If you feel the need for a calm and restorative yoga practice when you are traveling.
The stress response that we easily cause when we travel, we urgently need blood to return from the limbs to the digestive and reproductive organs.
The stress response that we easily cause when we travel, we urgently need blood to return from the limbs to the digestion and reproductive organs
Heart rate and breathing will slow down, a restorative practice style of yoga is believed to be activated This rest and digestion reaction.
- This yoga style is characterized by the body being completely supported by external props, such as rocks, mats, blankets, chairs and sandbags.
- Because of its mild nature, it is used in many treatment settings, such as cancer patients or pain patients.
- Because the body is supported, the practitioner can maintain a longer posture.
- We are also more likely to enter the relaxation response when we are in a passive position.
A restorative practice style of yoga is thought to activate this resting and digestive response
Although restorative yoga is an effective way to relieve the stress of travel, but on a crowded plane or train, we Not many people in China would stuff cushions and yoga blankets in small cars.
So, how can we benefit from restorative yoga during the journey?
If you have a mat, a few towels and a wall, you have everything you need.
Here is a recovery exercise in 7 poses, we can do without props:
1. Supine beam angle pose
As a yoga practitioner, the most difficult part of traveling is sitting.
Most of us travelers need to maintain a narrow posture for a long time.
a restorative practice,We are not looking for a huge stretch, but a passive opening. This is the key to the stability of the nerves.
- Starting from this position, the body begins to relax.
- Lie down slowly and put a rolled towel or light pillow under your head.
- Bend the knees, bring the soles of the feet together, and spread the legs slightly.
- If the inner thighs relax too much, roll two towels under the outer thighs.
- In a restorative practice, we are not seeking a huge stretch, but a passive opening, which is the key to the stability of the nerves.
- Stay here for at least 7 minutes.
2. Support bridge
- Gentle back bend.
- Opening the chest cavity means more space in the lungs and deeper breathing.
- Under pressure, the breathing rate can be fast and short; when we relax, the breathing will change in the opposite way, it will become slow and deep.
Opening the chest cavity means more space in the lungs and deeper breathing
- If you can stretch your legs comfortably, your hip flexors will also feel slightly relaxed.
- If your lower back is soft, keep your knees bent.
- First, sit on the edge of the rolled mat, with your upper back on the floor above the mat.
- Straighten your legs, press your heels on the floor, and keep your arms relaxed. Stay here for at least 7 minutes.
3. Inverted legs
- There is a prop called "whale" in Iyengar Yoga (also called Viparita Dandasana bench).
- This wooden structure helps you practice supporting backbends. Its name comes from the way it looks from the side: it has a bulbous upper part (your upper spine can extend to it) and A downward slope (for your legs).
- We can actually use hotel beds to replicate this shape.
Let the upper back hang over the edge, with arms stretched to the top of the head
- Begin to lie on one side of the bed, with both legs and feet completely on the bed.
- Inhale and move your arms to the sky, and when you exhale, let your upper back hang over the edge and your arms stretched above your head.
- If you feel excessive pressure on your neck, use a carry bag or a few pillows to support your neck. Stay here for at least 7 minutes.
4. Seated forward bending variant
After a long journey, sitting may be the last thing you want to do, but resting in this forward bending position can not only relax the back of the body, but also relax brain.
Remember, one of the keys to restorative yoga is that you are not actively working, so this should not make yourself feel like a huge stretch .
Remember, one of the keys to restorative yoga is that you are not actively working, so this should not make yourself feel like a huge stretch
- sitting on the floor with a chair or table in front .
- Lean your forehead against the edge of the chair. Try to make the support just above the center of the eyebrows.
- Yoga practitioners know that this is the third eye, but neurologists know that this is our frontal lobe.
- This is the part of the brain that makes us human. It is where our higher processing and decision-making abilities arise. If your forehead is very sensitive, you can use a towel to support your forehead.
- Your arms can be hung on your sides, or you can hold the legs of the chair. Let your spine bend and stretch, and stay here for at least 7 minutes.
5. Standing twist
One of the more challenging effects of air travel is dehydration, and twisting is a good way to replenish spine moisture.
Move the desk, chair, or low table to the wall.
Twisting is a good way to replenish spine moisture.
- Stand on the right side of the body against the wall, facing the chair.
- Put your right foot on the chair.
- Inhale and stretch your left arm. When you exhale, twist your torso towards the wall and bend your elbows into a cactus shape.
- When you breathe in, lengthen your spine; when you breathe out, twist your body and use the wall to hold your body. Take 20 deep breaths on both sides.
6. Lie on your back and stretch your toes
- We will continue to release hamstrings .
- This position allows blood to flow from the legs back to the heart.
This position allows blood to flow from the legs back to the heart.
- Lie on the mat, stretch your right knee toward your chest.
- Wrap the towel (or belt) around the raised leg.
- Hold the towel or belt with both hands and place your shoulders on the mat. Breathe here 30 times, then repeat on the other side.
7. Leaning against the wall to raise the leg posture
This mellow inversion has many benefits,From alleviating the digestive organs to reducing the swelling of the legs and feet.
This mellow inversion has many benefits, from relieving digestive organs to reducing swelling in the legs and feet.
- Lie down and lift your legs up.
- Try to keep the sacrum (the back of the pelvis) on the floor.
- Using roller blinds or towels under the lower back may also help increase the natural curve and ultimately lengthen the spine.
- Stay here for 7-15 minutes. If you have severe jet lag and difficulty sleeping, practice this position yourself before going to bed.
