5 Tips to Keep a Regular Yoga Practice When Traveling

Having a consistent yoga practice can sometimes be a bit of a struggle. As a yoga teacher, it’s something I struggle with – especially when my intention is to get on the mat six days a week…especially when I’m on the road. Here are my tips to keep a regular yoga practice when traveling. Read this post to find out how to have a consistent yoga practice, five tips to keep a regular yoga practice, and some recommended yoga reading. 

I’ve been practicing yoga on and off since college when I first discovered guided YouTube yoga classes. But my practice was never consistent, and I’d only been to one or two in-person classes at a yoga studio. It wasn’t until I moved to Washington, DC in 2013 and went through an extremely stressful period in my life (yup, my millennial quarter life crisis)that I began to take my yoga practice seriously.

I had moved to a new city with no friends, was in a long distance relationship that was emotionally and mentally taxing, was in a job that I didn’t particularly like, commuted two hours to-and-from work, and to top it all off, had on-going visa problems that involved talking to HR, and a seeking advice from multiple immigration lawyers. I remember coming home and crying myself to sleep most nights – my stress got so bad that my eyes even started to involuntarily twitch! None of it was fun, but looking back they were all experiences that I had to go through to get to where I am today.

It was during this time that I discovered yin yoga through my local DC studio on U Street. Yin Yoga is a slower-paced yoga practice that focuses on your breath, and holding poses for longer periods of time. Holding poses for 10 to even 15 minutes is no joke. I found that just by focusing on my breath, I was able to let go of all the daily stresses and be present in class – if I couldn’t focus I wouldn’t be able to hold a pose for an extended period or even get deeper in the pose. I didn’t realize that focusing on one’s breath is the basis of meditation…but I would leave the classes feeling so relaxed, like I was high. It was an incredible feeling!

I started reading more about the benefits of meditation and learned more about yoga and the type of yoga I enjoyed. I continued my practice but was never really consistent until I moved to Mysore and decided to take the next step: a yoga teacher training. Yoga as a whole had helped me so much, and I wanted to recommend it to others, but there was a lot I still didn’t know. A yoga teacher training only seemed natural, and I was lucky enough to be in Mysore, one of India’s yoga capitals. Picking a yoga teacher training in India needs a post of its own – stay tuned for it! 

Fast forward to today I’m a 200-hour certified Hatha yoga teacher! I try and maintain a consistent daily practice – and, I’ll be honest with you, traveling makes it a little more challenging. Some months are easier than others, but here are a few tips to help you get started in your practice, and help you maintain a consistent yoga practice.

Recommended Reading

I find that when I have books related to yoga and spirituality in my reading rotation (yeah, I can’t just read one book at a time, I have to have a rotation of 2-3), I tend to be more focused in my practice. They provide me with the mental motivation that I tend to struggle with daily in getting myself on the mat. There are different aspects to yoga – it’s not just about asana or the physical practice. Asana is just one of the eight limbs of yoga and to have a complete yogic practice and achieve self-realization, I find that I have to focus on my mind; achieving the connection between mind and body, and becoming aware of my thoughts, accepting the ones that serve me and consciously letting go of the ones that do not.

Here are a few books that I’m currently enjoying. For texts on yoga philosophy, asanas, and meditation, I really like the publications by Bihar School of Yoga. They were recommended by my teachers during my YTT program in Mysore – here’s a list of all their publications. I’m always open to more recommendations as I try to read more this year.

I recommend anyone remotely interested in yoga or yoga philosophy to read Autobiography of a Yogi. Yogananda was responsible for introducing the practice of Kriya yoga to India and the West. It’s incredible to read his journey seeking spirituality and the purpose of life, that he himself wrote, from a young boy in Calcutta all the way to America. There’s also a documentary on Netflix if you want the tl;dr version.

 Tips to Keep a Regular Yoga Practice When Traveling

As a yoga teacher that travels frequently, having a regular yoga practice while traveling is something that I have had to work on. Some months I find it extremely easy to practice on a daily basis, while during others, my mind strongly says no. Everyone is different – yoga works in different ways for people: some physical, some mental, some spiritual, or even a combination. For me, that’s the beauty of yoga. These are tips to keep a regular yoga practice when traveling are what work for me, and ones I use to help maintain a regular yoga practice while traveling as well as while I’m at home.

Create a Daily Routine

The first thing you learn in your yoga teacher training is the importance of having a routine. The 200-Hour yoga teacher training I signed up for was a month long, where we practiced and learned six days a week, and the seventh day was our day off. We started each day with a two-hour asana class from 6:30am-8:00am followed by breakfast. It was tough to get used to, but after the first week, I found that my body automatically woke up at 6:00am.

The practice of Surya Namaskara or the sun salutation asanas have traditionally performed at sunrise to greet the new day. There are many benefits to starting your practice in the morning, but that doesn’t work for everyone. So, set aside a time each day – whether it’s in the morning, afternoon, or when you get home from work – to get on your mat and practice.

Switch it Up – Head to a Yoga Class or Try a Different Yoga Style

I love finding yoga studios and free yoga classes in cities I’m visiting. As a teacher, I’m always looking for ways to improve my teaching style, see how classes are structured, and get a fellow yoga teacher to help me in my asanas. As a practitioner, I find it beneficial to be in a room with fellow yogis, feeling the collective energy especially during power yoga classes. As counterintuitive as it seems, sometimes what you need to in order to stay consistent in your daily yoga practice is a change of pace.

I find my free yoga classes just by typing into Google free yoga class + city name, there are so many to choose from. A lot of the free classes are ‘donation-based’ meaning you donate whatever you can, or what you think the class was worth. I only recommend free classes if you already have a basis in yoga. Otherwise, head to a studio for a Beginners yoga class – last time I was in DC, I signed up for a month of ClassPass (New to ClassPass? Click here to get 70% off your first month of any plan) and got to try a couple of classes at the Be Here Now yoga studio in my Capitol Hill neighborhood. Yoga class can be so pricey – they run about $20-$25 per class, which is why I highly recommend ClassPass, you pay a monthly rate and get your money’s worth in yoga classes. I fully intend on using it whenever I’m back in the US.

I am a Hatha yoga teacher, and I would say my practice is 80% hatha yoga. But there are days I struggle with beginning my twelve surya namaskara repetitions. That’s when I head to YouTube, find a yoga class and hit play – a few of my favorites are Fightmaster Yoga, Yoga with Adriene, and Yoga by Candace. If you’re into Yin, this session by Yogi Nora is my all-time favorite.

Track Your Progress

This goes hand-in-hand with creating a daily routine – I am more accountable for my practice if I’m able to track just how many times I’ve opened up my mat and practiced yoga in a week. I particularly love the app Streaks and have been using it since it’s release in 2016. Others may like a more physical form like this task pad or even have a daily calendar full of tasks. Whatever works for you – use it, and at the end of each week, look back and evaluate your practice. You’ll begin to see which weeks are easier (you get on the mat more often), and which weeks are difficult. Switch up your practice (my next tip!) the following week and track your progress.

Practice Pranayama or Meditation Instead

As I said in the beginning, the yoga that’s been popularized in Western media is actually just one of the eight limbs of yoga: asana. Asana which is Sanskrit for posture is the physical practice of yoga, and traditionally is used to help a yogi connect mind with body through the use of breathing. There are some days when the last thing I want to do is a physical practice, and you know what? That’s understandable!

Instead of breaking a sweat on the mat, there are other things you can do in your practice, and yes, they’re still considered practicing yoga. Pranayama or breathing techniques are an important part of any yogis practice. Starting your day off with 15 minutes of pranayama is extremely beneficial for maintaining internal health – your body organs, and mental health. 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 great detail about the respiratory system, prana energy channels through your body, and the different pranayamic techniques used by yogis.

Listen to Your Body

I think this final tip is most important for me, and hopefully for you, too. Listen to your body – no matter how many gurus or yogi professionals tell you what to do, at the end of the day no one knows your body like you do. I see this in my own practice where I get frustrated in myself if I don’t get on the mat six days a week. The frustration benefits no one, least of all myself. I’ve learned to realize that there’s a reason my body is telling me it doesn’t want a physical practice. 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.

There will be some days when an hour class is too much to bear; realize that the feeling is okay, do not have any attachment. Practice what you can – sometimes it’ll just be 15 minutes, sometimes 30, sometimes none at all.

 

---

As a Hatha yoga teacher that travels frequently, having a regular yoga practice while traveling is something that I have had to work on. What are some of your tips to keep a regular yoga practice? Let me know in the comments below!

LIKE IT? CLICK TO PIN IT!

[genesis_column size=”one-half” position=”first”][/genesis_column][genesis_column size=”one-half”][/genesis_column]