Traveling is often exciting and invigorating – who doesn’t love a break from the ordinary? – but sometimes even travelers need a pick-me-up. Yesterday was a day just like for me: I had arisen before dawn in drizzling rain to go on a drive through Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park. The animals largely declined to make an appearance in the slightly inclement weather, and our drive turned into a three-hour drive across bumpy roads through a barren section of park … which was capped off by our vehicle getting stuck in the mud. We missed breakfast while waiting for someone with a chain to come and pull our vehicle free. Disregarding my own advice to choose to be happy, I spent the rest of the day feeling out of sorts.
That evening, the lack of even lukewarm water in the shower was unsurprising, but still unwelcome. As I arched my back in an effort to wash my hair while allowing the cold water to touch as little of my body as possible, I had an epiphany: I need to incorporate more backbends into my practice.
Backbends offer many benefits, some of which are particularly well-suited to travelers — for reasons beyond helping you survive cold showers!
Backbends strengthen your spine.
A regular backbend practice strengthens your spine and its supportive muscles. This in turn helps improve posture and may alleviate back pain. Ever spent a long day on a plane or a bus? Having a strong back can make those hours in transit that much more comfortable.
Backbends release endorphins.
Performing backbends releases endorphins that improve your mood. Whether you’re weary from sightseeing or travel delays, or just tired from sleeping in a strange bed, a backbend might be just what you need to snap out of a funk and enjoy your vacation. I know that, when I tried out some backbends the morning after our disappointing drive through Queen Elizabeth National Park, I felt much more cheerful about tackling a second drive.
Backbends stimulate your heart chakra.
Backbending poses open the chest and upper body, which in turn stimulates the heart chakra. By opening the heart chakra, we can help open ourselves to new experiences and build courage. What is more important to travelers than being receptive to new experiences? Backbends can help ensure that we are in the right frame of mind to get the most from our travels, and help us dispel fears so that we can try new things.
Image credit: Glen Wright