Written for the Yogacara Yoga Teacher Training Blog
By Emily Kane – E-RYT, Studio Owner and Yoga Teacher
A sense of wanderlust is pretty common amongst the yoga community. The travelling yogi has developed an appreciation for the world around them, making exploration natural. Being open to new experiences and getting a new perspective is a great way to expand your practice off your mat. The only challenge for a travelling yogi is an unstable environment which can make it difficult to maintain their regular yoga practice. When finding yourself on buses, trains, planes or in different accommodations regularly, it can be tough to keep your routine. Here are some suggestions to help a travelling yogi on the right path.
Yoga is not just Asana
Yoga is made up of the eight limbs, asana is just one of those limbs. Asana is the physical part of yoga, or all of the poses that are practiced. The other seven limbs are the yamas (ethical restraints), niyamas (self-discipline and spiritual observances), pranayama (breath control), pratyhara (sense withdrawal), dharana (concentration), dhyana (uninterrupted flow of concentration) and finally, Samadhi (pure bliss). As a travelling yogi, practicing other forms of yoga while on-the-go can be very useful to deepen your practice. A simple way to do this would be practicing pranayama; for instance, ujayyi breathing can be done practically anywhere and anytime. Practicing ujayyi with your eyes closed can withdraw you from any distractions by guiding awareness to your breath, which allows for concentration.