Its summer time! A time many of us hit the road to find peace, relaxation, adventure and FUN! Escaping the day-to-day routine is good to rejuvenate and revive our brains and bodies. However, getting to all of these fun destinations sometimes takes a while, leaving us stuck in the same position for hours. Keeping our bodies in tight, confined spaces can create stiffness. Relaxing our bodies during travel helps us enjoy our adventures!
My husband and I spent the past two weekends traveling. We had an amazing time exploring new adventures, but I could feel my body telling me I needed to stretch! As a yoga instructor I spend multiple hours during the day sharing stretching and breathing with others, so when I don't move as much - my body definitely feels it! Even though our travels weren't extremely long distances, even a couple of hours in a vehicle or airplane can induce stiff feelings.
While everyone's body can react to traveling differently, some common areas we may find extra sensations are in the hips, back, shoulders and neck. For those on trips longer than a couple of hours, relieving the feet and lower legs are important as well to keep the circulation flowing. While some travelers are more at risk than others for DVT (blood clots in legs), we all can practice some self-care while traveling to feel our best during the entire trip.
Before Traveling -
* Get Hydrated! Drinking lots of water and reducing inflammatory foods as much as possible before spending a long time in a confined space helps our bodies function better.
* Stretch! In the video below, I start with stretches that are good before traveling. Feeling relaxation in areas you know your body is more prone to tense in is important before heading out. Some great stretches include - feet/leg stretches, spinal twists, shoulders and neck releases.
* Plan for Rest! If you are driving, plan to give yourself extra time to reach your destination so you can stop along the way to walk around and release the body.
During Travel -
* Stay Hydrated! - While many of us allow indulgences while on vacation, it's still important to drink water and eat well. Hydrated joints and muscles always feel much better than those searching for water.
* Move the body! Even though we may have tight and confined spaces, we can still manage to stretch and walk around. (Some seated stretches in video) Sometimes, we have to stretch when outside of the car/plane seat - sometimes we can stretch while seated and help relieve any building tensions we feel.
* Breathe! If we are driving in an unfamiliar territory, we may find ourselves gripping the steering wheel and holding our breath. Making an effort for a controlled and releasing breath can help us reduce building extra tension in the body. A great way to focus on the breath instead of the stress around us is to count the breath. Counting to see how long our inhale is, and then exhaling out that same count - trying to expand the count, and slow the breath over time.
After Travel -
*Relax! Allow yourself time to release any areas finding extra sensations. While we are happy to have arrived at our destination, taking a few minutes to breathe and feel some relaxing stretches helps our minds to focus on the fun - instead of tension.
*Enjoy! Smile, breathe, and take in the beauty around you. Sometimes we are so caught up in a timeline, we don't allow ourselves time for stillness and peace.
*Keep Hydrated! Especially if you will be traveling back to your original destination in a short amount of time, continuing the healthy pattern you created before and during your travel time on the way to your destination will help the body maintain feelings of relaxation all the way home.
The video shows a few stretches that can help us find relaxation before and during our travel time. There are an abundance of stretches that can help relax us, while this only shows a few - feel free to share with me your favorites - @clarissapyeattyoga on fb or ig.
The following pic shows some of the stretches from the video - including variations in Mountain pose, lateral flexion, chest expansion, twists and seated pigeon.
I have stretched everywhere I have gone. Sometimes in the airport, on the airplane, in a car, in the hotel room, and everywhere I've landed - the beach, gardens, vineyards. Find your stretch wherever you need it! This pic below is some from over the years when I have traveled. Share your fun travel yoga pics with me as well!
Enjoy your summer adventures - and remember to stretch, breathe and drink water 😊
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