Beach Yoga with Melissa of Se7en Yoga

My good yogi/dancer friend Melissa recently launched Se7en Yoga and I was so excited to meet up with her at the beach so that she could coach me on a simple sequence of yoga poses that someone of all levels can do. For me, yoga is great for lengthening and strengthening my muscles and reinforces the flexibility I have left from my dancing days. It also helps me to recognize and hone in on my breathing and create balance and harmony all throughout my body. Aside from from the peace and alignment I achieve from practicing yoga, it is an even more enlightened feeling when I can practice yoga on the beautiful beach with the sun shining, waves crashing, and salty air blowing. Try the sequence below in your home, at the park, the beach, or wherever you'd like. Once you've completed one side, turn around and repeat the sequence to the other side. Below, I demonstrated the poses facing the ocean (left photo) but also showed what the poses look like from the front (right photo). If you're in the Orange County area and are looking for a spiritual experience in which you will explore other forms of yoga, Melissa is hosting an amazing Immersion Workshop at Great Over Good in Santa Ana on February 7, visit Se7enYoga for more info and to enroll. The workshop has been reduced to $95 and students will be exposed to sound meditation, learn basic Sanskrit, and take home lots of goodies for home practice. Follow Se7en Yoga on Instagram HERE!1. Tree Pose / Vrksasana
Lengthen your neck, pull your tummy in, and keep your hips square. Let your arms rise as your bring your foot pad to the inside of your ankle. Feel your energy rise with your gaze towards the sky. 2. One Leg Mountain Pose Variation / Eka Pada Tadasana
Putting your weight into your base leg, pull your tummy in and bring the knee into your chest. Wrap your hands around the shin and roll your shoulders back. Keep the spine long to maintain open passage ways for your nerves to run through. 3. Chair Pose / Utkatasana
Standing tall with your feet together and heels slightly apart, let your arms rise as the lower half of your body sits back into an invisible chair. Keeping your weight in your heels, keep a long neck, pull the belly in and sit deep. Spread the fingers long and wide to keep an upward flow of energy and sit deeper into the pose. 4. Warrior One Variation / Virabhadrasana One
From a standing position after chair pose, step one leg back 3-4 feet depending on your height. Place your back foot at a 45 degree angle as your front leg bends into an almost 90 degree angle and keep the foot vertical. Keeping the chest forward, create a straight line from the crown of the head to the back heel. Square your hips and fly the arms back, palms facing up. Keep your neck long, pull your tummy in, and spread your fingers wide.
With your arm closest to your back leg, sweep that arm up and over your head, reaching with energy past your head and keeping the arm close to your ear. Bring the other arm down to your bent knee, resting the arm on your knee as your palm faces up towards the sky.5. Mountain Pose / Tadasana
Finish the sequence by bringing both feet together with your heels slightly apart, into a standing position (micro bend in the knees), extend your arms vigorously down to the sides and back of the body, palms facing up to receive energy, then palms facing down to recycle your own energy while keeping fingers wide, and bring your chest up towards the sky opening up your heart. Take a few deep breaths to fill your lungs with ocean air. Namaste!