If we had to pick one time to practice yoga, it would be after a long flight.
After flying we can feel a lot of tightness and soreness in the muscles and joints due to lack of movement, it’s also normal to feel a bit uprooted and unsettled. Yoga helps to release any discomfort that we’re experiencing in both the body and the mind - relieving pain and helping us to feel grounded in whichever part of the world we find ourselves!
Here are 5 yoga poses to practice after a long flight - and trust us, you’re going to want to make these an unconditional part of your travel routine.
1. Child’s pose
Child’s pose is a great pose for feeling grounded after a long flight.
Start on all fours, then bring your knees as wide as the edges of your mat. From here, sink the hips back to the heels, bringing your chest towards the ground as you walk your hands straight out in front of you.
Bring a cushion underneath the forehead if it feels good - alternatively, you can bring your head down to the ground.
Stay here for as long as you like!
2. Seated forward fold
Seated forward fold is the ultimate passive hamstring stretch and will give your legs exactly what they need after hours of sitting on a flight. It’s also great for releasing tension in the lower back.
Sit on your mat with your legs out in front of you. You might like to bring a cushion underneath the sit bones to help you sit up tall. Keep your toes pointed up towards the ceiling and notice if this is enough of a stretch for you.
If you would like a deeper stretch, slowly bring the tummy down towards the legs - leading with the chest to prevent rounding in the shoulders. If you have no back pain, go ahead and let the head relax with a little curve in the spine. You might also like to bring a cushion underneath the knees.
Stay here for 2-3 minutes.
3. Low lunge
Low lunge will stretch the quads, hip flexors, and psoas muscle (which can help to relieve lower back pain).
Start from standing and take a big step back with the right foot into a high lunge position. Gently bring your right knee to the ground - making sure that your left knee is stacked over the left ankle. Rest your hands on your front knee and then experiment with the pose - bringing your hips lower to the ground with each exhale until you feel a wonderful stretch down the front of the right hip and leg.
Stay here for 3-5 breaths before repeating on the other side.
4. Camel pose
Camel pose is a gentle backbend that will help to open the chest and counteract your in-flight slouching.
Start by kneeling on your mat with your knees hip-width apart. From here, tuck your toes to lift your heel to the sky. Place your hands at your lower back as though you’re putting them into your “back pockets”, as you slowly start to lean back into your hands. When you’re ready, bring one hand to your heel, followed by the next. Keep the chest open and lifted - the chin can stay tucked or you can let the head fall back.
To come out of the pose, bring your hands back to your “back pockets” first. Lift your body back up to the center followed by your head.
If this pose is not accessible for you, you can practice with one arm at a time - keep one hand resting on the heel whilst lifting the other towards the sky.
5. Eagle arms
Eagle arms will give you a lovely stretch between the shoulder blades to release upper back pain.
Sit comfortably and bring both arms to reach in front of you. Cross the right elbow over the left, and then bend the elbows to 90 degrees. From here you can bring the back of the hands to touch, or wrap the forearms to bring the palms together.
Keeping the forearms parallel to the body, lift the elbows as you inhale and bring them back down on an exhale.
Repeat on the other side.
What else is at the top of your post-travel to-do list? We would love to know!