Outdoor Yoga: Undeterred by the Deluge & Tornadoes

Despite the biblical downpour and tornado alerts, by all measures last night’s Outdoor Yoga session was a grand, grand success.

Arrival: Deluge and Tornadoes

When I arrived at Shady Oaks Marina (West River) at 5:35pm, sheets of rain were falling from the sky, thunder was booming in the background, and the skies were ominous. Before getting out of the car, I saw an outdoor tent / canopy blow over, and then saw our host – Katie – dart into the boathouse. I thought no time like the present and got out of my car. Within seconds, I looked like I had just jumped into the ocean. The only thing on my mind was that the weather in Maryland was totally “trustless(!)” – and this is why I had always avoided scheduling outdoor yoga in the past. I went into the boathouse and met with Katie. Around that time, all our phones began buzzing with tornado warnings. Deliberations began on what to do – we were getting phone calls and text messages asking about the status of “outdoor yoga” – plus some brave participants had begun pulling into the lot. Despite the fact that a scuba suit seemed more apropos than a yoga mat.

We Are Gonna Do it Anyway

I ran to the various cars and told everyone to sit tight and that we would let them know in a few minutes what was happening. I asked Katie if there was any sheltered place on the property where we could practice – being on the big, open lawn was out of the question. She promptly walked me down to  a covered dock that was akin to a “catwalk” – for lack of a better term. As soon as I saw it I thought this was the perfect place. By the time we got back to the parking lot I was so wet I could not even feel the rain anymore. I told everyone that that yoga was on and that we would all meet down on the pier. We had around 12 – 14 willing participants in various cars ready for the big adventure. In the meantime the winds had picked-up.

As we walked down to the pier in a dishevelled mass, some people’s umbrellas were being blown back in the wrong direction – undeterred we reached down to the pier. And everyone set-up their mats single-file along the pier. Here is what it looked like:

Once everyone had set their mats up and we were good to go – it kinda looked like this….

And here is another shot of everyone in their practice, by this time as you can see the deluge had subsided.

And here is one final shot of our evening practice:

By the mid to latter portion of our practice the weather was absolutely delightful. No humidity, warm air, birds chirping in all directions, and plenty of sunlight – all in a grand, pastoral setting. It was a stunning transformation – from one extreme to the other.

One of the better stories of the evening came from Diana. She went to her evening aerobics class only to find a note on the door that said, “Due to a tornado warning, the class has been cancelled.” Amazingly, even after reading this note, she got the idea to see if we were doing outdoor yoga – and we were!! So sure enough she found us on the dock and was along for the ride! So indoor aerobics was cancelled while outdoor yoga prevailed – we’ll take it! Diana also mentioned that she was so relaxed and comfortable that in her many years of practice this was the first time she had ever drifted off to sleep during shavasana.

Here are more of the comments we received after the session:

– Well that was great! So it turned out to be an absolutely wonderful night and perfect weather – a gentle breeze, no humidity, the sound of the rain and the water lapping against the dock, the osprey, the robins….just perfect!! THANKS! 

– Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the outdoor yoga last night.  It was good you prevailed in spite of the weather’s initial lack of cooperation.  It turned out to be a beautiful evening and very relaxing experience. I was so surprised to find out we went until 8 for the class, it felt so good and I heard lots of positive comments.  Thanks for always branching out and providing new experiences for us.

– I wanted to reach out and thank you for holding class last night despite the weather. It ended up being such a beautiful evening and practice and I feel lighter and ready to take on today from it!

Thank You – Stay Tuned For More Outdoor Yoga

Finally, thanks to our hostess Katie Neighoff and the whole Shady Oaks Marina family. You were very welcoming and we look forward to our next outdoor yoga session together.

And thanks to all the brave practitioners who came out, weathered the storm, and turned it into a tranquil evening.

Now that we know we can withstand tornadoes and epic deluges, we will have to do this more often!! Watch for the next date!!