When you’re a yoga lover, going traveling might seem a little daunting. Sure, the excitement of a new adventure is great but you might not be sure how you can fit your yoga practice into it.
When you travel, it’s especially important to maintain your practice because it helps to get out the tension from traveling. Getting on the mat while you’re traveling will offer you many benefits but it’s not as easy when you don’t have a routine.
The nice thing, there are many options you can choose from to get your yoga every day. Even if you just do 20 minutes a day or a few poses to stretch out the body, you can still honor your yoga practice every day. Here are some useful tips on how to maintain your practice.
Check Out a Local Yoga Class
Yoga has blown up in popularity which means you can pretty much find a yoga studio anywhere throughout the world. It might be to your advantage too because the practice may be quite different in another country. It’s always nice to mix it up with a new teacher as well.
There’s the possibility of learning new things, learning from a new yoga teacher could actually be a benefit. You also get a little more immersed in the local culture. If you’re a solo traveler, you will probably meet like-minded people, all the while getting your yoga practice in.
Set Up a Place to Practice
There should be some space at your hotel, guesthouse, or hostel. You can do yoga on your patio, in your room or in one of the hang out spots in the common areas.
If you don’t have a lot of space, just focus on standing poses. They give you all the health benefits you need like stretching out the back of your legs, your whole back, neck, and shoulders.
Get Your Travel Mates to Cooperate
When you travel by yourself, it’s probably easier to just do your own thing when you feel like it. If you’ve traveled abroad with others, you’ll want to be mindful of the scheduling so everybody can do what they want. You may want to get your friends to join you.
Let’s face it, it’s a lot less intimidating to do yoga out in public when you have someone else besides you. If this doesn’t work, wake up earlier and get your practice done before the day of adventure starts.
A Pose When You’re Chilling Out
There’s sure to be some moments where you’re just chilling out in your room. When you are, get into Legs up the Wall Pose. It offers many benefits all in one pose. It’s great to do before you go to sleep. You can hold it for as long as you want. This is especially beneficial if you’ve been walking around a lot. You give the feet the opportunity to be in the opposite direction.
This can reduce swelling in the feet. It’s excellent for your back and stretches out your hamstrings and calves. Circulation increases throughout the body and you reset your nervous system. If there is one pose you invest in daily, it should be Legs on the Wall.
Focus on Meditating and Breathing
An important part of yoga is the meditating and breathing. These help calm the mind down. We often don’t give this part of the practice the attention it rightly deserves. It’s just as important as any yoga pose and you may want to take this opportunity to put greater focus on both meditation and breathing.
You can learn to be more present in your moments by being intentional with your movements and how you go through your day. This should be a great practice when you’re traveling anyway. You allow yourself to truly enjoy every moment of your adventure.
Go to a Yoga Retreat
If you love yoga, why not make it a traveling experience that includes yoga? This is especially great if you’re traveling alone. You’ll have an opportunity to immerse yourself in the practice wherever you go. Yoga retreats will often be set in beautiful environments with healthy foods. This helps to rejuvenate you if you have a lot of stress back home. They will usually set up cool excursions so you can check out the local area too.
Sometimes, it’s good to take a load off for a few days, a week, or a month when you’re on the road. Going to a yoga retreat in the country you’re visiting will be an enriching experience all around. As many yoga retreats will work the food around the Ayurveda diet, you’ll get a taste of all the local produce. You’ll get a taste for the culture while doing what you love. There’s a good reason people will go to a yoga retreat for their whole holiday.
Hopefully, you’ll find these tips helpful. There are really thin mats you can take on your voyage too. Remember that you’re not on your normal routine so be easy on yourself if you can’t do an hour of yoga every day. You can always randomly do poses when you need them too.
You can practice meditating while you shower or take a bus somewhere. Do the breathing exercises while you’re waiting for planes and trains. Be creative and you’ll fit in your yoga practice often.