By Jessica Ward

The title quite literally sums up our whale and ocean themed yoga practice in Húsavík: come as you are, hop off the boat and join a yoga class! For the past two summers, as well as taking part in Whale Wise research field seasons, interning with the Húsavík Research Center, and guiding for North Sailing, I have been teaching yoga at the Húsavík Whale Museum. Starting as a very low-key practice, with a few of my intern friends in 2022 coming along to join my extremely small classes, I think I can happily say that yoga in Húsavík has blossomed! Merely as your guide, I hope those who joined continue to practice yoga, wherever you are, and you also remember to apply yoga philosophies off the mat too, in your careers, relationships and lives as a whole. I hope that, as I write, this marks just the beginning of whale and ocean yoga in Húsavík. May we continue to practice together whilst continuing to work to protect the lives of the beautiful whales that we know and love, the whales who are many of our reasons why: why we live in Húsavík, why we are studying and working, and often where we find a lot of our pure joy. So, now for a little more about our whale and ocean themed yoga practice and how it all began…

Before I started my quite whale-oriented lifestyle, and just after I graduated from my Bachelor’s, I decided to take my personal yoga practice to the next level and train to be a teacher. I never planned on teaching in Iceland (I was a very new teacher) but for anyone who has visited The Húsavík Whale Museum, I am sure you will agree, that it is such a little haven that radiates so much calm… I just couldn’t not consider using the space for yoga as well, and even better, for yoga dedicated to the whales and to the ocean, their home. Of course, so many people visit the town of Húsavík and the museum for the whales: for the inspiration, emotional perspective and pure magic that they provide. I wanted to hold a space where we could dedicate our thoughts to these majestic beings, whilst also moving our bodies and thanking the practice of yoga that has been earned over generations of existence and has travelled the globe (just like some of the whales have). So I chatted with Eva, the museum director who practices yoga herself, and we began regular yoga at the museum. Eva has been fundamental with helping the museum yoga come to light. It is also important to acknowledge the whole team of staff at the museum, for not only joining in with the yoga, but also helping massively before and after each class. And whilst I’m at it, I have to of course mention all the yogis that joined during those blissful summers. Whether you came for one class as you were passing through Húsavík or you were a regular: a researcher, a guide, a roommate, a flatmate, you worked in Húsavík seasonally, you worked in Húsavík full time… I loved having all of you and it was a pleasure to share my first experience teaching with you.

We would practice once or twice a week, usually upstairs in the museum, accompanied by underwater footage of a mother and calf humpback whale pair, gracefully swimming, feeding, existing, living… as they should. If the weather was not freezing, we would sometimes move our practice outside – we would quite literally do sun salutations against the sun, as the boats would come and go in and out of the harbour. Classes would be themed differently each week: for example, we might have a class dedicated to the topic of anti-whaling or anti-captivity, we might devote one practice to the white-beaked dolphins and the impact of the lunar cycle on their foraging behavior, or we might simply practice to the theme of love and acceptance. We would start with a small meditation, and then move through some vinyasa-style yoga (where poses are strongly linked to our breath and the mind–body connection is prioritised) with a still savasana (final resting pose) at the end, and finally finish with tea and chats about the theme of the class (and more!!). One of my favourite classes would be the special pride-themed classes each June. After all, homosexuality is not limited to the human species, and has been recorded in cetaceans too (quite recently in male humpback whales in fact)! We would come together, move together and feel immense gratitude for the small town of Húsavík, where queer people are especially accepted, something we will have to keep fighting for around the rest of the globe. We will keep celebrating pride (in the form of yoga and more) until the rest of the world catches up with Húsavík, a beautiful corner of the world where the whales and dolphins live and visit, you can feel a strong connection with the ocean and the natural elements, and you can feel warmly welcomed to come as your own authentic self. If you are reading this, and you haven’t visited Húsavík already… you must, and join a yoga class whilst you’re at it! Off the boat and on to the mat. I hope to see you there