Yoga Travels

Take Your Yoga Mat With You

 

I recently travelled to Germany and Italy.  My suitcase weighed next to nothing so I was able to pack everything under the sun...and my yoga mat, which fit quite nicely folded on top of my clothes.  If you don't want to pack the mat in your suitcase, there are plenty of yoga mat bags and carrying straps that would allow you keep your mat with you at all times.  I, however, did not want to carry mine with me.  Some would argue that you could buy a mat when you arrive at your destination, but with the dollar not being so strong right now, it wasn't really an option for me.  So I packed a very inexpensive lightweight mat and off I went.

 

Childs Pose Helps Soothe The Back As Well As The Emotions

 

And boy was I glad I did.  Travelling overnight on the plane and packed in like a sardine, I found myself feeling exhausted and emotional as I do not sleep well on planes, particularly if I am sitting up in a chair.  A few hours after we arrived, I was really feeling tight in the hips.  We went straight to visiting family so there was no time to rest.  I opened my bag, broke out the yoga mat and immediately began to stretch right there in front of everyone. I began in childs pose to relieve  my back from sitting for nine hours, breathing nice deep breathes to release the tension from the plane and lack of sleep.  A little Surya Namaskar, warmup, some upward side stretches to open the hips, utthita parsvakonasana, some back bends, and then right to headstand. 

 

Headstand To Calm Down

 

Ahh...the glorious headstand.  Calms me down.  Helps me center.  Right there while everyone was chit chatting, the headstand was having an immediate effect on my parasympathetic nervous system.  The family went outside to talk and things became very quiet.  I could hear myself breathe.  Everything began to slow down and become even.  Wanting to open my heart to receive my relatives with love, I lay over a couple of pillows in modified fish pose.  Now that feels great after a long plane ride.  After 30 minutes of stretching, I lay in savasna, corpse pose, for 10 minutes listening to divine mother chants, allowing me the temporary rest I needed to really enjoy the day. That evening I went back to my hotel room and practiced one hour of gentle yoga using my yoga strap and some hotel pillows.  I practiced everyday I was away and you know what I found?  I enjoyed the time with my family so much more.  I just felt better.

 

Your Body Will Thank You For Practicing Yoga Everyday While You're Away

(Picture taken above Via Krupp  Capri, Italy)

 

[caption id="attachment_358" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="My Not So Graceful Natarajasana"][/caption]

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