Marina Beach and Nature Connectedness

This post is part of a series on my hometown Chennai. Check out my first blog entry of this series about my morning walk experiences in Chennai.

Chennai is home to the second longest beach in the world. It is called the Marina Beach. It is a very wide beach with lots of sand and no rocks. It has a lovely promenade.

My favorite activity at any beach is to watch the waves, especially at sunset or sunrise. When I look at the orange sun sink slowly into the horizon of the sea, I become one with nature. I lose consciousness of my body, my little pains, my small worries, my mundane existence, my everyday complaints. Perhaps you too have had this experience.

Watching the waves- Prakrutilaya samaadhi (nature connectedness)

Almost all of us have experienced this state while enjoying the awe and beauty of nature. There is an inner calmness and silence. This happens when we pour our complete awareness onto gentle ripples of a placid lake, the gushing glory of a gigantic waterfall, the splashing sounds of ocean waves, the pretty dance of a peacock, the colorful displays of sunsets, the majestic views of snow-peaked mountains, or the vast infinitudes of desertscapes.

In an earlier post titled the Garden of Meditation, I describe this feeling at the Meditation Gardens at Encinitas that inspired me to write a poem. And in my first post in this series, I describe an early morning walk where I enjoy flowers, trees, and birds. Such an experience could lead to samaadhi too.

The foundational yoga text, Yoga Sutras by Patanjali, describe many ways to attain this elevated and peaceful state of consciousness. It is called “samaadhi" or equanimity of the mind. One easy way to experience this state is “oneness with nature” or “nature connectedness.” The technical term for this experience in yoga is “prakruti laya samaadhi” or the “stilling of the mind by merging with nature.”

Our relationship to landforms such as mountains, oceans, and beaches is socio-culturally constructed. Americans often swim, play beach volley ball, and sunbathe in beaches. However, in India, the activities that take place at a beach are much different. I hope the following section gives you a glimpse of everyday life at a beach in South India.

At the Marina Beach you can roll up your trousers or salwar pajamas and then hold your loved ones’ hands as you enjoy the warm waves kissing your ankles.

Or play a game of cricket.

Playing cricket at the beach

Or get admonished by a policewoman riding on majestic brown horse for standing too close to the rough waters.

Or sit on a carousel of colorful horses.

carousel of horses

Or eat freshly fried milagai bajji (battered banana peppers).

Or go for a long walk wearing tennis shoes in the early evening.

Or win a prize by shooting a row of balloons.

shooting balloons

Or buy colorful balloons (and kites depending on the season).

Or have our futures predicted by parrots that pick out tarot cards.

Or build a Maharajah’s palace, only to see it washed away by a BIG WAVE.

Or share some sundal salad made from boiled chick peas, ginger, and raw mango.

Selling sundal (chickpeas salad)

Or collect broken white spoons that look like shells under the sand.

Or watch the lighthouse shine its beacon on ships afar.

Or pay a hefty sum to ride on a puny-looking horse for a few yards.

horse-riding by the beach

Or watch monkeys dance and play silly tricks on the sand wearing silk clothes.

Or drink sugarcane juice (though I would never do that for fear of picking up germs).

Or even have some American sweet corn right here in the heart of Chennai!

globalization :-)

What are some activities that you do at the beach? Have you experienced the oneness with nature that is described in the Yoga Sutras? Please share your thoughts and comments.