Yoga Poses & Blissful Retreats for Travelers

March 1, 2016 | Updated: August 7, 2016 | By Elizabeth | 1 Reply More

Anne Marie Welsh leads yoga retreats to some of the most beautiful places in the world.

Yoga poses…We all have our favorites. The ones I like the best I learned from Anne Marie Welsh at the Community Center in my hometown – La Jolla, California.

In addition to being a great teacher, Anne Marie is also an inveterate traveler, so she knows the best yoga poses for people – like you and me – who sit for hours on long flights and sometimes sleep in wonky beds. Her guest post below describes postures that can be done on a plane.

I also want you to know that Anne Marie offers personalized, small-group Deep Yoga Retreats that include authentic connections to the cultural life of some of the world’s most appealing destination. In September 2016, these adventures will include week-long stays in Provence, France, and Tuscany, Italy.

Yoga poses: Peaceful Radicondoli in Tuscany is a great place for a Deep Yoga retreat.

Yoga for Travelers

by Anne Marie Welsh

Much as we may love to travel, long flights, layovers, unexpected delays and sleep-rattling time changes can present big challenges to our bodies, moods, and minds. The ancient wisdom of Yoga—the physical practices, breath work, and mental attitudes— can help even the most harried traveler stay supple, calm, and healthy, both in the air and after landing. While traveling in India, the birthplace of Yoga, and leading Deep Yoga retreats in central Mexico, France and Italy, I discovered a series of movements that will keep you in balance while you travel and when you get there.

Yoga poses in the air – where to sit:

Try to book an aisle seat so you can get up every hour or so and walk around for at least a minute, just as you should while working long hours at a desk. On long-distance flights, walking minimizes the risk of developing blood clots. If you are an older traveler, you might want to take an extra precaution and wear compression stockings, in the air and on long trips by car or train as well.

These Tuscan mamas are waiting to teach you how to cook their favorite foods.

Yoga poses in the air and in the office – how to sit:

Sitting for long periods causes compression in the spine and is not good for your postural or general health. So when you must sit while flying, learning HOW to sit will help you avoid the compression that can cause back pain—and a bad mood. Sitting this way will also strengthen your postural muscles. You will need a small pillow or rolled hand-towel and a long belt or sash.

Plant your feet on the floor and place the rolled towel behind your low back at the very base of your spine. This allows you to maintain your natural lumbar curve. Now place the belt or sash under your thighs and bring the ends up around the center-front of your thighs. Fasten the belt or tie the sash in such a way that your knees stay in line with your hips, instead of rolling outward. This is another way to avoid compression in the back and keep the sacro-iliac joints open. The technique is the same whether on a plane or at a desk.

Dinner in Tuscany after a day of sightseeing, cooking lessons, wine tasting, and yoga poses.

Yoga poses in the air – three seated movements:

The simplest exercise while seated in the sky (or on a train) involves stretching your legs forward and slowly pointing your toes, then flexing your toes and feet back to keep the ankles supple. Breathe deeply and fully and try for ten repetitions. If space under the seat in front of you permits, you should also rotate both feet strongly in circles to the right aiming for at least six repetitions. Relax the feet, take a breath and then rotate both feet to the left.

Gentle twists keep the spine supple, the lungs open, and the rib cage flexible. Keeping the hips rooted down, on an inhale, lift the entire spine from the tailbone through the crown of the head; on the exhale move both sides of the torso to the right, beginning with the belly, then the ribcage, chest, and shoulders. Stay there, breathe again to lengthen and exhale to twist for a total of five breaths. Come back to center, take a breath and repeat to the left side. You can use the arm support to guide you deeper into the twist, but never crank or force yourself (or your head!) to go farther. Let your breath guide you, lengthening on the inhale and softening into the movement on the exhale.

Finally—and with care if a stranger is seated next to you—try seated “cat-cows” to move the entire spine. On an in breath, lift the heart, drop the shoulders and extend the spine forward; on the exhale, curl the spine back and drop the head forward releasing the neck. When curling forward, it helps to pull the navel in towards the spine and up. Do this extending forward and curling back movement for at least five breaths – and often.

Anne Marie teaches yoga poses in Radicondoli and her friends in the community teach cooking – and more!

Yoga poses in the air – how to stand:

Aside from walking in the aisles (when it is safe to do so), you can simply stand properly there and breathe deeply to decompress your vertebrae and restore your energy. Tadasana is the name of this basic standing pose in Yoga. You want to maintain the normal curves in the spine and let the forces of gravity be absorbed by the skeleton, so the right muscles are actually holding you up.

To do this, plant both feet firmly on the floor, hips-width distance apart. Let the tailbone be heavy. As you root down through the feet, visualize bringing energy up through the insteps to the front of the legs. Lightly lift the kneecaps to engage the quads and lightly engage the muscles of the low belly. Let your shoulders relax away from your ears, your arms drop naturally to your sides and your head float gently, rising up from the top of your spine. Breathe deeply and smoothly to enhance blood flow and circulation.

A great place for yoga poses and meditation: Villa Theophile in Provence, France.

Yoga poses in the air – three standing movements:

Even aloft, from a strong standing position, you can move your spine in all six directions (forward-backward, laterally to both sides and twisting to both sides), thus creating flexibility and space between the vertebrae for maximum decompression.

To move laterally, stand in the basic Tadasana, then lift both arms overhead. Keeping your navel center pulled in, lift the ribs away from the hips on an inhale. On the exhale, arch over to the right stretching the left arm up and over the left ear as you reach your fingertips to the right. The right arm can be bent, hand on the waist. Keep pressing through the feet, especially the left one, while breathing steadily and reaching right to lengthen the left side ribs and body. Come back to center, breathe and repeat to the left.

In Tuscany, Anne Marie’s yoginis stay in Locanda Cugnanello – an 800 year old farmhouse.

To arch the spine safely back, place your hands on the back of your hips as if to bring your elbows together. Let the tailbone be heavy. Open the collarbones, lift the heart, press the hips forward, extend the spine and arch back. Keep the throat soft and lips parted, taking the head with you into the extension, only as far as feels comfortable.

To flex the spine forward, stand strongly again and with the knees soft or slightly bent (if your back is tender), allow your head and neck to roll forward taking your spine with you as far as you can go. Gently shake your head yes and no to release any tension in the neck. Stay folded over like this, letting the weight of the head traction your spine forward while you breathe. To come up, proceed slowly. Keep the tailbone heavy, engage the navel center and rise vertebra by vertebra, stacking your spine and finally your head. Stand strongly for a moment and breathe. NOTE: Not recommended for those with glaucoma, high blood pressure, or vertigo.

To twist while standing, plant the feet strongly and keep the hips facing forward. With hands on hips, begin twisting to the right from the belly, then ribcage, chest, shoulders, lengthening the spine on the inhale and releasing into the twist on the exhale. Keep feet firmly planted, especially the left one as you twist to the right. Let the head just follow along. Aim for five breaths. Come back to center and repeat to the left.

These movements, steady deep breathing, plenty of water, and a small supply of crystallized ginger should help you get to your destination feeling relaxed and energized.

My next post will offer yoga-derived tips to help you get and stay grounded wherever you may land.

Anne Marie Welsh, Ph.D., RYT-500, is a San Diego-based author, editor, and yoga instructor. She leads small-group Deep Yoga retreats that immerse participants in the authentic life, culture, food and wine of beautiful and inspiring places. Learn more about her 2016 retreats in Provence and Tuscany

In 2017, she’ll return to India and explore Bali through the heart-opening practices of Deep Yoga. Contact her at annemariewelsh@gmail.com

Cheers,