5 Yoga Poses to Practice Before Long Flight

Travel can be grueling on the body, and long flights can certainly take their toll. Many preventative steps travelers can take to ensure easy and smooth voyages include drinking loads of water, healthy eating to maintain immunity, and some light stretching to keep stiffness away.

Here are five yoga poses to help you relax and stay mobile after a long trip. These are all seated yoga poses that you can perform in the airport’s waiting area before you board.

Paschimottanasana

This forward-folding seated position is a favorite for pre-flight. It is cooling and relaxing, and it can help reduce cortisol and slow down your heart rate. It is important to stay grounded and relaxed during stressful travel days.

Mastyendrasana

The Lord of the Fishes twist is done with either the straight or bent bottom leg. This is a good Asana for releasing the back and helping detoxify your body before a long journey. You can complete the twist by looking over your back shoulder. This will help you release the neck.

Agnistambhasana

The hip-opening pose of the fire log (also known as Double Pigeon) is a powerful one. Sitting in tight spaces for long periods can cause hip cramps.

This pose will keep your hips loose for the duration of your trip. If you find this pose too hard on your knees, turn the back foot behind you (heel towards buttocks) and fold the body around the front leg. The same benefits will be achieved, but the knees will be much more gentle.

Gomukhasana

Cow Face pose also opens the hips and stretches your shoulders. The shoulders can become slouched and sore after spending hours on the plane and using your iPad. Open up your shoulders and chest to keep in good shape for landing.

Anjaneyasana

The low lunge helps to stretch the hip flexors, which can become very compressed when seated. Before you fly, practice any variation of the low lunge that feels good for your body.

You can do this by widening your legs, dropping the elbows, and keeping the body straight. Your hands could also be placed on the knee in front of you. This will prevent the hips and torso from becoming stiff during flight.

Long flights are exhausting, both physically and mentally. However, with a little self-care and love, they can be much less turbulent. Enjoy these five stretches in a quiet place before your next flight. You will arrive a little less stiff and more refreshed.