IF you see a bunch of people with their heads in the sand at South Beach on Sunday morning, feel free to join in as they transition from downward dog into fetching rubbish.

Mala Yoga are joining forces with Sea Shepherd in a yoga-cum-beach clean-up session, the first of its kind in Fremantle.

“This is the first time we’ve done something like this,” says SS volunteer and event leader, Marina Hansen.

“People will enjoy and get energised by the stunning Indian Ocean, before then giving back to our oceans.

“As plastic breaks down, it turns into smaller pieces which also release toxins into the oceans. Animals can eat these smaller pieces, which can be harmful and even fatal”.

“Scientists have predicted that by 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish”.

• Mala Yoga teacher Jaccy Martin gets in some early-morning stretches at South Beach.,

Sea Shepherd have been doing beach clean-ups in Fremantle for about two years, but despite the growing number of volunteers and efforts made to reduce plastic usage, Ms Hansen says the amount of plastic found has not decreased.

With the summer holidays looming, she’s urging people “not to purchase single-use plastic items like coffee cups or plastic straws”.

Ms Hansen adds that the most common type of rubbish they find on South Beach is cigarette butts.

“Cigarettes are full of plastic toxins, which make seabirds sick if they attempt to digest them,” she says.

For The Oceans: Yoga & Community Beach Clean-Up kicks off at 6:45am on South Beach on Sunday (December 10).

Ms Hansen says everyone is welcome to come down and enjoy a bit of stretching and cleaning.

by WILSON BELL