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Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Top Seven Yoga Tips for Air Travelers
This week I am traveling from LA to Croatia, via a few day layover in London. I am very excited to be helping out my good friend, Tom Morley, on his yoga retreat on Hvar Island in mid-July. As I spend a few days recovering from my jetlag, I am sending along my Top Seven Yoga Tips for Air Travelers:
1. Drink lots of water. Air travel is super dehydrating, and the tricky part is that your body doesn't feel thirsty if you are dehydrated. By that point, your body has shut down and is searching for anything to give it energy. It often comes up as a need for food and more often, you aren't hungry, you are just thirsty. Throw down as much water as you can the day before the flight, the day of, and the day after. I promise you won't drown and won't need a life jacket.
2. Stretch as much as you can. Make excuses to get up and walk around the airplane such as going to the bathroom. If you are drinking enough water, you actually won't need one. Although you may love the window, take an aisle seat to be able to get up and down easier by not having to disturb the person sitting next to you. It's important to keep the body moving, especially for older people or women on birth control. In both cases, air travel can cause blood clots. Not fun. Consider walking regularly.
3. Do lots of hip openers before and especially after. In yoga, these poses are called Pigeon, or Butterfly, or Frog, or even Deep Lunges. Our hips get really tight from sitting in a chair or at a desk for long periods of time. Tight hips make it awkward to walk, and we feel less limber overall. If you do these poses before and after a flight, you'll see a huge difference in the way you feel.
4. Do chest openers after the flight. One fellow yoga teacher taught this pose in class by saying, "It will change your life." She is right. If you take a towel or a blanket and roll it up into a hot dog, then as you lie down on the floor, place the hot dog in the upper portion of your back, just where the bra line hits for the ladies.
Then, roll your palms open to face the sky, bring your shoulder blades back and together, and let your feet flop open. As you settle into the pose, your chest and shoulders will open up in directions you could never have imagined. Sit back and enjoy your life changing before your closed eyes.
5. Get back into your practice as soon as you can. Traveling is unsettling and often makes us feel off balance. Your practice will help you center and tell you where your head is. You'll also be able to tell quickly what joints and muscles haven't been getting much use during your travels. Even if you go to your normal athletic class but don't feel so energetic, take it at your own pace. No one is watching, and only you can tell how your body feels today.
6. Listen to your body. Take a few moments to see what your body is telling you. Are you stiff in your hips? Are you thirsty? Is your head spinning from lack of sleep? Listen to what those possible aches and pains might be saying. Your body knows what it needs.
7. Pull your luggage from your core. I have so many clients that overextend their arms or their lower back from pulling heavy luggage. When you see your luggage come down the baggage slide, run to it with excitement, but be mindful of your body when you pull it off the line. Pull from your core and not from your shoulder or your tiny back muscles. Focus on engaging the abdominal muscles and feel the large strength in your stomach and chest. Your luggage and your on-lookers will be grateful. Your pull will end up being much more graceful, and your body will be thankful for it.
Posted by Ingrid on 07/07 at 03:33 PM
(0) Comments •
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