It’s november and we gather at the geothermal beach at Nauthólsvík in Reykjavík. We = eight crazy people who plan to do outside yoga and meditation on a windy Saturday guided by the people of Breathe Iceland.
Our lovely yoga teacher Árnbjörg is a mixture of an angel and a Lord of the Rings elf. I do apologise for the cliché , but I’m like: “Move over Cate Blanchett, this woman should have played Galadriel.” Árnbjörg is an Icelandic Kundalini Yoga instructor, yoga therapist, Bowen therapist and a Sat Nam Rasayan healer. She’s so zen and during the next hours I totally unwind after a busy time at work.
First thing she does, is to take us to the seaside for an introduction and an explanation of a meditation we have to do during our walk to the woods to clear our heads. It’s a thumb touch exercise which we have to match with our walking pace. I have definitely have no time to think about anything else as I really have to focus on doing this.
Reykjavík doesn’t many have forests, but in the one near Öskjuhliđ, we do a full hour of yoga. For me and my bad balance it’s not always so easy, but I love it. After a while my senses are heightening: I become more aware of the sounds around me and the wood definitely smells like autumn.
At the end of the yoga Árnbjörg takes pictures of us. Check my what-the-fuck-I-have-the-worst-sense-of-balance-in-the-world-face. Árnbjörg manages to imitate a flying frog on top of a huge rock after one of my friends challenges her. We all find her bloody amazing.
After that we do a few other meditation exercises on a different spot in the forest. The more experienced yogi of our fellowship ask for chanting and Árnbjörg starts doing it with them. For me it’s one step too far, but I enjoy the others enjoying it.
Then we head to the geothermal beach for a gong meditation. We’re unlucky as the hot pot is broken, which means the wather is not very warm. The sound the gong makes is amazing and I can imagine getting totally relaxed when the water would be nice and warm. Now I’m a bit cold towards the end.
Some people are not cold enough and run into the ocean. Crazy them, I think. Well actually it turns out they are not … When they jump back into the hot pot, they are warm! And then they do it one more time, but I’m still too much of a coward to join them.
This was definitely a great thing to do and afterwards everyone is very enthusiastic about it. I even consider doing their tour to Thingvellir and the Secret Lagoon next year.
Do you need more inspiration for your trip to Iceland? Check all my posts!
