Day 2 – Q 2: I like yoga a lot. I find that I really miss it when I take a business trip because I’m more stressed and tired than usual. How can I take yoga with me when I travel?
Tree Pose
Reply: Practicing yoga in an airport, in-flight and at your hotel can bring a feeling of centeredness during travel. Try to find a quiet place in the airport if you have a layover or extra time. Many airports now have a non-denominational prayer room with some space to practice yoga, that’s where I do it. On the plane, a good place to practice is near the tail of the plane, close to the bathrooms. Of course it’s easier to do when there’s no turbulence and the fasten seat belt sign is off, but it’s up to you!
Triangle Pose
Travel Yoga
In the airport or in-flight you can practice a short Flow with 2-3 minutes in each of the following standing poses: Tree, Triangle and Warrior 2. See the photos for how-to.
During the flight, try using the breathing exercise we talked about on Day 1, breathing deeply into the abdomen. Practice this counting meditation with the eyes closed: breathing in, think “1″, breathing out, “2″ and so on until you reach 10. If a thought enters the mind during your meditation, gently return to 1 and start over. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get to 10 without a thought entering the mind— I never have either!
Warrior 2
At the hotel be sure to drink lots of water, go easy on the caffeine, get exercise and practice the standing flow once again, adding a few Sun Salutations if you have time and space to do so.
For more in-flight yoga tips, please check here.
I highly recommend Gwen’s classes. She is an amazing teacher. To find out more about Yoga Garden see their website www.yogagarden.jp or email Gwen at gwen@yogagarden.jp