Travel Yoga

Many people find themselves travelling over the Holidays. If you are one of the many who will be on a plane, in a car, train, bus (you get the idea!)…take a look at some of my favourite stretches to help you navigate your travels with ease.

Since I wasn’t able to rent out a private jet to take these photos, my friend Heather (@catchingheather) over at Tribe Fitness (@tribe_fitness) helped me out!

​Happy Holidays and safe travels!

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Seated Cow/Cat
These two poses will help to bring movement into your spine as well as stretch through the chest and shoulders.

• Sit up tall, with your back away from the seat, and with your feet on the floor.
• Place your hands on your thighs.
• As you inhale, draw your hands closer to your hips, pull your chest forward, draw your shoulder blades together, and look up.
• As you exhale, slide your hands closer to your knees, round through your back, draw your chin to your chest, and look towards your belly button.

Repeat for 5 cycles of breath.

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Seated Twist
Twists are naturally detoxifying and feel so good to do after sitting for awhile.

• Sit up tall, with your back away from the seat, and with your feet on the floor.
• Take your left hand to your right thigh.
• Place your right hand on the seat and close to your right hip.
• Inhale and grow taller through your spine (think of your head reaching up closer towards the sky) and exhale to take a twist to the right. 
• Be sure to keep your sitting bones evenly rooted into your seat; your hips should remain level, with your body moving/twisting around your spine.
• You can take your gaze over your right shoulder.

Hold for 5 cycles of breath.

Switch to the other side, with your right hand on your left thigh, left hand on the seat, and twist to the left. 
Hold for an equal amount of time on this side.

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Seated Figure Four/Eye of the Needle
This pose is a great way to stretch out the hips, which are often sore from sitting and travelling, in general.

• This pose requires a bit more space. If you’re not sitting next to someone you know on the airplane, maybe wait until your neighbour gets up to use the washroom!
• Come closer to the edge of your set. Sit up tall, with your back away from the seat, and with your feet on the floor. 
• Lift your right leg up away from the floor.
• Externally rotate your right thigh bone at the hip (think of playing hackeysack and as your knee moves away from your midline, the inner part of your foot turns up towards the sky).
• Place your right foot onto your left thigh. You can take a hold of your ankle and help get it to your thigh (no worries!).
• This could be all the stretch you need. If so, hold here and breathe.
• If you need more, take your right hand to your right thigh or shin and gently press down, or start to bring your chest towards your thighs, which will deepen the stretch.

Hold for 5 cycles of breath.

Switch to the other side with your left foot coming to your right thigh.
Hold for an equal amount of time on this side.

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Forward Fold
This posture will help the spine to decompress from all the sitting. It also acts as an inversion, which brings the head below the heart.

• Do not do this pose if you have low blood pressure.
• Stand with your feet inner hip distance apart; stack your hips over your ankles and knees.
• Bend your knees and fold over your legs.
• Your fingers can come to the floor or you can bend your elbows and bring opposite hands to them.
• It might feel good to gently sway from side to side.

Hold for 5 cycles of breath.

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Written by: Christine Noonan