WAYcation Ormond Beach

Sheri Zanosky has been practicing yoga on the beach for what feels like forever. When she was in the process of getting her certification, she took some photos of herself doing her favorite poses. Her daughter, Savannah, suggested she turn those photos into art.

“I said ‘But it’s just me, I’m not famous or anything,’” she laughed. “She said ‘Well yeah, but it’s just a random person on the beach doing yoga, and people will like that.’ I mainly do watercolor but she really pushed me into this.”

This kind of positive encouragement was not only shared between mothers and daughters during We Are Yoga’s Waycation — a weekend-long yoga event filled with beach classes, art shows and friendship.

“It’s almost like the way of life when you go on vacation,” said Will Jones, who owns We Are Yoga with his wife, Erika Jones. “You want to have a good time, things to look forward to and get a yoga class in. It’s a yoga vacation.”

Over 50 people from around the city, state and country participated in the event that included many different style of yoga classes, a yoga-inspired art show, a yoga fashion show, a tiki party, and a beach cook-out. Cheyenne Smith, a long-time artist and yoga practicer, displayed some of her zen artwork at the Yoga Art Show held Saturday night at Frame of Mind.

“I doodled a lot, and it just progressed from there,” she laughed. “I do mixed media artwork because there are so many layers to the painting. Every time you look at the painting there’s something different that pops out. Thats what I like about it.”

Since she identifies with the Buddist traditions, most of her artwork features figures and themes from the religion.

“I’d like to call it zen art,” she said. “It’s really my inside coming out onto canvas.”

Betty Rowe attended the event’s festivities because of her longtime love for the practice. Now 62, she first got into yoga when she was 24 years old.

“It changed my life,” Rowe said. “Back then I was into marijuana and all these other different things. My teacher said ‘Would you rather smoke or would you rather breathe?’ I thought she was so silly, but a week later I went to the vending machine to get my cigarettes, and I heard her say that and stopped.”

She said yoga didn’t have all the hype back when she first started practicing.

“A doctor used to teach it because back then it wasn’t any big deal,” she said. “We did it at the Unitarian Church every Monday at 5:30. I love yoga.”

Will Jones says yoga is whole lifestyle that reflects well on the city of Ormond Beach, and events like Waycation will help restore that historic, laid-back atmosphere.

“Ormond is awesome, and we’re preserving its history,” he said. “We love to bring more exposure to Ormond Beach. Just looking back at the history of people who came to vacation here, it’s pretty epic. We’re restoring that vibe by joining focus with people who want the same thing.”