Yoga On the Go Are you the type of person who loves to travel the world, obliging you to spend hours in the plane, train, or car? Or if not, do car rides make your body feel stiff or lethargic? We have all probably gone through similar situations while traveling in cities with traffic or driving across suburban towns. Commuting can really become tiresome or tedious, especially for those doing it every single day. But with yogic techniques on the go, let’s be proactive and overcome that travel fatigue by practicing variations of yoga asanas while sitting comfortably in any travel journey, making the journey productive and fun! 1. Kick-start with Pranayama Prana or the regulation of the breath can literally kick-start your day with energy and enthusiasm. Deep rhythmic abdominal breathing helps to keep your awareness grounded in the present moment, preserves your vigor, and also helps to mitigate the effects of the stress response if tension or anxiety show up. Use your breath to stay grounded and centered, as the eye of stillness amidst the rush-hour storm. Start off by closing your mouth. Inhale through your nose, filling up your belly from the bottom, and then strongly exhale the breath through the nose. Feel how the steady rhythm of these breaths soothes your mind and body. 2. Keep your Body and Mind Upright The truth is, we never give our posture enough importance, especially when traveling. However, taking our posture for granted becomes detrimental for the body and mind. Let’s teach our body how to sit with good posture by keeping a few tips in mind: Sit up straight. Breathe deeply. Roll your shoulder blades back and down. Straighten the back as much as possible. 3. Head, Shoulder, Wrist and Ankle Rolls As simple as this may sound, joint movements are extremely important to keep your body healthy and flexible. Not only will you feel good while doing this, but you are also preventing future injuries by strengthening the joints, so don’t forget to start off with these simple exercises. Begin by gently rotating your head clockwise 10 times then counterclockwise. Feel every vertebrate. Do the same with your shoulders, rolling your shoulders forward 10 times, then back, followed by your wrists, then ankles in circular motion. 4. Elbow Presses or Tricep Stretch “How is it possible to exercise in the car?” is the question that may have crossed our minds while starting to read this article, but we actually don’t realize that our entire upper body is idle and free. Let’s take advantage of this by learning a few new techniques. Inhale and lift your right arm up. Exhale and bend it over behind your shoulder. With your left hand, pull the back of your elbow towards the head so that you feel the stretch in your tricep. Hold there for 10 seconds. To release, inhale bringing your arm back up and exhale back to initial position. Repeat on the other side by switching arms. Now, lets bring together the math and yoga world in the next two asanas, creating perfect form and shape to feel an effective stretch. The first one makes a 4 with the legs to feel a nice hip stretch while the second one forms a perfect right angle to feel a deep side stretch. Practice these asanas with perfection and precision to experience the benefits!
