If you haven't yet visited the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse I highly suggest you do so. The park and its surroundings are stunningly beautiful, particularly at sunset.
You can climb to the very top of the historic lighthouse for an amazing view of the Jupiter Inlet and Intracoastal waterways at designated tour times throughout the day. The park also includes a museum, a gift shop, hiking trails, along with hosting many events and activities.
One such event is 'Twilight Yoga' with Mary Veal. This all levels yoga class is taught outdoors under a sprawling banyan tree, directly below the lighthouse. I've never taken a class quite like this before. It truly was an outstanding experience. There was a mysticism about it that I couldn't quite put my finger on, so instead I just soaked it all in. I left the class feeling both nourished and healed in some way, as if I had just experienced something sacred, something revered.
I arrived around 6:45 pm and found a long line of yogis itching to get up the hill and start their practice. The gate remained locked until Mary arrived to herd her flock to our nesting place for the next hour. We made our donations into an envelope at the gate and continued onward. Some yogis chatted with their friends, obviously filled with excitement and joy, as we all made the journey closer and closer toward the brick-red beacon of light. (They must have taken the class before and knew what was coming!) I chose to ascend the gentle incline in silence, just observing the uniqueness of this particular setting for a yoga class.
You can climb to the very top of the historic lighthouse for an amazing view of the Jupiter Inlet and Intracoastal waterways at designated tour times throughout the day. The park also includes a museum, a gift shop, hiking trails, along with hosting many events and activities.
One such event is 'Twilight Yoga' with Mary Veal. This all levels yoga class is taught outdoors under a sprawling banyan tree, directly below the lighthouse. I've never taken a class quite like this before. It truly was an outstanding experience. There was a mysticism about it that I couldn't quite put my finger on, so instead I just soaked it all in. I left the class feeling both nourished and healed in some way, as if I had just experienced something sacred, something revered.
I arrived around 6:45 pm and found a long line of yogis itching to get up the hill and start their practice. The gate remained locked until Mary arrived to herd her flock to our nesting place for the next hour. We made our donations into an envelope at the gate and continued onward. Some yogis chatted with their friends, obviously filled with excitement and joy, as we all made the journey closer and closer toward the brick-red beacon of light. (They must have taken the class before and knew what was coming!) I chose to ascend the gentle incline in silence, just observing the uniqueness of this particular setting for a yoga class.
The wait!
The walk!
We arrived at our practice destination under the behemoth banyan tree, all snuggling in to find a spot, making room for others until we were mat to mat about 60+ yogis deep. This jovial mass were laughing and talking just chock full of the days energy. I wondered when the class would begin and how you manage to quiet down a group this size without a microphone, and then my internal dialogue was provided an answer. Class started, not with a clap of the instructors hands, not with a bell or a singing bowl, but with silence. Mary sat quietly at the south end of the platform with her back to the river and just waited for the attention of the otherwise occupied participants to be drawn forward and then inward. THAT said a lot about the power of presence. WOW! And just like that it began.
Mary started with the topic of 'Change' and our relationship to it, saying that everything changes moment to moment and that is to be expected, but the stress in our lives is caused by our relationship with change, how quickly with learn to accept change, how long we struggle to hold on to things we don't want to change, not necessarily the change itself. How we view change has a direct correlation to the stress or distress we experience in our lives. She said it more eloquently than I just did, but you get the point ;)
We were reminded throughout the practice, as we gently stretched and breathed in the warm Florida evening, that control is an illusion. Most of the time it is only our reaction to our surroundings that we can control and even that requires practice, lots of it, which is why most of us practice yoga in the first place! We can determine how well our practice is working by how we show up in our lives from day to day.
Such a sumptuous soul stretching practice! YUM! I enjoyed every bit of it, even the hip openers! I really loved the authenticity of Mary's teaching style. She gave us permission to meet ourselves where we were in our practice that day and to have no judgement toward ourselves in regards to whether we "did it better" yesterday, but to accept ourselves today. She didn't use any fluffy yoga language, she was genuine and I trusted her implicitly to guide my practice.
I also loved the energy of so many like-minded souls, synchronizing with the vibrations of the natural surroundings (the flow of the river, the singing cicadas). This is what makes practicing yoga outdoors so exhilarating. It makes connecting with that universal frequency all that much sweeter.
We slipped into our final pose of the class, savasana, as the sun set over the Loxahatchee and the ocean provided us with a gentle salty breeze. The song of the cicadas seemed to go up a few decibels, making it the only sound I heard for the remainder of the meditation. That blissful state of complete surrender where I am able to hear and feel that inner OM, washed over me once again, and once again I am reminded that my true self is ALWAYS connected to a higher source. In that place there is comfort, peace & acceptance of all this is and will ever be, you just need to tap in, to connect to that universal hum. Thank you Mary for sharing your wisdom and grace and reminding me how effortless it can be to reconnect <3
I also loved the energy of so many like-minded souls, synchronizing with the vibrations of the natural surroundings (the flow of the river, the singing cicadas). This is what makes practicing yoga outdoors so exhilarating. It makes connecting with that universal frequency all that much sweeter.
We slipped into our final pose of the class, savasana, as the sun set over the Loxahatchee and the ocean provided us with a gentle salty breeze. The song of the cicadas seemed to go up a few decibels, making it the only sound I heard for the remainder of the meditation. That blissful state of complete surrender where I am able to hear and feel that inner OM, washed over me once again, and once again I am reminded that my true self is ALWAYS connected to a higher source. In that place there is comfort, peace & acceptance of all this is and will ever be, you just need to tap in, to connect to that universal hum. Thank you Mary for sharing your wisdom and grace and reminding me how effortless it can be to reconnect <3
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Mary teaches 'Twilight Yoga' every Monday at the lighthouse rain or shine (if it rains the museum porch becomes the studio)! Classes usually begin around 7 but change throughout the year as the time of sunset changes. It's always a good idea to show up about 15 minutes before class since there is a little bit of a walk to get up to the practice area. The address is 500 Captain Armours Way, Jupiter, FL 33469. You can also go to the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Website for more updated class times.
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