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Wouldn’t it be awesome to hit the beach feeling fit, energetic, healthy and confident this festive season? Well, now you can with free yoga classes in Bloubergstrand, a cold swim afterwards and the perfect view.
Every Tuesday, those interested in yoga make their way to Bloubergstrand for a special yoga session with 56-year-old Michael O’Rourke from Sunningdale who describes yoga as “becoming whole again, a beautiful union between body, mind and spirit”.
O’Rourke stumbled across yoga about 10 years ago, completely unplanned.
“It was one of those serendipitous moments where I was drawn towards something but not knowing why at the time,” he says.
He used to swim at the gym every evening and one day, when coming through the turnstiles, two people ran past him saying “the yoga is about to start”.
“I had never contemplated trying yoga before, but something made me follow those two into the yoga class. It was a profound experience. I have never stopped practicing yoga since,” he says happily.
Yoga vs cold water swimming
One of his other loves, in addition to yoga, meditation, sun rises and sunsets, is cold water swimming.
“The Atlantic Ocean in the Blouberg area gets quite chilly with water temperatures sometimes as low as eight degrees. I try and do a swim in the sea about four times a week and I try and stay in the water for at least 20 minutes. The list of benefits of cold-water swimming is long and it is fast becoming a popular physical and mental health practice of choice all over the world,” he says.
His favourite place to swim happens to have a nice grassy park area right at the beach. One evening while he was in the water for a sunset swim, he started thinking of how to encourage others to experience this amazing feeling of being in the cold water.
In that moment he was looking back to the shore at the grass area, and then it came to him ... “I will entice them into the water with a free yoga class.
In March this became a reality starting with about 10 people joining the yoga and four taking a dip in the ocean afterwards.
“We managed to keep it going throughout winter and now we sometimes have 70 people joining the yoga and about 40 people braving the cold water for 20 minutes. It is absolutely magical witnessing the collective energy and joy being experienced during the yoga and then listening to the shrieks from the initial exposure to the cold water become beautiful full expression laughter as their bodies start getting used to the cold and sheer bliss sets in.”
Self-healing
At the time when O’Rourke opted for a yoga class and not his usual swim, he was going through some significant lifestyle changes.
“I was on a self-discovery and self-healing mission and the regular yoga practice was exactly what I needed to support me on that journey. It allowed me lean into all my suppressed emotions, trauma and childhood pain without stepping back when it got a little scary,” he says.
The ongoing self-healing supported by yoga and other self-care practices allowed him to find a new sense of purpose.
“I eventually left the corporate world after 30 years, became a yoga instructor at the age of 52 and completed a psychology degree at age of 53.”
The yoga is for all ages, all body types, all fitness levels “and no, you don’t have to be able to touch your toes to do yoga”, he says.
He says beginners are welcome.
“In fact, one of the things I love most about this experience is seeing those new to yoga do their first class and finish the class with a beautiful big smile on their face. Many of them have always wanted to try but perhaps thought they couldn’t. Every Tuesday before we start, I remind everyone that we are there to enjoy the amazing setting and honour our bodies by not pushing ourselves and not doing anything that doesn’t feel right. They are encouraged to rest at any time during the practice. I am so impressed with some of the beginners that started a few months back . . . you should see them now.”
Giving back
O’Rourke says the free yoga and swimming is his way of giving back to the community.
“Although I have had people drive from Stellenbosch and Fish Hoek to join us, I have had requests to facilitate these events in other areas in Cape Town and maybe I will one day. I also teach yoga at studio which is where customers pay for classes. But the beach yoga and swim event will always be free. I love sharing the joy and well-being qualities of yoga. It’s my way of being of service to the community.
“My reward is being part of the collective joy that is experienced at this weekly event. It truly has become the highlight of my week.”
What do you need to join?
To join the yoga and swim event all you need is the following:
- A big beach towel works perfectly if you don’t have a yoga mat;
- sun block;
- water bottle;
- if you are going to swim after the yoga, then wear your costume under some comfortable clothes;
- it is important to bring something warm to put on for after the chilly swim;
- most importantly bring yourself ... all of you, the joy, the sadness the parts of the body that are working well and the parts that are struggling.
“It’s not about forcing yourself to be able to do yoga postures or competing with others or yourself. Through yoga we cultivate self-compassion. We learn to love ourselves again and this love naturally spills over to the love for others and the universe we live in.”
O’Rourke creates a Facebook event every week and then shares that event in the local community Facebook groups.
- For more information, send an email to breathelovejoy@gmail.com
