Yoga on the Go: 6 Sublime Asanas to Reduce Travel Fatigue
Yoga On The Go: Are you constantly travelling and not getting the time to exercise?
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 Yoga On The Go, let’s be proactive and overcome that travel fatigue by practicing variations of asanas while sitting comfortably in any travel journey, making the journey productive and fun!
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.
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 vertebrae. Do the same with your shoulders, rolling your shoulders forward 10 times, then back, followed by your wrists, then ankles in circular motion.
“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, let’s 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!
- Inhale and place your right ankle above your left knee, creating a figure 4.
- Exhale and lower your head and your upper-body down, head between your knees.
- Hinge your hips back (hold onto your car’s hood or door if you need help balancing) to stretch out the right hip and lower back.
- Hold for 5 to 8 breaths.
- Inhale and come back up.
- Repeat the same on the other side.
- Feel this soothing back-thigh stretch.
- Place your right palm in the seat beside you, shifting your body weight onto it.
- Inhale and raise your left hand straight up high.
- Exhale and bend your left arm over your head and to the right side, feeling an oblique stretch.
- If you have more space, feel free to plant your elbow down and take a deeper side arm stretch.
- Release by inhaling and raising your left arm and exhale to relax.
Also known as the half lord of the fish pose, don’t forget to practice this popular asana in the car to feel a great twist in the back, relieving any tension or discomfort.
- Cross your right leg over the left one.
- Place your left elbow against the outer side of the right knee.
- As you exhale, twist your torso towards the right and place your hand behind you on the seat, looking all the way behind.
- Hold there for 5 breaths.
- Release with an exhalation and reverse sides.
Next time you’re on the go, carry along these useful tips for a pleasant and happy experience. As tempting as that long car ride nap may be, encourage yourself to try out these yoga stretches, we promise you won’t regret it! In fact, you will feel even more energized than you do after a long lethargic snooze. So let’s not waste our travel time anymore and experience the beauty and power of yoga on the go.
Find our easy to follow Yoga On The Go video here!
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