It can be easy to let your yoga practice slip while on the road. After a long day of traveling or sightseeing, combined with the probability of more indulgent food and drink and/or jet lag, it can be difficult to tear yourself away from a luxurious hotel bed for your sun salutations. Even though I know that I feel much better if I start my day with yoga, it can be hard to remember when I’m snuggled in bed and have a full day of activity planned.
Here are four tricks for getting yourself up and into a tree pose while on the road:
Find a class.
Surrounding yourself with other yogis can be motivational — not to mention that you’re more likely to stick to something for which you’ve already signed up. Consult my tips to find a yoga studio while on the road for help locating a class.
Enlist some traveling companions.
If you can’t find a formal class that fits into your schedule, you can still benefit from the group aspect by rounding up some of your traveling companions (assuming you have some). If you are staying in hostels, you can make use of the bulletin board to look for other travelers who are interested in joining you for some informal yoga.
Set a motivational alarm.
If you use your smartphone as your alarm, try setting a motivational message as your alarm title to help you get up and out of bed. I like to use something simple like “Namaste!” or “Salute the sun!” but you can be more elaborate. If you don’t use your smartphone as an alarm or it doesn’t have that feature, you can accomplish the same thing by leaving yourself a motivational note by the alarm clock.
Assemble your gear before bed.
It is much easier to get out of bed to practice if you have your yoga gear in sight when you wake up. Not only will it reinforce your intention to practice, but it’s reassuring to know that you won’t have to spend 10 minutes hunting through your luggage for a sports bra.
Have any other tips for motivating yourself to practice while on the road? Let me know in the comments!
Image credit: Nickolai Kashirin