Surfing and travel are pretty much joined at the hip, an un-separable coupling that can be volatile at times but on the whole get along pretty well and bring out the best in each other. Whereas Surfing’s new side chick; Yoga, are still in the honeymoon phase complimenting each other perfectly. But what about travel and yoga? Travel takes it’s toll on your body physically from the joints and muscles to the nervous system and the brain, so it seems like a no brainer that we would want to reap the benefits of yoga whilst embarking on our travels.
Here are 10 (ish) Yoga asanas (physical poses) that will benefit anyone who has been traveling or sitting uncomfortably for a long period of time, that can be practiced anywhere. A yoga mat would be a good companion for hygiene reasons, but a towel will do.
Oh and try not to be too sidetracked by the incredible setting where the photos are taken, I’m currently finishing my Yoga Teacher Training in Costa Rica and am flying home this weekend, hence the birth of this blog post. Namaste.
Mountain Pose – Tadasana
Now in my opinion Tadasana, or Mountain Pose is the essence of asana. To put this simply, standing upright with correct alignment is important. Like real important, in yoga, life, everything. Most of use don’t pay attention to the correct method of standing and we sink into the hip, crunch into the lower back, stand too firm on the heels, etc. Over the years this will lead to aches and pains that are extremely hard to cure, yet easy to prevent.
So next time you’re in line for your flight, or at the checkout in the supermarket, whatever, check yourself before you wreck yourself. Start by lifting the toes to engage the arches of the feet, you will then be able to find balance over the ankle, drop the toes. Tighten the knees slightly (making sure not to hyper-extend), tuck the tailbone under and lift the naval (belly button), softly draw the shoulder blades together, lift the crown of the head and tuck the chin very slightly. This may seem like a lot of work but you will now be not only aligned properly, but you will be allowing the energy in your body and your breath to flow unobstructed. Your body will thank you (and you’ll never be bored in a queue again)
Forward Fold –Uttanasana
This pose is great as it allows the spine to create length with little effort, thanks to gravity. It will ease lower back pain, which can be due to being seated for a long time i.e. on a plane or if you work in an office, and it will literally soothe the brain. You don’t want to jerk into the pose and tempt any potential injuries, so start in tadasana, then lift the arms up over head on a deep inhale, exhale and hinge at the hips reaching up, forwards and down to grab your shins, feet or rest the hands on the floor if you’re the stretchy type. You want to keep your legs straight here and the trick is to not let the ego take over, so if you’re hands are on your knees, so be it, this is your stretch so do what you need to do. Hold this pose with deep and even breathes for a minute then come back up on an inhale.
Eagle Arms – Garudasana
The shoulders get tight from being seated upright for a long time and will build up tension in and around the neck, cue Eagle Arms. This pose is a tricky one for us surfers who tend to have slightly more stacked shoulders than most but it does offer a great release of said tension. You can do this stood in tadasana or even seated in your chair, by taking the arms out in front of you, with the hands facing up. Wrap the right elbow under the left, place the back of the palms together or if you’re a bit more flexible wrap the hands round, so fronts of the palms meet. On the next inhale draw the arms up. You’re probably only going to hold this one for 5-8 breathes.
Easy Pose – Sukhasana
This is another completely overlooked gem, literally translated from Sanskrit to ‘Pleasure Posture’. Essentially it’s just sitting in cross legs but the benefits are beautiful, from helping calm the mind, to strengthening the back, whilst gently stretching the knees and ankles. In airports you usually have time to kill so try to sit in Easy Pose for ten minutes, without fidgeting/ looking at your phone/ speaking, just sitting. I’m pretty sure no one has ever been hurt doing this and you will appreciate the feeling afterwards. When seated ensure that you’re lengthening the tail bone toward the floor, bringing the shoulder blades together slightly, whilst ensuring you don’t have an arch in the lower back.
This simple pose can be harder than it looks, so if you feel any pain in the knees or hips, roll up your hoody / coat/ towel / mat and place it underneath your sitting bones so the knees are level with or below the hips.
Puppy – Uttana Shishosana
Like forward fold this is another great spine lengthener, whilst also offering a great stretch for the ribs and all the muscles inbetween, a gentle stretch for the shoulders and will generally lift your mood. Come onto all fours, making sure the hips are in line with the top of the knees. Walk the hands out in front of you and lower the heart centre to the floor, without dropping the chest completely. Drop the forehead down but keep a straight spine and stay here for 5-8 breathes. You won’t believe how much space you can create in the spine in this simple pose, you may even look taller.
Childs Pose – Balasana
You might as well come into this one from puppy as you’re already on your knees and it compliments it so well. With knees wide apart or together, simply sit back on your heels, stretch the arms out in front and rest the whole belly / chest over the thighs and drop the forehead to the floor. The hands can be ground into the floor ahead of you to encourage a deeper stretch in the lower back. You are allowed to groan in pleasure.
Sleeping Pigeon – Eka Pada Rajakapotasana
Ok so this ups the ante a bit. Sitting down for ages will make our hips tight, but thankfully our friend the sleeping pigeon will relieve this. Start on all fours and take the right knee to the right hand, with the right foot either just below the left hand, or at more of an angle pointing backwards if you’ve not got much flexibility in the legs (I definitely don’t). Walk the back foot back as far as it will go and slightly to the right. Keep hips square to the front of your mat, then make sure to lift the chest before you lower to the floor on the forearms, then palms and head if you have enough space in your hips to do so. Hold for 5-8 breathes and repeat.
Butterfly – Badhakonasana
This is quite hard and shouldn’t be attempted if you had trouble in easy pose but if you’re up for it it’s a great hip opener. So as you’re on the floor, bring the soles of the feet together about an arms distance away from the sit bones. Find length in the spine and sit up tall, grab the feet with the hands whilst drawing the knees down with the elbows and bring the heart towards the feet. Try not to tense the muscles in the legs and as abstract as it sounds breath into this tight area to loosen it up. Enjoy.
Legs up the wall – Viparita Karani or Supported Shoulder Stand – Salamba Sarvangasana
You know what you’re probably never going to see all these people at the airport again so you might as well just go all out, do whatever you feel you need to do and I feel an inversion is a great idea. Legs up the wall or supported shoulder stand will bring fresh blood back to head, re-energising you, reducing swelling in the feet and relieve the bane of our lives, lower back pain.
For legs up the wall start by sitting side on to a wall, swivel your legs up to the sky resting feet on the wall, lying on your back. Make sure your lower back is connecting with the ground below you and sit bones connecting with the wall. If hamstrings are too tight bend the knees, you can still enjoy the benefits of this pose. Take the arms out wide, palms facing up to the sky and chill…
Shoulder stand is referred to as the mother of asana and its importance can’t be over-emphasised. With countless benefits to mention, if you feel you’ve got it in you go for it. Bring the hands to the back of the ribs, resting the shoulders on the floor, drawing the elbows in. Bring the trunk and legs away from the wall and vertical and bring the chest to the chin (not the other way round) forming a sort of lock. The back of the head, the neck, shoulders and upper part of the arms should be on the floor, the rest of the body should be in one straight line. Don’t move the head left or right, even if your gate gets called, stay with the pose for as long as is comfortable (15 mins is fine according to BKS Iyengar) then to come out of the pose, release the hands, slide to the floor, lie flat and relax.
Please let me know how you get on and if you’re a yogi with any to add, please write in the comments below. If the photos have totally made you want to go to Costa Rica, I’m running a few surf & yoga trips here in Paradise from Feb – March 2017, take a look at more info here.
Pura Vida!
