Ocean Asana

A soulful collaboration with Synergy Yoga

This session came together as a creative collaboration with Michelle from Synergy Yoga, alongside student Lisa and fellow teacher, Dani, both of who had only met about 5 minutes earlier but somehow chatted together like old friends. I reached out to Michelle with a very loose idea in mind, yet somehow we were aligned with each other each other during every step of the planning process. This gathering never felt forced or awkward, the evening unfolded very organically, which was surprising considering group sessions can sometimes take a little warming up.

There's something about overcast evenings by the beach that somehow feel almost suspended in time. The cloud cover blocks what the sun is doing so even though it's actively setting, you can't actually see it happening and it feels like time has come to a standstill.

Michelle guided the group through a gentle yoga warm up, each person moving in unison with the next. For a moment there, the traffic and squawking seagulls subsided and all that could be heard was the sound of the ocean rolling from beyond, it was a really amazing moment to be part of.

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  Woman in tan singlet and green pants doing a yoga pose amongst grasses on a sandhill

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  Three women connected in 3-person tree pose with 2 facing away from the camera and 1 smiling

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  Woman in grasses on a beach holding an intrivately painted bell above her head, eyes closed

Stingray Bay is usually buzzing with people, especially on an almost-muggy Saturday evening, but the beach was bare when we arrived. Well ... almost. Another photographer was making good use of the calm evening too. If this was you, watching from across the bay as three women waded through ankle deep water while bells echoed across the shore, please get in touch so we can swap stories. I'd love to see your photos too!

And then like clockwork - somehow this always happens during my moody, overcast sessions - the clouds parted a little and golden rays of sunlight appeared, like the sky was rewarding us for sticking it out through the cloudy skies. It was the perfect way to finish the

warm up.

We moved around the bay, climbing into the dune grass to take a moment with bells and a beautiful singing bowl that had every cell in my body vibrating, and then ventured out into the water, where Michelle had found a small sandbar that made the perfect stage for attempting some flamingo-like yoga posing. At one point, the group engaged in a 3-person tree pose, which was the most intricate thing I've ever seen and shows the amount of trust these women have in each other and their craft.

At some point during the movement when no one was really paying much attention, the tide had crept up and covered the sandbar enough so that it disappeared beneath a thin layer of water, creating dreamy reflections and making it look like the group was walking on water. Unfortunately, it also made the sand super sinky and we nearly lost Lisa to the ocean. What started out as yoga on the beach turned into a sound-water-mud therapy session.

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  Hand holding intricately painted bell on beach amongst grasses

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  Women connected with hands on shoulders, 2 facing away from the camera and 1 smiling

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  Woman in side plank on a beach with green backdrop, wearing white top and brown pants

The ocean has always been a calming place for me, but along with the slow movement and grounding energy, and the absence of all sound except that of the sea, without even having been involved in the yoga, this session felt like a reset button. A low exhale of tension I didn't even know I was holding onto.

Michelle, Lisa & Dani, thank you so much for allowing me to be part of your evening beach routine. You've reminded us all that creativity doesn't have to be loud and powerful. Softness makes just as much of a statement.

Location: Stingray Bay, Warrnambool

Time: Sunset

Photographer: Sage & Seaside Photography

www.sageandseaside.com.au