A ho-hum practice leads to a new passion

Judi Harvin
I just discovered something new to love, brought to me in an unusual way by my yoga practice.

Saturday night my daughter and I arrived to our farmhouse late. The house had been baking in 90 degree weather all week. It didn't seem the wall AC unit would cool down the bedrooms in time for any sort of happy sleep, so we decided to suck it up and just opened the windows.

I grabbed my mat and headed outside for what I thought would be an amazing practice under the stars. We have an expansive yard (a couple of acres) so I found a spot in the open, and laid my mat down.

I like practicing in dimmer light, but by this time it was pretty black out, and I found my balance to be off. And, although I have seen the encrusted starry country sky many times before, this time I found it really distracting. I just wanted to lie on my back and stare up. I couldn't concentrate.

So, I left my mat where it was, went inside and grabbed a beach towel, sleeping bags and my daughter. That night we slept under the stars.

I had wanted to do this for a while, but something kept me from it: too much trouble to set up? bugs? Fear that something would eat me? Who knows. However, I lived to tell about it, and even have some revelations:

There are no bugs later at night. Apparently, even bugs get tired and go to sleep. They do at my farm and my farm is pretty much a Woodstock for bugs.

The stars are better than TV.  I even saw a huge shooting star, with an amazing tail that glowed before fading away.

Sleeping outside, you don't miss any cool animal sounds. Coyote, bullfrogs, owls. There's a party going on at night, and it's much more pleasant to fall asleep to than the one the neighbor's teenagers had last week.

Wake up to entertainment. In the morning, the birds are pretty darn interesting. I love lying for a bit upon waking up, and sleeping outside gave me the perfect excuse, watching birds socializing and showing off right above my head.

If you ever have the urge to grab your mat and head for the forest preserve, your backyard, anywhere outdoors, don't pass it up. Instead, pick it up, lay it out, and move and breath outdoors. Have you ever had an amazing experience practicing in an unusual place? did it lead to new insights? Please, post a comment below. I'd really love to hear about it.