It's easy to keep up your yoga practice while traveling as long as you keep your definition of yoga flexible. Unless you have room and time for a full practice, yoga on the go will most likely be a condensed version of your usual practice. A little yoga is better than no yoga! Just as you do not travel with your entire wardrobe, you don't need to travel with your entire yoga repertoire. Be open to edit, modify and adapt. Keep it simple, short and sweet. A few poses that I highly recommend and personally practiced while traveling last month are:
Legs Up The Headboard
This is a modified Viparita Karani or legs up the wall. Instead of the floor sit on the hotel bed. Sit up close to the headboard. Lay down on your back facing the headboard and place your legs straight up the headboard so your body creates an "L" shape. Your entire spine will be supported on the mattress and your legs will be supported by the headboard. You can place a pillow under your head and put a little bend in the knees. This gentle inversion will feel great after a long flight. It will relieve tired legs and the increased circulation to the heart and brain will reenergize you. Stay in the pose for a minimum of 3 minutes and a maximum of as long as you'd like.
Seated Twist
A gentle twist - seated in 47B or on a sunny, sandy beach - is a perfect way to release your spine from tension and fixation that sets in after hours in one position. As you inhale, root down evenly through your sit bones and elongate upward through the spine. As you exhale, gently twist your torso to the right. Feel your spine spiral from bottom to top, wringing out any tightness. Stay in your twist for three to five breaths. Gently unwind and take the twist to the left. Repeat as needed.
Close Eyes And Breathe
This is stripped down meditation and, honestly, one of the best places to practice is in a crowded subway train. You take so much in when you travel. Your senses are on hyper-alert mode because you don't want to miss anything. However, so much stimulation can tire you out. Take a mini break by simply closing your eyes and focusing on your breath. Feel the inhale. Feel the exhale. This practice works great in the late afternoon or early evening. The duration of this practice can be ten inhales and exhales. Or you may want to stay in this quiet, inner space until they announce your metro stop.
Often your intention will be to practice just a pose or two but without noticing a half hour will have gone by and you've moved through bridge and happy baby, child's pose, cat/cow, etc... !
