A Blissful Life 4/9/24: Recharge In Nature
We are finally graced with the beautiful season of Spring in Rockaway Beach. Chirping birds, blooming magnolias, and warming rays of sun invite us out into nature. I feel so lucky, especially during the warmer months, to live where we live. Our town becomes a playground for people of all ages. How will you enjoy this beautiful time of year and take advantage of the nature that surrounds us?
After a long Winter, we are energetically being pulled out from hibernation. Just as you plug your device in to charge, humans recharge by being in nature. Research shows that spending time outdoors helps to bring the body, mind, and spirit into balance. Some studied benefits include healing chronic disease, reducing anxiety and stress, improving immune system function, relieving depression, improving sleep, lowering blood pressure, and boosting mood. On top of that, living beside the ocean floods our environment with negative ions, which have been shown to increase levels of serotonin (the “feel good” hormone) in the brain and purify the air that we breathe. This season, I encourage you to make a conscious effort to get outside. Even just 10 to 20 minutes each day will have a positive impact on your health and wellbeing.
Lucky for us, Rockaway offers many options for being in nature. Go for a bike ride, roller blade, walk, or jog along one of our boardwalks– solo or with a friend. Play in the parks. Get a group together for organized outdoor sports. Stroll along the shoreline, browsing for shells and breathing in the fresh, ocean air. Sit in the sand and let your mind clear as you connect with the rhythm of the waves. Go to a restaurant that offers outdoor seating, or bring a picnic and frisbee to the beach on a sunny afternoon. Explore the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Broad Channel, or head in the other direction and hike through Fort Tilden. If you like photography, take your camera on your nature walk to capture the first signs of Spring. Get in the soil and plant an outdoor garden in your home. Watch the sunrise from the beach, and the sunset over the bay. Do a beach clean up. Dunk in the ocean, or roll up your pants and immerse your feet, ankles, and legs. Take a surf lesson. Read outside, journal outside, meditate outside. Sungaze in the early morning.
With busy schedules, it can be easy to let the days, weeks, months, and seasons pass without fully appreciating the beauty and opportunities that surround us here and now. We will always have responsibilities to juggle and this or that to worry over, however, it is important that we do not let those things suck the joy from our lives. Taking even just a little bit of time for yourself each day to fill your cup and recharge your batteries will help you maintain your perspective of what is truly important and handle your life with greater ease and grace. Spending time in nature is a beautiful and free way to keep yourself centered and well.
Come join us at Ocean Bliss Yoga for daily yoga classes, Pilates classes, and monthly specialty workshops. Park your car or bike in the Belle Harbor Yacht Club parking lot, then walk through the front doors and up to the 3rd floor, where you will find our gorgeous space, full of natural light, plants, and sweeping water views. Browse offerings and sign up at oceanblissyoga.net. For private yoga, Pilates, sound baths, or nutritional health coaching call or text me at 917-318-1168.