The Dirty Carpet Story: Creative Travel Yoga

by Nina

So there I was at the airport, early as usual, and feeling rather restless. I hadn’t had a chance to do yoga that day or even take a walk, and I really wanted to do some kind of active yoga practice. The thing is, I really did not want to touch the carpet. It looked particularly filthy—probably because thousands of people walked on it with their dirty shoes every day, spilled their coffee drinks on it, rolled their strollers across it—you know. So I thought for a moment about what kind of practice I could do keeping my shoes on and using just my airport chair as a prop but that still involved a lot of movement. Fortunately, I usually wear pants with some give (either loose or stretchy) and always flat shoes. Here’s what I came up with:

1. Half Downward-Facing Dog with hands on the chair.
   
2. Several Sun Salutations with my hands on the chair (so that meant hands on the chair seat for Lunge, Plank, and Upward-Facing Dog)
3. All the standing poses I could think of that did not involve balance on one foot (I was pretty sure my shoes would throw off my balance). Warrior 2, Warrior 1, Triangle pose and Revolved Triangle, Extended Side Angle pose and Revolved Triangle—that sort of thing, ending with Pyramid pose.
4. Standing shoulder openers (see Standing Shoulder Stretches). At this point I was guarding the suitcases so my husband could take a little walk.
   
5. Oops! It’s time to board the plane

I have to say, I did feel a lot better after my practice. And if I’d had a bit more time, I would have done some finishing poses, like maybe some seated twists in the chair followed by a chair forward bend of some sort (see Mini Office Yoga Sequence). Sometimes these restrictions even make your travel yoga practice more fun as they force you to be creative.

I hope this inspires you to try practicing yoga when you're stuck somewhere, even in less than ideal circumstances. And if you have your own story about doing creative yoga in a challenging situation, I’d love to hear from you in the comments section.

Subscribe to YOGA FOR HEALTHY AGING by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook

Read More

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 blog has quite a number of “office yoga” entries, so use the Search function at the upper right corner of the home page to explore and be inspired. And if you have ideas you’d like to contribute, please share them in the comments section.

Subscribe to YOGA FOR HEALTHY AGING by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook 

Read More