Travel Yoga (18 page)

If you can, sit up into a forward bend, legs out and upper body stretching forward.

Take hold of your legs. Relax your shoulders and drop your head.

Take several deep full-body breaths, stretching a little farther each time. Don't push it.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit
.

—Aristotle

This gentle series of yoga postures will help wake up your entire body. Take the first round slow and easy. Let your breathing fall into a rhythm like the waves of the ocean with each stretch.

First, place your hands in prayer position and inhale deeply (1). Reach your hands up high and stretch, arching slightly backward. Exhaling, sweep your outstretching arms forward and down till you are bent over, touching the floor if you can; relax your head and neck and take a few breaths (2). Squat down, place your hands flat on the ground, take a big step back with your left foot, and stretch, arching your back upward (3). Step your right foot back and rest both knees on the ground, making a table with your body; first stretch your head up and curve your lower back down (4), then drop your head down and arch your back up (5). Repeat once, and breathe in rhythm as you do so.

With your hands and feet flat on the ground, lift your buttocks toward the sky, keeping your arms and legs straight and your heels down; stay as long as is comfortable (6). Drop down onto your hands and knees, sit on your calves, and lower your upper body to the ground, with your arms outstretched on the floor (7). Relax for a few breaths. Rise back up on your hands and knees and bring your left foot forward and underneath you, with your right leg stretched back. Arch your back upward and breathe. Bring your right foot forward, straighten your legs while your upper body hangs down, and slowly walk your hands up your legs until you are in a standing position. Raise your arms toward the sky and stretch back slightly, tightening your buttocks (8). Exhale as you return your hands to the beginning prayer position, and then relax.

Rest for a few moments, rhythmically breathing in and out. Repeat this stretch series as many times as you want or as time permits.

Confine yourself to the present
.

—Marcus Aurelius

Make sure you have enough room. Swing your arms above your head and jump your legs apart. Inhale deeply as you jump your legs apart and exhale deeply as you jump them back together. Feel free to run in one place to help get your heart rate up.

This stretch series is perfect for unwinding after a long day
.

Put on your favorite dance music, throw on your headphones, and, for one or two songs, stretch your body to the music. Free-flow dance and stretch in different directions. Get excited! Focus on unwinding the stress and tension of a long day on the road.

We should consider every day lost in which we do not dance at least once
.

—Friedrich nietzsche

Sit on your bed.

Stretch your legs out straight and wide apart.

Slowly walk your hands down your legs. Gently raise your chest.