our-yoga

by Nina

Ram’s Monday post on airplane yoga made me remember some of the other great information we have on our blog that might interest anyone who is taking a long trip. Since we’re coming up on the holiday travel season, I thought it would be fun to write a single post that gives you an overview of those posts.

By the way, from my experience of doing yoga on airplanes as well as in airports, I can tell you that some people will look at you as if you’re weird but other people will be totally envious. Once when I was doing yoga with Rodney Yee in airport waiting area, a complete stranger asked if she could join us. It ended up being a very memorable practice for me—I can still remember the woman and most of the sequence we did—and it was probably a memorable practice for her as well. 

Seated Poses. We have a few other poses on the blog that Ram didn’t mention that you might like to try while you are stuck in your seat. See Ankle Circles and Chair Cat Pose. And although we show it standing, Eagle pose arms could be done just as well seated. See also Standing Shoulder Stretches for other ideas for shoulder stretches you could do sitting down.

Of course, you could also do the same poses in a train, bus or car (as a passenger, of course). 


Standing Poses. In addition to those mentioned by Ram, we have featured quite a few poses you can do standing in the back of the plane. Standing Shoulder Stretches and Opening Tight Shoulders show stretches you can do standing in tight spaces.

I’d like to mention two standing poses that we haven’t featured yet. A Standing Marichyasana (Standing Twist) would feel great on your back and neck. Start by standing about a foot from a wall, with your right side to the wall. Then twist to the right toward the wall, placing both hands on the wall at shoulder height, elbows bent and palms on the wall. Inhale as you lengthen your spine up. Exhale as you move deeper into the twist. Stay 30 seconds to a minute. Then repeat on the left side.

A modified Natarajasana (Dancer’s pose) would be an excellent way to stretch your tight quadriceps. This would be a good counter pose to the all forward bending of your hips from sitting (and a good counter pose to Ram’s Standing Knee to Chest pose). Stand about a foot from a wall, with your right side to the wall, and place your right hand on the wall, at about shoulder height, elbow bent. Then shift your weight onto your right leg and bend your left knee. Reach your left hand back and take hold of the your left foot, then move your left thigh so it is perpendicular with the floor (Tadasana position). If you are ready for more stretch, you can lift your hand to gently pull your left thigh into a backbend. Stay for 30 seconds or more. Repeat on the other side.

Sleeping. Of course, sleeping is also a good thing to do when you’re on a long flight. Baxter’s post on sleeping on an airplane recommends a supported sleeping position that will help you survive the trip without acquiring a crick in your neck or a pain in your back.


Airport Yoga. In addition to the flight itself, when you’re traveling, you do a lot of sitting around in waiting areas, either before your flight or waiting for a connection. With more space and free use of a chair, you have even more possibilities for doing yoga. Almost all our office yoga poses and sequences can be done in waiting areas while you are dressed in street clothes. See Mini Office Yoga Practice  and Chair Yoga Mini Practice.

Stretching Your Legs at this point should feel great. You can't lie on the ground to do Reclined Leg Stretch but you can do the exact same poses in a standing position. See Standing Leg Stretches.

Our blog has quite a number of “office yoga” entries, so use the Search function at the upper right corner of the home page to explore and be inspired. And if you have ideas you’d like to contribute, please share them in the comments section.

by Ram

Evening Sky by Melina Meza

A long-distance trip may be in the offing for me and may involve “crossing the seven seas” as they refer to travel to Asia. I dread airline travel, especially if it involves sitting for more than five hours on a seat that is generally 17-18 inches wide with hardly any space between my knees and the seat in front of me. Added to the butt and knee discomfort, I have to deal with stiff hips, a strained back, swollen ankles and feet and finally a jet lag that just refuses to cease. Frequent trips to India and other long distance places in the past few years have become so uncomfortable that I needed to make my airline travels more memorable by reducing the hazards of prolonged sitting from long-distance travel. So I have resorted to doing—you guessed right—what I call “yoga in the skies,” yoga poses that stretch my calves, hips, knees, low back and hamstrings among other muscles.

As soon as the seat belt sign is turned off, I begin my practice. Since I often have fluid accumulation in my heels, I begin with simple stretches to increase the circulation in the periphery and later move to more advanced poses depending on the availability of space inside the aircraft. Let me share my practice and you are welcome to comment on it:

1. Seated Knee to Chest: Keeping one foot flat on the floor, lift the other leg and using both palms draw your knee to your chest. Keep your shoulders relaxed throughout the pose. This is a very good pose to stretch your hips and knees as well as strengthen your back and chest. Bringing your knee towards your chest also stimulates your abdomen, thus improving the digestive fire. Hold for 30- 45 seconds. Then repeat with the other leg.

2. Seated Ankle-Knee: Keeping one foot flat on the floor, lift the other foot and place the ankle on top of the resting thigh and closer to the knee. Make sure you have enough room to drop the raised leg and knee to the side without disturbing your neighbor. Flex your foot, squeeze and spread your toes as though you were about to push the other neighbor (assuming you are sandwiched between two travelers). This helps to open the hip and give a really good stretch around the butt and hip. If you wish to get a deeper stretch, lean forward a little and place your forearms on top of your legs. If you are seated in the aisle seat, be mindful of the drinks cart! Hold for 30-45 seconds. Then repeat the pose with the other leg.

3. Seated Side Twist: Be sure to twist every so often to improve circulation especially through your lower back. This is especially beneficial when you have 8-14 hours of continuous travel time ahead of you. While on your seat, plant your feet on the floor and place your left hand on the outside of your right knee and twist to the right. If there is a provision to move your hands back, you can to deepen the twist by taking your right hand to the back of the seat. Initiating the twist from the bottom of your spine, include your head and neck in the twist. Sport a smile so you don’t surprise your neighbor. Hold for 30-45 seconds. Then repeat the pose on the other side.

After completing those initial stretches at your seat, it’s now time to take a walk. Go to the far end of the airplane where you will encounter more space near the lavatory.

4. Shoulder and Chest Stretch: Standing near the aisle wall near the bathroom, raise your hands with both arms outstretched until your hands meet, then interlace your fingers (palms facing either down or up), and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Look up and lift your chest. You can even try stretching your arms away from the ears. Be in this position for about 30 seconds.

Then facing the bathroom wall, about six inches away from the wall, unlace your hands and place them on the wall. If your shoulders are tight, you may need to angle your arms slightly up the wall. Stay in this pose for 30 seconds.
From there, gently lower your hands on the wall so they are at either shoulder height or slightly below. Press your hands firmly into the wall and then walk your feet away from the wall, until your hips are positioned over your feet and your arms are straight. This would be a Downward-Facing Dog at a higher altitude. Stay in the pose 30-45 seconds and then walk toward the wall to come out, finishing by position your hips over your feet.


5. Tree Pose: Using the same wall by the bathroom for balance if needed, place the sole of one foot against the inner thigh of your other leg and raise your arms over your head to open up tight hips and relieve any lower back pain. You may get some stares or be judged but I simply ignore everyone and just practice!

6. Other Poses: Some airlines have nearly three feet of space between the last row of seats and the kitchen wall at the rear end of the aircraft. I find this space just sufficient to practice my Warrior poses, squats and Standing Knee to Chest pose. (See also Standing Shoulder Stretches and Opening Tight Shoulders). Now if they increased that floor space, I could defy gravity by attempting head- and handstands, perfect poses after periods of prolonged immobility to prevent deep vein thrombosis (blood clot) from setting.

Come back to your seat after you are stretched completely and end the session with few rounds of breath work/pranayama

7. Pranayama: In my opinion, it is very safe to do some pranayama techniques in an airplane owing to the high-quality air filters and a pressurized-temperature controlled cabin that releases a defined percentage of oxygen. I find solace in a 15-minute Ujjayi and Alternate Nostril (Anuloma Viloma) pranayama workout.

Without any doubt, if we resort to these few simple in-flight yoga poses and breath work, it will make air travel a better experience. Furthermore, I am thankful to those airport administrators who are catering to yoga practitioners like me by creating yoga studios for passengers in transit. How about going one step farther? How about if long-distance flights create a private space preferably for passengers in the economy seating to stretch out completely without having to worry about neighbors or the carts? Surely, there must be air pilots or airline attendants subscribing to this blog who can put in a word on our behalf. Which airline will be the first to redo their interior space?