Venice Beach.

Even though it was a bit chilly outside, we couldn’t resist the sand.  Soon enough we took off our shoes and walked barefoot.

After some time, the kid in me came out and I ran towards the ocean.  I was running up to the water and then running away from the waves.  Giggling and twirling around, it was pure joy.

The sun and the walking warmed up our muscles nicely.  Soon we shed our top layer and were sportin’ out tank tops.  We found a nice grassy area to put our yoga mats down.  The terrain was uneven but hey, that’s life.  It is nice to get off of the perfect hardwood floors and challenge your body to something different.

Practicing yoga on Venice Beach reminded me of one of my clients.  He is a professional beach volley ball player.  Another perk of living in Los Angles, you meet people with the coolest jobs.

From spending so much time training on the beach, my client had some of the strongest feet, ankles and legs I had ever seen!  On the other hand, they were also pretty tight.  So I began my practice with stretching the lower body.

Being open yet strong from the ground up is important for your foundation.

I had no set program of what to practice, I just practiced what called me.  Being close to the ocean encourages us to simply go with the flow.  Your body will let you know what to move next.  Follow your breath and it will be all good.

Make a day out of your beach adventure.  Who knows when you’ll be back!  My friend and I googled breakfast spots in Venice.  A place called AXE looked interesting.

We poked our heads in and looked at the menu.  The vibe was just what we were looking for.  More importantly, the food at AXE was delicious!  It was the perfect end to our Boho Chic Yoga Day.  The eggs with a variety of green herbs, the nine grain pancakes and the almond milk lattes were superb.  I recommend sitting outside underneath the big tree for the ultimate Venice experience.

What are you waiting for, go to the beach!

Experience sand in your toes, it is exfoliating.

Play in the water, there is power in your play.

Smell the magnificent ocean air, you’ll feel more alert and energized.

Feel the breeze, all of your stress will release from your entire mind and body.

To this I say, Namaste.