On the Road Again...

Actually, I finally find myself off the road. HELLO WORLD! I just got back from a two and half week road trip across the ol' U S of A, and let me tell you its nice to be back home! Finally, instead of sitting in the car for thirteen hours, I get to sit on my awesomely comfortable couch for fifthteen hours. Life's as it should be.

    Although the trip was amazing, I have to say that it was a doosey of a challenge to accept that I was not able to practice yogs as much as I was used to; consequently my body felt stiff, I became quite a pill (or a bitch..depending on who you asked), and I was losing a sense of calmness and clarity that I had been used to working towards in my daily life. Luckily, among the bazillion things that I'm awesome at, I can improvise. So bloggers, yogi's, and loyal stalkers, I write this entry in the hopes to share tips on how to take yoga with you wherever you go. If you have suggestions, questions, corrections, or any other "tions" that may add to this piece, as always feel free to comment. 

1). Diaphragmatic Breathing:  I LOVED practicing this breath  while in the car, both when I was passenger and driver. Now that I'm home and safe, I will admit that yes I did practice pranayama (breathing exercises) while I was driving. I don't necessarily encourage it, but I will say that it kept me interested and alert; two virtues of driving.  Essentially in diaphragmatic breathing, you're breathing into the lower part of you abdomen, just below the naval. The diaphragm is shaped kind of like a parachute, and when you inhale the top of the the diaphragm drops down into a bowl shape, and when you exhale that same diaphragmatic layer pushes back up in a somewhat inverted bowl shape.  But hey look Jimmy, here's a video! Let's watch...   

I enjoyed imagining that on my inhales, my bottom core expanded really wide, and on the exhales i powerfully pulled in both of my sides toward the midline of my stomach. I kinda pretended I was a human accordion. Which was neat. I also liked how it felt like I was toning my stomach because it distracted me from the reality of being in car with no exercise for hours on in. For a full instructional video on diaphragmatic breathing pop on over to Yogayak.com and look over in the pranayama section. Feel free to donate while your there also. Icon wink ;).

2). Hotel Asanas:  At some point, after all that driving, fighting, and road kill running over, you land somewhere. For us we stayed in a hotel room in just about every night. (Shout out to Billings Montana Super 8! Yeyea!).  So you're now in a private, stable environment-why not go do some yoga, dumb dumb? Just kidding, I don't think you're a dumb dumb. I just say stuff sometimes to get noticed...but all dumb dumb joking aside, you can easily do some simple Sun Salutations, core work, standing asanas, and even some back bends in the smallest and tightest of rooms. I personally really enjoyed doing a supported head stand (Sirsasana 1) for about 5-10 minutes a day. I found that it shook up the stagnant digestive system, gave me more energy and focus, and all around put me in a better mood. For instructions on supported headstand, yoga journal has simple, orderly directions on that and many other asanas.  http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/481

 3). Just Let Your Free Flag Fly: Last time I checked, this wasn't communist China. America is one of the most desirable places to live because we believe in freedom, and if I want to tie in a little asana practice in the middle of what I'm doing...shit ya I'm going to do it! I mean if I don't, doesn't that just mean the terrorists have won? I say do your part, as an AMERICAN, and bust into a down dog if you feel so inclined.  I did. In Chicago. While I was waiting in line to see a boat tour of the city's historical  architecture. A really nice tour actually, and I highly recommend it if you're in the area.   But I digress, the point I'm trying to make is that if you want to go into a yoga pose at the most seemingly randomist of times, I say do it. If someone gawks at you for doing yoga, chances are its because

• they're jealous
• they're curious
• they want to join in but are too shy
• they haven't participated in the act of coitus in a substantial amount of time, and watching you do poses makes them feel funny in their "no no" spots. (watch out for these people).

Sometimes you might find someone who's just bitter at yoga in general and thinks you're stupid for practicing in public. In those cases, just remember that life's full of haters, and haters gonna hate. Whatever, we all know that you lose more weight if you participate, and me personally? I'm into lookin' good. So there.  
    Of coarse, be aware and considerate of the people around you; if it bothers them then take a step back. This, much like various yogic practices, are not suitable for everyone at every time. These are just suggestions, and ultimately its up to you to practice the way that is right for you and your situation.

Well now, I suppose I've said what I've needed to say. I hope my experience and suggestions with road yoga will sit well with you. Thanks for reading and I hope you're enjoying all the yogic matters in your day.

Cheers and Namaste.