The sun was long gone, leaving, in its absence, a warm glow that blanketed Lanikai Beach.

The air was still and warm. Couples walked their dogs along the shoreline. Families turned out to watch the rise of the full moon, scheduled to occur in less than an hour.

And a group of pony-tailed, comfortably dressed women — and one guy — trekked across the beach, carrying yoga mats and water bottles.

Yes, yoga. On the beach. At night.

Yoga instructor Jennifer Perell started teaching an hour-long yoga class beneath the full moon about a year ago, first in the backyard of her parents' Lanikai home. She moved the class to the beach a few months ago.

Practicing yoga outdoors just seemed like a natural fit, Perell said.

"The connection to nature, the big sky, the big ocean, a beautiful view, the smell of salt air, the sound of the waves — it's all good," said Perell, 29, who's been teaching yoga for about a year and a half.

The class, which typically boasts about a dozen participants, started at 6 p.m. on the beach fronting Mokumanu Street. As the sky darkened, the yogis relaxed their minds and started with basic balance poses facing the Mokulua Islands.

"Let your breath echo the rhythm of the waves," Perell instructed the students. "Let your breath lead you."

Halfway through the class, the yogis moved into strong Warrior poses, the full moon starting to peek out through the dense clouds, burning like an orange orb in the sky. But as the clouds moved, the moon, so full and bright, cast its mystical light on the yoga class.

"It was something special and spiritual," said Maki Vernon, 28, a model and surfer from McCully who attended the full moon yoga class for the first time. "It felt like the full moon was opening my body and mind more."

Vernon has been practicing yoga for about four years, mostly at Kapi'olani Park. She heard about this class from Perell, who led a private yoga class at a birthday party Vernon attended.

This class wasn't as vigorous as the one she regularly attends. But the setting made it unique enough that Vernon said she'd come back again.

"I just wish I knew about the mosquitoes," she said. "I got so many bites on my feet."

Stephanie Karle, a 33-year-old real estate agent from Kailua, found out about the class online. Though she didn't know what to expect from the class, Karle said she would recommend it to other yogis interested in trying something new.

"Full moon, Lanikai, yoga — how can you go wrong?" she said.

There are no muscle heads walking around the class, no sound of free weights dropping to the floor. There's no techno music or PA announcements, no smell of cleaning chemicals.

It's just you, nature and the occasional conversation of people strolling by.

Oh, and maybe the rain.

"The weather doesn't always coordinate with my yoga schedule," Perell said. "We have held class right through a rainstorm before. I told people they were welcome to leave, but they asked me to just keep going. They braved the storm and loved every minute of it ... They felt beautiful with the rain streaming over them as they held their poses. I was impressed."