Outdoors or Indoors? Music or Silence? Why the environment in which you practice yoga can be as important as the poses you practice...
Yoga & Our Ancestral Roots
Yoga’s roots date back thousands of years to a time when humanity spent most of their days outdoors. This might explain why so many of our yoga poses are inspired by nature herself : standing tall like a mountain, swaying gently like the limbs of a tree, sun salutations, and so on.
Even farther back, we share our ancestral DNA with primates, who spent most of their time roaming grasslands and climbing trees– but these days, the average American spend nearly 90 percent of their time indoors and our yoga practice reflects that.
The benefits of indoor practice are obvious in terms of comfort: shelter from the elements, climate control, running water and Netflix– but is so much time spent indoors “natural”? Looking at the root of natural which is “nature”– then perhaps not.
Indoor or Outdoor Yoga?
Studies show that indoor air can be more than five times more polluted than outdoor air. According to Our World in Data, indoor air pollution is one of the world’s largest environmental problems, responsible for more than four percent of all deaths annually. Much of this risk comes from stoves and cooking devices. But our furniture, carpets, paint, detergents and other items are culprits, too. They release toxic gasses and chemicals over time, ranging from formaldehyde to glue solvents– in a process known as off-gassing. And yes, when you take a mass-produced yoga mat out of its shrink wrap and get a strong whiff of a chemical elastomer like PVC– that’s a powerful example of off-gassing!
A few yogic breaths next to a body of water or in a forest clearing can literally clear your air passages and center your practice. Doctors across the globe are urging patients to spend more time outside for metabolic and mental health benefits as well.
Two national programs: Park Rx America and Walk With a Doc, work like “nature prescriptions,” aimed at using the great outdoors to help patients manage health issues ranging from heart disease and diabetes to depression and insomnia.
Research has linked time spent outdoors with increased immunity, and another study found just 30 minutes per week spent walking in nature reduced depression by seven percent and dropped blood pressure by nine percent!
Sound, Scent, Environment, Yoga & You
A good yoga playlist can be transformative, but so can a bird song, or the rhythmic whistling of wind moving through drying autumn leaves. The sweet scent of orange blossoms will give the finest incense a run for its money anyday.
This is not to demonize indoor yoga –depending on where you live and your schedule –a home yoga practice or studio yoga might be the optimal choice.
Just keep in mind the philosophy of 1960s psychonaut Timothy Leary who said, “set and setting” is everything when it comes to exploring one’s psyche.
Likewise before you begin a yoga session consider the light, music, sounds, smells and air flow and ask yourself
“Am I connecting with my environment? Does my environment resonate with my purpose?”
Changing Your Yoga Vibes
If you find yourself off-center, see what you can do to improve your environment:
- Open a window
- Change the playlist
- Throw fabric over a “too bright” bulb
- Bring in a favorite crystal.
Yoga is a process of creation and flow. Remember, you have the power to heal the universe– as you feel the universe heal you.
Or as the great Persian poet Rumi put it…
“You are not a drop in the ocean… you are the ocean in a drop."
How Do You Use Set & Setting to Enhance Your Yoga Practice?
How do you use Set & Setting to enhance your yoga practice? What sensory adaptations bring you closer to your center? What environments add or detract from your practice?
Let us know in the comments below!
For more yogic tips and insights follow us on Instagram @kinsheyoga
Sources
EPA Air Quality
https://www.epa.gov/iaq-schools/why-indoor-air-quality-important-schools#:~:text=EPA%20studies%20of%20human%20exposure,times%20%E2%80%94%20higher%20than%20outdoor%20levels.&text=These%20levels%20of%20indoor%20air,percent%20of%20their%20time%20indoors
Our World in Data - Indoor Air Pollution
https://ourworldindata.org/indoor-air-pollution
Park RX America
https://parkrxamerica.org/
Walk with a Doc
https://walkwithadoc.org/
National Library of Medicine - Nature Exposure and Its Effects on Immune System Functioning: A Systematic Review
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7913501/
Nature.com - Health Benefits from Nature Experiences Depend on Dose
https://www.nature.com/articles/srep28551
India.gov
https://yoga.ayush.gov.in/blog?q=58#:~:text=Yoga%20should%20be%20practiced%20in,relaxation%20techniques%20to%20cool%20down
Yoga & Vatsu
https://www.dailypioneer.com/2013/sunday-edition/yoga-and-vastu.html
https://www.epa.gov/iaq-schools/why-indoor-air-quality-important-schools#:~:text=EPA%20studies%20of%20human%20exposure,times%20%E2%80%94%20higher%20than%20outdoor%20levels.&text=These%20levels%20of%20indoor%20air,percent%20of%20their%20time%20indoors