How the Beach Can be Therapeutic
The beach has long been thought of as a place of solace. There is something about the open sky, the salty air, the sounds of gulls, the waves crashing and the sand underfoot that is soothing to the soul. People have been captivated by the sea and the beach since the dawn of mankind. Time at the beach has statistically been proven to lower blood pressure, ease mental disorders and hardships and have healing effects on the body. There are a number of ailments, both mental and physical, that time at the beach can heal.
Physical exercise, stretching and yoga on the beach have been found to be highly beneficial for a number of reasons. Sand obviously does not support the body in the same way as pavement, asphalt or more firm earth. It has a give to it that allows exercise with slightly more resistance where the body makes contact with it, which is usually the feet. This resistance is excellent for building leg strength, and for enhancing cardio. Many people have said that as they do physical activity, light or hard, on the beach, the give of the sand beneath them gives them a feeling of fluidity with the earth that they cannot get in other environments.
Meditation and prayer on the beach are some other beneficial methods of healing. The exercises of meditating and praying have long been known to help with afflictions of the mind, heart and soul. Negative thoughts and emotions always come with rampant negative thinking, which meditation aims to quiet. Meditation and relaxation is the emptying of the mind in order to receive the world around us and its positive energies. Prayer goes a step beyond meditation and allows a person to communicate with whatever higher power they believe in. People of faith regularly practice prayer and feel enormously fulfilled by it. Practicing these inner peace tactics on the beach can be very spiritually therapeutic, as the beach naturally holds spiritual connotations.