Tags
backpacker yogi, meditation, outdoors yoga, pain, self-discipline, Travelling Yogi, yoga and travel, yoga self-practice
You might be wondering why didn’t I write any blog post nor did I post anything on my yoga Facebook page during long months of my South-East Asia journey. The reason is very simple: I didn’t have much to write about.
I got so hooked on travelling- going from place to place, exploring day in, day out-that it left me with precious little time to practice yoga. There were entire days I didn’t do anything yoga-related at all! Often, I would do just pranayamas or 5-10 minutes of gentle yoga moves to wake my body up and relieve the stiffness.
It was easy enough to practice daily when I stayed at one place for a longer while, especially if the accommodation happened to have a terrace or a balcony with a nice view. When those were unavailable, I’d wake up early in the morning to use deserted common areas, such as roofs.
I had ideal conditions for my yoga practice on Thailand’s islands, at the resort where I was supposed to work in Sri Lanka and at the yoga centre in Cambodia where I taught for two weeks. I cherished my morning outdoor yoga at those beautiful locations. But travelling through Vietnam, Myanmar and Malaysia I was staying solely in budget hotel rooms, with Couch Surfers or in hostels- all located in the middle of busy towns.
I’d say that roughly half of my travel was intense which meant I’d leave the room early in the morning and come back in the evening, completely knackered. Whatever little time I could salvage, I’d have to choose my priorities. Often, all I felt like doing was restorative yoga with legs against the wall. After walking 20 km or cycling for the whole day in the tropical heat I simply had no energy for anything else.
During more busy periods of my travel, I had to make a tough choice between meditation and yoga. I’d take this decision depending on whether it was my body or mind that needed more rest and attention. To accommodate both, I often meditated on the trains or buses, which obviously was far from ideal.
One might think that a few intense months like these would totally ruin my body, especially without much yoga. After all, my days were filled either with strenuous physical activities or just the opposite- spent in cramped minivans or buses. Unbelievably, the opposite was true: I was completely pain-free for the entire period of my journey (with the exception of the pain in the soles of my feet).
Meanwhile, when I lived in the UK, doing and teaching yoga every day, I’d periodically experience one kind of pain or another. It probably had more to do with sitting most of the day in front of the computer or carrying my massage futon hanging across one shoulder all over the city than with doing a lot of yoga. Nevertheless, I find that difference remarkable and significant.
During my travels, I’d return to Kolkata (my Asian base at my in-lasws’ home) in regular intervals. As I didn’t have much to do there, I was able to return to full yoga and meditation practice. Whenever I was back to my usual practice, I could see no deterioration in the level of my mobility or strength. In short, I discovered that I don’t really need to do yoga every day to stay healthy and feel good.
In fact, my mind suffered far more from the lack of regular meditation than my body from the lack of regular asana practice. Two meditation retreats (anapana in Thailand and vipassana in Kolkata) did not quite make for the lack of daily meditation practice though they definitely helped on a short-term basis.
So my message is: try to keep your daily practice but don’t worry if you can’t have a ‘proper’ session every day. Do whenever you can, however you can. Yoga during travelling is possible so long as you don’t make your travel plans too hectic.
You don’t need much to make it happen: a bit of space on the ground and something to protect your knees from the hard surface would sufficce. A yoga mat is a nice and helpful gadget but it’s certainly not essential.
You don’t have a mat and the floor is too dirty to lie down? Not to worry, you can do some standing asanas, or even do some stretches on the bed if it’s hard enough. Experiment, adapt, adjust and don’t be too strict with yourself.
Apart from short episodes in Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Thailand, I haven’t taught yoga for over a year now but each time I stood in front of my students, it felt like coming back home. Teaching is so ingrained with me that I don’t feel ‘out of touch’ even after a long break. That doesn’t mean I didn’t miss it. I’m very much looking forward to teaching regular classes soon.