Yoga is a wonderful way to keep fit and healthy, and also it’s great for relaxation and stress relief. However, with a busy schedule and an ever changing lifestyle, it can be difficult to manage a regular yoga practice at home or while travelling..

Yoga can be a great addition to your travel plans, providing both physical and mental benefits. Yoga can help reduce anxiety, improve balance, ease muscle stiffness and jetlag, and help you stay present during your travels. These are just a few reasons why you should keep up with your Yoga practice while traveling.

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16 Tips how to practice Yoga when travelling

I am a yoga practitioner that travels a lot, so I have to work hard to maintain a regular yoga practice. Sometimes I find it very easy to practice yoga every day, but other times my mind tells me no. People are different–yoga affects people in different ways, either physically, mentally, spiritually, or a combination. I think that’s what’s great about yoga. Here are some tips that help me maintain a regular yoga practice while traveling and at home.

Get a yoga app

One way you can practice yoga on the go is to download a free app. There are so many apps available these days, so you should be able to find one that works for you. And if you are not a fan of tech gadgets, there are many apps that allow you to practice yoga without a screen.

Setup a daily routine

It’s important to make sure that you actually practice yoga every day. This doesn’t mean that you have to spend hours practicing. Instead, make sure you practice for 10-15 minutes, every day. And make sure that this time includes some sort of warm up and cooling down.

Progress tracking

I find it helpful to create a routine for my yoga practice, including tracking how often I practice in a week. I use the app Streaks, which I’ve been using since 2016. Some people might prefer a physical form like a task pad or daily calendar. Whatever works for you, use it and then look back at your practice at the end of each week. You’ll be able to see which weeks are easier or more difficult, and then you can make adjustments to your practice for the following week.

Try pranayama breathing or meditation instead

I said at the beginning that the yoga that’s popular in the West is just one part of yoga. Asana, which means posture in Sanskrit, is the physical practice of yoga. It’s traditionally used to help someone connect their mind and body through breathing. sometimes I don’t want to do a physical practice, and that’s okay.

There are things other than sweating on a mat that count as practicing yoga. Pranayama, or breathing techniques, are an important part of a yogi’s practice. Starting the day with 15 minutes of pranayama is very beneficial for keeping the body’s organs and mental health in good condition. The Yoga Journal has a great beginner guide to pranayama. I also recommend Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati’s book on Prana and Pranayama. It goes into a lot of detail about the respiratory system, how prana energy moves through the body, and the different pranayamic techniques used by yogis.

Try a different yoga style

I love finding yoga studios and free yoga classes when I travel to different cities. As a yoga teacher, I am always looking for ways to improve my teaching style, see how classes are structured, and get help from other yoga teachers with my asanas. As a yoga practitioner, I find it beneficial to be in a room with other yoga enthusiasts, feeling the collective energy. This is especially true during power yoga classes. As counterintuitive as it may seem, sometimes what you need to stay consistent in your daily yoga practice is a change of pace.

I am a Hatha yoga teacher, and my practice is mostly Hatha yoga. However, there are days where I struggle to do my twelve surya namaskara repetitions. When this happens, I go on YouTube and find a yoga class to do. Some of my favorites are Fightmaster Yoga, Yoga with Adriene, and Yoga by Candace.
Keep things in order

Often, our environment reflects our state of mind. Nobody likes living in mess (or travelling with someone who smells like they live in a mess), so make an effort to maintain good personal hygiene and keep your space clean when travelling – you’ll find it a lot less stressful when your belongings are tidy!

Find a place to practice outside

Another great way to keep a regular yoga practice alive and kicking is to set up a yoga practice outside. This could mean practicing in a park, under a tree, on a park bench, or anywhere else. The great thing about practicing outside is that you don’t have to worry about damaging anything. As long as you’re careful where you’re putting your mat, you should be okay.

Listen to your body

This final tip is most important: listen to your body. At the end of the day, no one knows your body like you do. For example, I get frustrated with myself if I don’t practice yoga six days a week. But I’ve learned that if my body is telling me it doesn’t want a physical practice, there must be a reason. So instead, I meditate or practice pranayama. As long as I’m in the present and being mindful, that’s all that matters to me.

Some days, an hour-long class may be too much to handle. It’s okay to feel this way–just don’t get too attached to the feeling. Do what you can; sometimes that will only be 15 minutes, or 30, or none at all.

Be flexible

Things going wrong is just a part of life, especially when traveling. It can be really upsetting when you’ve spent a lot of money and time planning a perfect trip, only to have something go wrong. Try not to get too wrapped up in what you expect to happen on your trip, and you’ll be able to roll with the punches a little bit better.

I’m talking about small travel inconveniences and mistakes, not serious accidents and events.We are often disappointed when our actions don’t result in the outcome we wanted. But we should accept what has happened instead of being unhappy about it. That is what samtosha really means – to accept what happens.

Have a yoga book with you

Whether you’re flying, sunbathing, or riding the train, traveling is a great opportunity to catch up on some reading. Some great options for yoga-related literature include Light on Yoga by B. K. S. Iyengar, Yoga Mala by K. Pattabhi Jois, the Bhagavad Gita translated by Juan Mascaro, The Heart of Yoga by T. K. V Desikachar, and the article “Yoga as Self Transformation” by Joel Kramer.

Set Up a Practice Space

When you’re traveling, you don’t have a dedicated room at home to practice in. This means you need to come up with a new, portable practice space. One great way to do this is to purchase an inflatable yoga mat. While these can cost quite a bit of money, they are still far cheaper than renting a room in a yoga studio.

Enjoy the moment

Nowadays, it’s tough to even make it 10 minutes without a distraction. With things like Snapchat, Facebook Live, and Instagram Stories, it’s easy to get caught up and forget to put your phone down. I’m guilty of this myself! Even though I love documenting my travels, it’s worth it to put the phone or camera away and just be present in the experience. When was the last time you were completely focused on the present moment?

I was surprised at how many people at the Taj Mahal only looked at it through a camera. I want to pay more attention to my surroundings this year and not be distracted.

Value the fact you are to be able to travel

Santosha can be thought of as contentment or accepting and being at peace with what you have. The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali says that contentment brings joy. It is important to be content with the good and bad times and to remember how fortunate we are to be able to travel.

Be a nice and helpful person

The original text discusses the concept of Ahimsa, or non-violence. It urges readers to be considerate of others and not to lash out, whether it be from a place of exhaustion or frustration. The author gives a few examples of how this might play out in real life.

Practice evenly spaced throughout your trip

It’s not just a good idea to practice regularly when you’re at home, but it’s also important to do so when you’re on the road. As you travel, you’ll likely be spending more time in public places such as airports, restaurants, and hotels. So make sure that you’re not missing out on any of the benefits that yoga has to offer.

Dont compare yourself to other travelers

Even though it’s hard, try not to compare yourself to others when it comes to travel. It’s easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing, but everyone has different travel styles and preferences. Just like yoga, travel is not a competition and one person’s way of travel is not better than another’s.
This is not an exhaustive list, but it shows that there are many ways to practice yoga while traveling. Yoga has many dimensions that can improve your travel experience. Have any of these ideas resonated with you? Will you try some of them on your next trip?