Traveling during the upcoming holidays has its plusses and minuses. You know it will be great to see family and friends, but the enhanced airport security measures stress you out. Then there’s sitting in a safety-oriented airplane seat that was not built for comfort. With a few planning tips and yoga poses to do at the boarding gate and on the plane you can arrive feeling rejuvenated and refreshed.
Whether you’re going home for the holidays or are jetting off to a yoga retreat destination, here are some tips to reduce the stress of flying.
Travel guru, Michael Huffman, was a road warrior for 20+ years in corporate America as a compliance manager. According to this veteran traveler, flying doesn’t have to be stressful. Some of the stress-reducing tactics he’s developed include planning tips, ways to relax en-route to the airport, essential things for your carry-on bag and yoga poses to do at the boarding gate.
These ‘Strategies for Zen-like Air Travel’ include some suggestions to make the visit home or to your destination yoga retreat more relaxing and pleasant:
- Planning 24 Hours Ahead of the flight
- Clean a stainless steel water bottle & let it air-dry overnight
- Put a drop of lavender essential oil on a blindfold - Packing List Essentials for the Carry-On Bag:
- Ear plugs to reduce body fatigue from engine noise on board
- A sweater or fleece you can roll up and use as lumbar support or stay warm if the air-conditioning on board is too much for you - On the Way out the Door & En-Route to the Airport:
- Wear slip-on shoes and empty all pockets of cell phones, keys and coins prior to arriving to speed through security
- Take a few inhales and exhales en-route to the airport; Inhale 1-2-3-4, Exhale 4-3-2-1 - Boarding Gate Yoga (find a place away from any TV screens):
- Sitting in a Chair: Easy forward bend and elbow circles
- Sitting on the Floor: Badha Konasa and Virasana Twists
In addition to these ‘Strategies for Zen-like Air Travel,’ Michael developed 24 sitting and standing poses that can be done on the plane in his Traveller Yoga Series: AIRPLANE YOGA. Each yoga pose includes an illustration and a text description of how to enter the pose.
Here are illustrations for some of the AIRPLANE YOGA poses: Wrist Opener, Palm Pushes and Standing Twist:
The iPhone App and iBook ‘enhanced’ versions include an audio recording of Michael guiding you through each pose as well as a video clip for 13 of the poses. He offers a free PDF with these three poses and a the full Table of Contents any yogi or yogini can appreciate…http://thezenguy.com/store/airplane-yoga/
[About Michael: Michael is both a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT200) and a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). He spent 20+ years in ‘Corporate America’ as a road warrior and now designs practical yoga instructions like AIRPLANE YOGA and YOGA FOR OFFICE PROFESSIONALS available as iPhone apps and downloadable books on Apple, Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Additionally, he maintains a travel blog about his current travels as well as vignettes from his upcoming book Memoirs of a Road Warrior; his stories will make you laugh, cry and everything in between. Sign up here…http://thezenguy.com/stories/.]
Even when you are not at home, you can be enhancing your home yoga practice. Iphone applications are a great way to study yoga asana on the go, or even practice your pranayama. Many yoga applications are free and others, such as Long Deep Breathing to help you learn to control your breath, are very affordable.