Remedies for Frazzled Travelers

Yoga tricks that will revive you

Cure shoulders and chest tension
While sitting upright, place your feet firmly into the floor, knees directly over your ankles and thighs hips distance apart. Next, interlace your fingers behind your head. Relax your elbows and shoulders so they are limp. With your chest lifted and your chin tucked, stretch your elbows backward. Feel your shoulders loosening and your chest opening. Take five breaths, relax for a few breaths, and repeat again. You might even hear a cracking on the exhale.

Stretch out a sore back
While sitting, reach your hands toward the roof. Inhale deeply, and on the exhale, fold your body forward vertebra by vertebra until your arms and upper body are hanging over your thighs like a rag doll. Take five deep breaths here. Next time fold forward and grab either elbow with the opposite hand. The weight of your arms will open up the lower back, letting the stretch creep into the hamstrings too. Feel almost weepy with relaxation? Good.

Release hip tension
It’s hard to get to the hips when you are traveling so you must do something kind for them once you’re out of the vehicle. Standing next to a wall for balance, place your right foot against the inside of your left thigh (or calf, if that feels better). Once your foot is at your calf or thigh (do not press the foot onto the knee joint), press the foot into the standing leg for balance. Then to open the hips press the leg of the bent knee backward. It won't go behind the plane of your body, but the effort opens both hip joints. If you find your foot sliding down the leg, grab hold of the ankle. Bring yourself to stand tall by lifting the sternum and flattening out the back. If your foot continues to slip, keep it pressed against your calf for stability or place the same arm as the straight leg against the wall for balance. Take five deep breaths. Switch sides.

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