How to Maintain a Yoga Routine While You Travel

Traveling can easily disrupt even the most well-established yoga routine, and it might seem like an impossible task to maintain your yoga routine while you travel or away from home. But it is worth the effort – sticking to our commitment to yoga is grounding, and has a beneficial effect on how we feel in mind and body. Here are a few suggestions on how to support your yoga practice while traveling.

Yoga routine while you travel with your favourite mat

For many of us, the simple act of stepping onto the mat puts us into the right mindset to begin our routine. And we often develop an attachment to our mat – a cheap gym mat borrowed from the hotel poolside is unlikely to produce the same effect! There is something powerful about the ritual of unrolling our yoga mat. When we lay it out, we are, in a sense, creating our yoga space, be it in our hotel room, on the balcony, or outdoors. We are creatures of habit, and starting our routine with the habitual gesture of putting out our mat feels good, and is more conducive to practice than improvising with whatever rug or bath towel is available.

Start on day one

When feeling tired or jet-lagged, it is easy to want to skip our yoga routine, and to think we’ll just pick it up again the next day. But one day can easily merge into two, and two into four. There is something very empowering about making a point of practicing from day one away from home. It sets the tone for the rest of our journey. We generally wouldn’t skip a meal when we arrive at a new destination – why let our yoga routine slip? Maintaining your yoga routine while you travel will become easier if you stuck to your routine. 

Stick to the time you regularly practice at home

When possible, it’s helpful to do your practice at the same time you would do at home, be it when you get up, mid-morning, or in the evening. That way, you take your routine with you wherever you go. Yoga time is yoga time, whether in London, Tokyo or Katmandu. Of course, an irregular schedule, or being on the move, may make this impossible – when this is the case, try and find another time of day you can stick to. And when even this is difficult, as may happen, try at least to see when, in the course of the day, you can fit your routine in, and decide to do it then. As the Dalai Lama said about meditation, “If we don’t set aside a time, it’s unlikely we’ll get round to it!”

~ The journey is my home.~

Muriel Rukeyser

Yoga during travelling

Research classes near your location

Most yoga schools have drop-in classes and that can be a great advantage as you continue with your yoga routine while you travel. Google classes in your location and see if there are any you could attend. You may not find the perfect teacher, or a class in the tradition you practice, but a bit of group energy never hurts, and can be extra motivation to continue your routine alone when you have to. And you never know, you might pick up some tips to tweak your routine so fits more easily into your luggage – and your day! 

If you miss it, replace it!

There are times when things are just going to get in the way, and your yoga routine may have to go out of the window, perhaps even several days running. In such times, it’s good to find something to do, even symbolically, in its place – a short sitting meditation, some Wim Hof breathing, a mindful barefoot walk on a beach, a contemplative swim. While these may not be a proper substitute for your routine, with the right intention in mind, they can nevertheless help to keep the sense of continuity and focus.

I hope these suggestions help – it can be useful to remind ourselves that routine is within us, and not in outer circumstances!

Travel yoga mat

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  1. Pingback:You know the meaning - but do you know the origin? - Circé Yoga | Yoga Mats

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