Yoga Away From Home

As I write this, my hubby is sitting in the Toronto Airport with about an 11 hour layover (barf). And he’s flying stand-by (double barf). I asked him last night if he was anxious about all the waiting and possibly not getting on his flights. He said he was a little, but I think I am anxious enough for him. I loathe flying (especially stand-by) and waiting in an airport for hours. His situation got me thinking what I would do if I had all that time alone in the airport. Of course, I thought of yoga.

For many people, going away on a trip, either for business or pleasure, is a perfect reason to not exercise. There are hundreds of excuses, but it really boils down to whether it is important to you or not. I hope that if we thought about it honestly, we would all agree that our health, and therefore exercising regularly, is very important to us. It’s about commitment, I suppose, to yourself.

I love yoga, as you know, so to not do it when I’m away from home really isn’t a “treat”. For that reason, I bring my mat with me almost everywhere. It is certainly a challenge to keep up with my regular practice while away, especially during holidays. But, I find sneaking away even for a short 30 min. practice is an excellent way to just check-in with myself, re-center, and gather my thoughts.

Yoga while travelling is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your body. It eases cramps and kinks from being in the same position for hours at a time, and relieves any tension built up from the stress of driving, sitting, standing in line or flying. Flying involves A LOT of waiting. Yoga is a great way to pass the time. There is usually plenty of space to find a corner of the area you are in at the airport to do a couple of asanas to loosen yourself up before and after a flight. There are some great practices for travel on yogaglo.com that you could stream right to your Smartphone or iPad, or you could just do your own thing.

For many people it is really not practical to haul your yoga mat around with you everywhere you go, especially if you are flying. There is actually a yoga mat you can wear right on your hands and feet. They are super rad as they are just like gloves and socks, but give the same traction as a full mat.

And don’t worry about what other people think! Seriously, who cares?! You’ll be the one laughing when they get a Charlie Horse halfway through the flight and you are sitting back enjoying the ride.