By Cathy Madeo
A few mindful moves can ease stress, boost circulation, and help you feel reset once you land.
Travel can be exhausting and throw us off schedule, just when we want to feel our best. We often go on vacation hoping to reset, only to return home even more tired than when we left. It’s no wonder traveling comes with many obstacles. Do any of these sound familiar?
● Anxiety from fear of flying
● Headaches and fatigue are caused by dehydration from the low humidity in airplanes
● Fluid retention in the legs and feet caused by cabin pressure and long periods of sitting
● Nausea from motion sickness
Tips to Combat Travel Stress
Here are some simple ways to combat the travel struggles we’re all so familiar with:
At The Airport
Breathing Exercises:
Why: If you’re at the airport feeling stressed or anxious about flying, this simple breathing exercise can tap into your parasympathetic nervous system in as little as two minutes.
Try it: Breathe in for a count of four, out for a count of six. Do this for at least two minutes.
Walking:
Walking is one of the best ways to keep the blood flowing and our joints mobile. You might feel tired and tempted to sit down, but fatigue is often caused by lack of sleep or dehydration. Drink water and take your steps!
Try it: If you have a layover, instead of sitting in the waiting area, use the time to walk.
Calf Raises:
These help prevent fluid retention in your ankles and legs.
Try it: Shift your weight to the balls of your feet and lift your heels off the ground. Set your heels back down. Repeat several times.
On The Plane
Seated Cat/Cow
Loosens the spine and helps combat hunched posture.
Try it: Place your hands on your thighs, inhale, extend your spine; exhale, tuck your chin in toward your chest, and round your spine. Repeat a few times.
Seated Twist
Stretches the chest and lower back, which both get tight from prolonged sitting.
Try it: Exhale, turn your chest to the right, rotate your spine, and inhale to release. Switch sides.
Seated Figure-Four
Relieves sciatica and stretches tight hips.
Try it: Place one ankle on top of your opposite thigh in a figure four position. Fold over your legs to release your lower back.
Pro traveler tip:
Set a timer for every hour. Get up, stretch, or walk the aisle if the seatbelt sign is off. Before you sit back down, do 15-20 calf raises to keep circulation flowing.
Post-Travel Yoga Routine
Undo stiffness from long travel days with these six simple yoga poses:
Low lunge
Opens tight hip flexors and resets posture after sitting.
Try it: Step one foot forward, lower your hips, and reach your arms overhead.
Pigeon Pose
Relieves sciatica and low back stiffness.
Try it: Rotate your front leg away and bend the knee, lower pelvis, and extend the opposite leg back, fold over your bent front leg.
Lizard Lunge
Stretches the groin, inner thigh, and hip flexors.
Try it: From a lunge position, heel-toe your front foot as wide as your mat and lower your hips, release your forearms to the ground, reach your chest and head forward.
Sphinx Pose
Stretches the front body, chest, and hip flexors.
Try it: Lie on your belly and prop your body up on your forearms, drawing your chest forward.
Puppy Pose
Stretches under arms, chest, and extends spine.
Try it: From a table-top, walk your hands all the way out until your head or chest reaches the ground, keeping your hips stacked over your knees.
Legs Up The Wall
Improves circulation.
Try it: Lie on your back, straighten your legs up against a wall.
Even small movements can make a big difference when traveling! A few simple practices can keep your body open, your circulation flowing, and your mind calmer, so you can actually enjoy your trip and feel better coming home.
About the author
Cathy Madeo is a yoga expert and founder of Cathy Madeo Yoga, a global online yoga school educating and empowering thousands of yoga students and teachers worldwide with her online courses and Yoga Teacher Trainings. You can learn more at https://www.cathymadeoyoga.com/ and follow her on Instagram @cathymadeoyoga
Photographer credit Irving Martinez https://lookitsirving.com/
Disclaimer
The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Disclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by healthlydays.
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