As I have just started on my adventure I thought I would post some tips on how to keep up a yoga practice while on the road for any reason. My inspiration? Having lived off bread, pasta and chips for the past few days whilst teaching yoga at a festival in Andorra and staying a in a room too tiny for my yoga mat!
Travelling is such a wonderful way of finding yourself in the present moment. Seeing new places, experiencing new things really does allow your niggling thoughts and worries to fall away and your mind to focus on what you’re experiencing ‘now’.
However there are obstacles too! Finding time to practice when your routine is out the window, eating what you think you should, sleeping well; staying ‘healthy’ in general can be tricky! How can you make the most our of your travels without giving up your yogic practices?
1. Plan ahead
Have a good think about what you will be doing on your holiday/travels and about your priorities as a yogi. Set an alarm so that you can squeeze in some yoga before your day begins, whether that be asana, pranayama, chanting… That way you don’t have to feel guilty about missing out later in the day!
2. Asana practice
Is there space for a yoga mat where you’re staying? Can you even take a mat?If so, fantastic, if not do not panic! Yoga has been around since before the time of plastic sticky mats:) why not design yourself a sequence to practice, focussing on the most relevant asanas for your stay. Ashtangis out there, if time is limited you can still get sun salutations in there surely?!
3. When in Rome
As much as we all have our own preferences and our own ways to practice yoga off the mat, sometimes these will clash with the culture of the new place you find yourself in. Diet is good example of this! Are you vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, wheat free, alcohol free? Yikes! This can be the hardest obstacle to overcome. If a person offers you something in kindness, it’s usually best to accept it in kindness! Last year I drank sooo much chai, I am vegan, it contains cows milk – sometimes tolerance is the best way to practice compassion! Avoid guilt, avoid regret.
4. Yoga all day long
If you are compassionate and mindful all day long then you are still ‘doing’ yoga all day long! Find other fun ways to practice yoga like stroking a stray dog or smiling at a stranger. If possible, volunteering is a great way to practice Karma yoga on the road.
5. ‘Guilt is not yoga’
Yogic principles are guidelines not laws! A yoga practice can begin at any moment, and a week off doesn’t make you less of a yogi!
Thank you for reading my first post! Feel free to comment.
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