meditation and light yoga stretches for a long plane ride by guest blogger wanderingyogi

14 hours on a plane is enough to make
anyone's hair stand on end.

Flying coach is miserable. Your eyeballs are desiccated raisons in your skull, and your brain pounds with the incessant thrum of the plane's engines.  Strapped into a seat with no room to spare, staring at the too-bright screen thrust into your face, and waging a silent war with your neighbor over the armrest, you wonder what evil you did in a past life that warranted this level of hell.  Although it feels as if you've been stuck in this torture tube for a lifetime, when you check, it's only been three hours into the nine hour flight.  So, you have a choice.  Resignedly press the screen and select another mindless movie to watch, or do some relaxation exercises and give yourself a break.  Too embarrassed?  Don't be, the captain has dimmed the cabin lights, so no one is watching.  Besides, everyone is too lost in their own misery to be paying attention to you. 

So, let's begin, shall we? 

Seated meditation and stretches  

Make sure that your overhead light is turned off, and your tray secured and locked in place.  Your seat may be reclined or in the upright position.   

Take heart, there is a light
at the end of the tunnel
(or a very long plane ride).

          Relaxing breathing and meditation 1:  Sit up straight with both feet on the floor.  Place your hands on your thighs.  Close your eyes.  Inhale slowly, deeply, and evenly for 4 beats, counting silently to yourself 1-2-3-4.  Exhale slowly and evenly for 4 beats, counting silently to yourself 1-2-3-4.  Do 10 repetitions of breath.  As you breathe, notice where your shoulders are and bring them down your back.  Concentrate on counting your breaths, and notice if any thoughts intrude.  If they do, just let these thoughts go, and continue with breathing evenly, and deeply, counting your breaths.  

          Relaxing breathing and meditation 2:  Inhale slowly, deeply and evenly for 4 beats.  Exhale slowly and evenly for 6 beats.  Do 10 repetitions of breath.  Slowly open your eyes, and check in with yourself as to how you feel.     

          Neck stretch 1:  Inhaling slowly and evenly, slowly tilt your head back, directing your chin and your gaze to the ceiling.  Exhaling slowly and evenly, bringing your chin down to your chest.  Move with your breath for 10 repetitions.

          Neck stretch 2:  Inhale, look to the right, moving your chin to your right shoulder.  Exhale, moving your head back to the middle.  Inhale, look to the left, moving your chin to your left shoulder.  Exhale, move your head back to the middle.

          Neck stretch 3:  Inhale, tilt your head to the right, move your right ear to your right shoulder.  Stay here for 3 full breaths.  Inhale, tilt your head to the left, move your left ear to your left shoulder.  Stay here for 3 full breaths.  Keeping your head tilted to one side, lift and lower your chin, looking for any areas of particular tightness.  Use your breath and movement to loosen the muscles in those areas.

          Eagle arms:  Bend one arm and bring it to your midline in front of your torso.  Bend your other arm and bring it under your first arm so that your elbows are stacked.  Allow the backs of your hands to touch or nearly meet.  Press your elbows together, and breathe in this position for 3 full breaths, noticing the stretch in your shoulders and upper back.  For more of a stretch, raise your elbows higher, and breathe for another 3 full breaths.  

          Eagle arms alternative:  Hold the top of your left shoulder with your right hand, and the top of your right shoulder with your left hand so that your arms criss-cross in front of your torso.  Exhale, slowly bring your chin to your chest.  Breathe in this position for 3 full breaths.

 

          Seated cat and cow stretches:  Sit up straight, hands on knees, and feet flat on ground.  For cow stretch, inhale, keeping your hands on your knees, draw your elbows toward you, roll your chest open to the ceiling, bring your shoulders down, and your gaze to the ceiling.  For cat stretch, exhale, arch your back, bring your chin to your chest, and roll your shoulders forward.  Do 10 repetitions, breathing as you move slowly and fluidly, inhaling for cow, exhaling for cat.    

          Seated twist:  Inhale, sit up straight, feet flat on the ground.  Exhale, twist to right, placing your left hand on your right knee and your right hand on the right armrest.  Use your left and right arms as leverage to deepen the twist.  Breath in this twist for 2 full breaths.  Exhale, release the twist and move your torso back to neutral, chest square to the seat in front of you.  For the left side, sit up straight, feet flat on the ground.  Exhale, twist to left, placing your right hand on your left knee and your left hand on the left  armrest.  Use your left and right arms as leverage to deepen the twist.  Breath in this twist for 2 full breaths.  Exhale, release the twist and move your torso back to neutral, chest square to the seat in front of you.  5 repetitions of each side.

    

          Hip stretch 1:  Exhale, clasp your right knee with both hands, and bring your right knee toward your chest with your left foot flat on the floor.  Sit up straight, shoulders back, neck long and head reaching for the ceiling.  Hold for 3 full breaths, and release your leg.  Exhale, clasp your left knee with both hands, and bring your left knee toward your chest with your right foot flat on the floor.  Sit up straight, shoulders back, neck long and head reaching for the ceiling.  Hold for 3 full breaths, and release your leg.   

          Hip stretch 2:  Bring your right ankle or shin over left knee.  Exhale, bend forward slightly to stretch your right hip.  Hold this stretch for 3 full breaths.  Bend further forward to deepen the stretch.  Bring your left ankle or shin over right knee.  Exhale, bend forward slightly to stretch your right hip.  Hold this stretch for 3 full breaths.  

Standing stretches  

One hour in, 13 more hours to go.

Has your butt gone numb from too much inactivity in your cramped coach seat?  Numbness is a sign from your body that standing stretches are in order.  Although they can be done anywhere, I like to stretch in the space at the front of coach class by the main doors of the plane and near the front bathroom.  Midway into the flight after we've been fed and watered, there is usually no one waiting for the bathroom, and there is a modicum of privacy with the cabin lights dimmed and the curtain drawn over the kitchen galley.  A great time to stretch and regain some semblance of humanity!   

          Chest opener and neck stretch: Clasp your hands so your palms are facing each other (or clasp opposing elbows) behind your back, draw your hands or elbows down toward your buttocks, opening your chest and bringing your shoulders down.  Stretch your neck by tilting your head to the left and right as you draw your hands down.  Move your chin up and down while holding this stretch and notice where it is tight in your neck and top of the shoulder.  Hold the stretch for each side for 3 full breaths.   

          Standing forward bend:  Keeping your legs straight or with a slight bend, exhale and slowly bend forward, hinging from the hips.  Clasp opposing elbows, and feel the stretch in your hamstrings.  Hold the stretch for 3 full breaths.  Place your hands on your hips, inhale and raise your torso slowly to come up.     

          Hamstring stretch 1:  Place one foot in front of the other, heel to toe. Exhale, hinging at the waist, bend forward over your front leg.  Hold the stretch for 3 full breaths.  Exchange sides, and repeat.

          Hamstring stretch 2:  Stand with your feet together, hips distance apart.  Step one leg back approximately a foot and a half, with the back foot pointed outward by 30 degrees.  Exhale, hinging at the waist, bend forward over your front leg.  Hold the stretch for 3 full breaths.  Exchange sides, and repeat twice on each side.   

          Quad stretch and balance:  Stand on your right leg, grabbing your left ankle behind you.  Raise your right arm straight overhead, reaching the crown of your head to the ceiling.  Exchange sides, and repeat twice on each side.       

          Side stretch:  Keep your hands on hips.  Exhale, bend at the waist to the right, and stretch your left arm overhead, so that your right arm is by your right ear.  Hold for 2 full breaths.  Inhale, bring your torso back to center, left arm to your side.  Exhale, bend at the waist to the left, and stretch your right arm overhead, so that your right arm is by your right ear.  Hold for 2 full breaths.  Repeat three times on each side.    

          Toe stand:  Stand by a wall with one hand on the wall.  Inhale, raising yourself up onto the balls of your feet.  Raise your arms straight up on either side of your ears, keeping your spine straight, and the crown of your head reaching to the ceiling.  Balance on balls of your feet for 3 full breaths.  Do a standing forward fold afterwards to release your back.  Repeat two more times. 

Return back to your seat. 

          Seated meditation:  End the practice with a brief meditation.  Sit with your hands on your thighs, back straight, and eyes closed.  Slowly count backwards from 20, counting each number on the exhale.  When you reach the end, slowly open your eyes, and check in with yourself. 

Drink at least one glass of water to rehydrate.   

These stretches are not restricted to just plane rides, long or short.  Do them on a train, on a ferry, in your hotel room, on a mountain top, at the beach or in a piazza.  The benefits are the same wherever you do them. 

Namaste! 

*Our friend and guest blogger, WanderingYogi, is a certified yoga instructor and a world traveler. She teaches hatha style yoga classes in downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica.  She can be reached at yogawithphoebe@gmail.com.