Traveling Yogi

I recently returned to Brooklyn after a 10 day vacation in California. I love traveling and California always feels like my home away from home so I was happy to head west for a bit. 

Traveling can be an amazing adventure, one that encourages you to leave your comfort zone, try new things and experience different cultures. It creates opportunity to discover fresh perspective by nudging you out of your usual routine.

Combining your travels with a bit of yoga here and there can keep you feeling grounded and calm while on the road. Below are a few tips to help squeeze in some yoga and healthy habits while exploring new terrain. Happy travels yogis!!

Love Wall in Venice Beach, California

Pack a yoga mat

You can purchase a mat bag for as little as $10. Lightweight and easily portable, you can carry your bag onto the plane as a carryon and slide your mat under your airplane seat. If you have your mat during your travels, you are much more likely to practice. It can be great to find a class at a local studio but sometimes when one is visiting family and friends, there is not time for a full yoga class every day. Find a quiet space to practice for as much time as you have available.

Find a shady spot outside to practice while on vacation

A 10 minute yoga practice can make all the difference

Really. Taking time to center yourself, set an intention for the day and move your body makes you a happy traveler and travel companion. Even if you only have a few minutes to stretch and breathe, you will find yourself making healthier choices throughout the day. So often traveling is the opposite of structure. We are often going with the flow and ‘winging’ it, so to say. By adding a bit of structure to your day in the form of a yoga or meditation practice, you will find that you can relax and go with the flow a bit more. 

Practice first thing in the morning

I know it’s vacation and you want to sleep in but if you can wake up just a few minutes early to squeeze in a practice, your body will be happy with you for the rest of the day. 

Meditate

I personally love the Headspace meditation app. It has super simple meditations and cute animations to boot. Choose from several minutes of meditation up to one hour. They also have 1 minute kids meditations if you are traveling with kiddos. On my recent JetBlue flight there were several Headspace meditations in the inflight entertainment so check your flight’s channels and you might be so lucky. 

 

Pack Healthy Snacks

Keep your blood sugar even to avoid sugar crashes. I always love having snacks such as Lara bars, almonds, and fruit in my bag as to avoid the hangry stage ;) It is also always great to have options while at the airport where food is often overpriced. 

Find a local studio

It can be a lot of fun to check out a local yoga studio while traveling. Often times family or friends will have a recommendation or they will be up for trying a new class with you. Just as it can be eye opening to experience a different culture, it is always interesting to try a new practice and experience a new view on yoga and meditation.

Know that it’s ok if you stray from your yoga plan

Also, remember that you are on vacation and if you fall out of your usual yoga routine, it is not the end of the world. Sometimes we need a break from practice for one reason or another. Often it is the absence of our yoga practice when we realize how much benefit our practice offers. Do your best while on the road and then get back into your usual routine once you are back home. 

I wish you safe and happy travels!

City Calm in 3,2,1 with 2-1 Breathing

My yogi toolkit is a collection of short practices I count on to bring balance and calm to my day. These practices are a great way to supplement a yoga practice when I have a few minutes to spare.

One simple practice I carry in my yogi toolkit is 2-1 breathing, or Rechaka Pranayama. This simple breathing exercise doubles the length of the exhale, bringing stress relief to body and mind. It is the perfect antidote for anxiety, insomnia and stress. Unlike other pranayama techniques, this practice can be done anytime, anywhere, without the supervision of an instructor.

Practice this yoga gem the next time you have a few minutes to spare and want to quiet the mind and regain focus. It is a great exercise to have in your back pocket and I highly recommend adding it to your yogi toolkit :)

The how to:

Begin by taking a tall seat, with the legs crossed. Ideally the hips are higher than the knees. Feel free to sit on a blanket or yoga block if this makes this alignment possible and/or feels better for your back. Close the eyes and begin to breathe evenly in and out through the nose.

Once you feel you have established a consistent rhythm, breathe in for the count of 2 and breathe out for the count of 4. Take a few rounds of this breath ratio. As you are ready, increase the breath ratio by inhaling for the count of 3 and exhale for the count of 6, then progressing to a ratio of 4 to 8, and so on. Take care not to push past your breath capacity. This exercise should feel calming and should not create strain.

Take this 2-1 breath for a few minutes, or until you feel the mind settle. Once you feel ready, take a few even breaths, bringing the breath back into a steady, equal rhythm. Open your eyes and continue your day, with a bit more calm and clarity. 

Just a few minutes of Rechaka Pranayama has the ability to quiet the mind. Try it out the next time you need to recenter, such as the next time your train is stalled! Give it a try for instant calm.

Self Care Sunday

If you have been practicing yoga for a while, there is a good chance you have heard the yoga cue to “breathe into your heart.” The verbal assist is meant to energize the inner body of the chest, as well as open the physiological body by making more space in the sternum, widening the collar bones, creating a sense of lightness, promoting good posture, and a developing a feeling of freedom in the upper body. 

While this verbal cue might sound abstract, it is actually an anatomically sound instruction. When we breathe in, the diaphragm (the dome-shaped muscle primarily responsible for the act of respiration) contracts downward, creating more space for air entering the body. When we exhale, the diaphragm relaxes upwards, assisting our bodies in the release of air. This not only allows for our full, deep yoga breathing, but the pumping action of the diaphragm also massages the heart. Therefore, we can literally breathe into our hearts!

We could all use some self-care techniques in our back pocket. Practice this exercise anytime you need to connect with your breath and de-stress.

This pranayama can be practiced in any pose with a long spine and a free abdomen, such as an upright seated position, savasana, or supta baddha konasana. 

3-part breath (dirga swasam pranayama), The Step by Step:

Find your seated or supine pose and bring your attention to your breath. Allow the breath to be continuous as you initiate your inhale from the low belly, lift the breath into the rib cage/diaphragm, and then the chest. Once you reach the top of your inhale and your chest, take a long, continuous exhale, following the same path in reverse. If helpful, you can use your hands to guide your breath as you move up and down the torso, as shown in this video.

Inhale: one long breath into the low belly, rib cage, chest
Exhale: one long breath out through the chest, rib cage, low belly
Repeat 5-10 rounds. you may slowly start to lengthen the breath as you feel ready.

Benefits:

    •    teaches one to breath fully and deeply
    •    can calm and ground the mind
    •    can help to decrease stress and anxiety
    •    can help one to focus on the present moment

*Proceed with caution with this and all breathing exercises, especially if you have a respiratory condition. as with all pranayama, stop if you feel light headed.

Rest & Restore with Legs-up-the-Wall

Only have 5 minutes to squeeze in a yoga practice? No problem! Let me introduce you to one of my all time favorite yoga poses, Legs-up-the-Wall (Viparita Karani). This restorative gem can help restore energy, boost circulation, reduce stress as well as help with jet lag and insomnia. This pose is a restorative inversion, making it the perfect pose for tired, swollen legs and feet, at the end of a long day. All you need is a spare wall and a few minutes to transform your day.

The step by step:

Sit beside a wall, with your hip touching the wall and your knees bent up towards the ceiling. Gently lie down on your back and slowly swing your legs up the wall. 

A couple of sweet additions to this pose include a low folded blanket under your head, a blanket under your hips and/or an eye pillow over the eyes. Feel free to add one or more of these calming options to your practice.

Stay for 5-10 minutes. If your legs fall asleep, bend your knees in and then re-stretch them as you are ready. 

To exit the pose, roll to one side, pause here for a few breaths and then make your way up to sit.

Enjoy the rest of your day or evening, feeling rested and restored.  

*Consult your doctor before trying this pose if you have any concerns about practicing inverted poses

Ocean Gazing Lessons: Dharana, the Art of Concentration

Last month at The Shala we took an in depth look at Pratyahara, or the withdrawal of the senses. The limbs of yoga are systematic, the limb preceding the next providing you with the tools you need to enable your best shot at tackling the limb to come. As we flip our calendars to September, and we shift our focus to the 6th limb, Dharana, or concentration, we are uniquely prepared to practice single pointed focus, having taken a big step back from external distractions.

So often as New Yorkers we pride ourselves on being able to focus in the form of working very hard but we often ride the stress train to meet our goals.

When we practice Dharana, the goal is to maintain the calm energy that we developed through Pratyahara while still directing our attention to one place. In yoga this focal point is the breath.

The other day I went to the beach and the tropical storm making its way up the east coast had brought these huge, beautiful waves. When I looked down the beach, 90% of the beach goers were sitting up, gazing out at the ocean. Everyone shared a collective, calm focus directed towards the water. We want to find a similar balance of serene focus in our practice.

There is sometimes a misconception of yoga and meditation that its practitioners are spaced out or ‘out to lunch’. In actuality the practices advocate just the opposite and encourage a tuning in rather than a checking out.

So the question is, how do we collect our attention in a concentrated yet peaceful fashion while maintaining a stress-free mind and demeanor?

Yoga is the union of opposites so the effort and action placed towards achieving this pure attention while maintaining a chill mind is the goal itself. Just like a muscle, the skill of concentration is strengthened the more you ask of it. This limb is attained by the continuous intention to return the mind back to its focal point while at the same time keeping an easy mind about it. Just like the buoyancy and consistency of the ocean waves, your mind can find steadiness through the practice of Dharana with calm, steady practice over time.

Practice Dharana with a Breath Based Meditation:

Sit up tall, close your eyes and bring your attention to your breath. No matter how many times the mind wanders from the breath, bring it back to your breathing in the most loving, kind, gentle way possible. No berating yourself, no guilt, just simply try again and again. The process is the goal and over time this task will become easier. Eventually you will find yourself with not only the ability to focus more acutely but with more energy as your mind is a little less scattered and a little more serene, setting you up nicely for the next limb meditation.