Summertime is in full effect. It’s the perfect time to slow down and take a vacation, either near or far. There is one downside of vacation, however—our regular yoga practice takes a backseat. But it doesn’t have to. While on vacation it can be fun to get creative with your practice. Working in some yoga when and where you can will help keep you comfortable and calm during your travels.
If the thought of traveling with your yoga mat is not appealing, you might want to check out the towel-like travel size yoga mats that make taking your yoga on the road a snap. The most important thing is to not feel that you need to get a full one-hour or two-hour practice in every day. Simply shoot for a few minutes and see how it goes. Beginning with Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskara) is a great way to get a well-balanced practice in. Or, maybe you’d like to practice your favorite poses at your own pace. Be creative. Let the flow of the practice be spontaneous like your vacation.
If you don’t have the right space for practicing yoga on your mat, don’t fret. You can still practice. There are so many standing and balancing poses you can do just about anywhere. Your practice doesn’t have to be a continuous string of poses. You can strike a pose at random times wherever you happen to be. Do Tree pose (Vrikshasana) while brushing your teeth, for example. Or Warrior II pose (Virabhadrasana II) while on a walk. Try Dancer pose (Natarajasana) anywhere you’d like. Work your favorite standing and balance poses in when you can. Take a moment to deepen your breath, quiet your mind, and be in your pose.
Just before bed or just after awaking, you can try poses that involve lying on your back or kneeling. Cat/cow sequence is a wonderful way to work with the fluidity of the spine, and you can do it in bed or on a floor that feels comfortable to kneel on. (Place a blanket under your knees if you need to.) Happy baby pose or supine twists while lying in bed are a nice way to keep your back happy and you feeling relaxed.
The option of checking out a local yoga studio is another great way to explore new styles of yoga or new ways to practice the style you prefer. These are just some of the many ways you can keep your practice going while on vacation. Get creative this summer with your practice. Don’t leave your practice at home. Take it with you!