My place

This photograph was taken at Birling Gap, not far from Eastbourne, on a beautiful, mellow sunny evening, yogini Safia Siddiqui Bowley tells OM. “My knees have chalk on them as I had been climbing on rocks and my bare feet had been paddling after being planted in the sand in a warrior pose,” she says. The natural environment is the perfect place for yoga. “I always feel at home by the sea, instantly comforted by the rhythm of the waves, refreshed by the sea air. I relish the freedom and inspiration that comes from looking up into a vast sweep of sky.” She believes outdoor yoga encourages a playful approach, offers different points of view, and can be wonderfully liberating. “Whatever the weather, infinite combinations of colour, tone, light and atmosphere are fascinating to observe,” she says. “Slowing down to absorb it all has become a favourite meditation. I sometimes jot down a few words as a reminder of the moment, which can be used to conjure up the scene later, as part of a yoga practice…taking a little snapshot of the magic with me.”