Yoga for Traveling

by Nina

Ram’s Monday post on airplane yoga made me remember some of the other great information we have on our blog that might interest anyone who is taking a long trip. Since we’re coming up on the holiday travel season, I thought it would be fun to write a single post that gives you an overview of those posts.

By the way, from my experience of doing yoga on airplanes as well as in airports, I can tell you that some people will look at you as if you’re weird but other people will be totally envious. Once when I was doing yoga with Rodney Yee in airport waiting area, a complete stranger asked if she could join us. It ended up being a very memorable practice for me—I can still remember the woman and most of the sequence we did—and it was probably a memorable practice for her as well. 

Seated Poses. We have a few other poses on the blog that Ram didn’t mention that you might like to try while you are stuck in your seat. See Ankle Circles and Chair Cat Pose. And although we show it standing, Eagle pose arms could be done just as well seated. See also Standing Shoulder Stretches for other ideas for shoulder stretches you could do sitting down.

Of course, you could also do the same poses in a train, bus or car (as a passenger, of course). 

Standing Poses. In addition to those mentioned by Ram, we have featured quite a few poses you can do standing in the back of the plane. Standing Shoulder Stretches and Opening Tight Shoulders show stretches you can do standing in tight spaces.

I’d like to mention two standing poses that we haven’t featured yet. A Standing Marichyasana (Standing Twist) would feel great on your back and neck. Start by standing about a foot from a wall, with your right side to the wall. Then twist to the right toward the wall, placing both hands on the wall at shoulder height, elbows bent and palms on the wall. Inhale as you lengthen your spine up. Exhale as you move deeper into the twist. Stay 30 seconds to a minute. Then repeat on the left side.

A modified Natarajasana (Dancer’s pose) would be an excellent way to stretch your tight quadriceps. This would be a good counter pose to the all forward bending of your hips from sitting (and a good counter pose to Ram’s Standing Knee to Chest pose). Stand about a foot from a wall, with your right side to the wall, and place your right hand on the wall, at about shoulder height, elbow bent. Then shift your weight onto your right leg and bend your left knee. Reach your left hand back and take hold of the your left foot, then move your left thigh so it is perpendicular with the floor (Tadasana position). If you are ready for more stretch, you can lift your hand to gently pull your left thigh into a backbend. Stay for 30 seconds or more. Repeat on the other side.

Sleeping. Of course, sleeping is also a good thing to do when you’re on a long flight. Baxter’s post on sleeping on an airplane recommends a supported sleeping position that will help you survive the trip without acquiring a crick in your neck or a pain in your back.

Airport Yoga. In addition to the flight itself, when you’re traveling, you do a lot of sitting around in waiting areas, either before your flight or waiting for a connection. With more space and free use of a chair, you have even more possibilities for doing yoga. Almost all our office yoga poses and sequences can be done in waiting areas while you are dressed in street clothes. See Mini Office Yoga Practice  and Chair Yoga Mini Practice.

Stretching Your Legs at this point should feel great. You can't lie on the ground to do Reclined Leg Stretch but you can do the exact same poses in a standing position. See Standing Leg Stretches.

Our index on the right side of the blog has quite a number of “office yoga” entries, so explore and be inspired. And if you have ideas you’d like to contribute, please share them in the comments section (if you don’t know how to comment, see the How to Comment tab at the top of the page).

Airport Yoga: Baxter's Interview on Washington Post Blog

Baxter was interviewed yesterday by the Washington Post health blogger about the new San Francisco Airport Yoga Room and the benefits of doing yoga at the airport, and you can see the post here.

In his interview, Baxter admits that it is unlikely that anyone would stop at an airport yoga room after they arrive at their destination, however, during the time before you take off or when you layover in an airport between flights, practicing yoga can be beneficial.

"The general tenor of travel these days is so stressful, it’s almost designed to get the blood pressure up and stimulate the fight-or-flight response. Stretching [as in doing yoga] can switch from the sympathetic, fight-or-flight nervous system to the parasympathetic, or rest and digest, system. That could go a long way toward reducing stress."

He even suggests a few inverted poses that you might do in the yoga room. Of course only the San Francisco Airport has a yoga room, so what's the ordinary traveling yogi to do? Well, you know all those chairs you have to sit around on while waiting for your plane to board? You can use them as props for an "office" yoga practice (see "After the Retreat: Office Yoga" right here on our blog).