Yoga for Finance and Travel Stress

It seems like everywhere you turn these days there are folks talking about the economy. Yesterday I filled up my gas tank for $16 and I let out a happy sigh of relief that something is actually decreasing in price. Still, the holidays are fast approaching and folks are dealing with job layoffs, budget stretching and rising costs. A few weeks ago, YogaBasics offered up an excellent post on practicing yoga in a financial crisis. Click here to read the article and get some tips for keeping your budget in check.

Practicing yoga is so critical to remaining balanced in these challenging times. If your yoga classes and/or private sessions are something that need to be eliminated from your budget, don't fear that you have to stop practicing althogether. There are a number of low cost (yogatoday.com is free) sources for yoga. Thanks to the Internet, there are sites like myyogaonline, ihanuman, beyou.tv, Core Power Yoga on Demand, Yoga Journal Practice Podcast, Jiva Diva Podcast, yoga downloads from Eoin Finn, yogi2go.com, gaiam yoga club, and yogayak.com (just to name a few) that offer low-cost yoga classes via MP3 download. You don't have to have a lot of money to practice yoga -- you just have to be willing to hunt around and be open to classes in a different format than you're used to.

If travel is what's getting you stressed these days (I'll be traveling this holiday and I usually meet one or two white-knuckle travelers), I suggest Yoga Today's Yoga for Weary Travelers. Sarah is my favorite teacher at Yoga Today and she offers a great routine that's only 16 minutes. The practice is meant for travelers who have reached their destination, but Yoga Today also offers up some tips for folks before and during travel.

I stay happy and comfortable when traveling by doing the following:

• Hydrating
• Packing my bag full of goodies that bring me pleasure -- books, aromatherapy, healthy snacks, a comfy wrap, my iPod, etc.
• Leaving for the airport with plenty of time to spare -- I don't mind getting to the airport early. I simply use the time to catch up on reading or thanks to my nifty phone, I catch up on email.
• Stretch -- take breaks in the airport and on the plane to stretch. Seated stretches on the airplane are my favorite!
• Smile and be open -- I've met some wonderful folks during flights and at airports.
• Keeping it simple -- I pack light and I plan my travel outfit according to the airport security restrictions (I wear little jewlery and slip on shoes)

Namaste!

Comments

[Diane Cesa]

Thanks for sharing the link Lindsey! I love your tips! I'm all about deep breathing and shopping online!

[Lindsey Lewis]

Thanks for this, Diane!
I really like the travel tips. I love having goodies in my bag, too. And yoga music (or just comforting music) on the iPod works wonders. A couple of my faves are listed at this link: http://joyyoga.blogspot.com/2008/12/holiday-shopping-top-5-tips-for-staying.html