Airport Yoga 101
FFC Park Ridge group fitness instructor and Yogi Pantra Shafaee-Hoeft shares some tips for incorporating a quick yoga practice into your travels for less stress.
The benefits of group fitness classes like Pilates and yoga are HUGE. Not only a great fitness format, yoga can help you calm your mind and your body. Airport yoga is rapidly becoming one of the best ways to center yourself before embarking on an adventure. Stress from security, flight delays or disruptions, crowds, and little to no control over much of anything can drain your energy and lead to bad food choices, no exercise/movement and lethargy. Airport yoga – and airports with rooms specifically dedicated to space to practice/meditate is a huge source of benefit to combat some of these stressors. Plus, yoga can also help combat blood circulation issues, stiffness and other issues related to travel or flying.
Related: the best healthy food options at the airport to stay on track.
I recommend you do a quick search to see which airports have yoga rooms. Most will have amenities like mats, water, etc. for you – but if you want to try to get a quick practice in on the go, it wouldn’t hurt to bring along a travel mat.
Tips for doing airport yoga:
- Limit as many distractions as possible (put your phone on silent mode).
- Carry disinfectant wipes to help keep extra germs at bay.
- Simple poses and progressions are great ways to easily incorporate yoga in short timeframes.
Here are two choices (repeat each 3 times, paying attention to breath):
Sun Salutation A (Surya Namaskara A)
- Begin with your palms together, at your heart
- Standing Mountain Pose/Tadasana
- Upward Salute/Urdhva Hastasana
- Standing Forward Fold/ Uttanasana
- Half Standing Forward Fold/Ardha Uttanasana
- Four-Limbed Staff Pose/Chaturana Dandasana
- Upward-Facing Dog Pose/Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
- Downward-Facing Dog Pose/Adho Mukha Svanasana
- Half Standing Forward Fold/Ardha Uttanasana
- Standing Forward Fold/Uttanasana
- Upward Salute/ Urdhva Hastasana
- Mountain Pose/Tadasana
Related: do you balance your yin and yang? Here’s why you should!
Sun Salutation B (Surya Namaskara B)
- Standing Mountain Pose/Tadasana
- Chair Pose/Utkatasana
- Standing Forward Fold/Uttanasana
- Half Standing Forward Fold/Ardha Uttanasana
- Four-Limbed Staff Pose/Chaturanga Dandasana
- Upward-Facing Dog Pose – Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
- Downward-Facing Dog Pose – Adho Mukha Svanasana
- Warrior I, Right Foot/Virabhadrasana I
- Four-Limbed Staff Pose/Chaturanga Dandasana
- Upward-Facing Dog Pose – Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
- Downward-Facing Dog Pose – Adho Mukha Svanasana
- Warrior I, Left Foot/Virabhadrasana I
- Four-Limbed Staff Pose/Chaturanga Dandasana
- Upward-Facing Dog Pose – Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
- Downward-Facing Dog Pose – Adho Mukha Svanasana
- Half Standing Forward Fold/Ardha Uttanasana
- Standing Forward Fold/Uttanasana
- Chair Pose/Utkatasana
- Mountain Pose/Tadasana
Post written by FFC Park Ridge group fitness instructor and yogi Pantra Shafaee-Hoeft.
About Pantra
Pantra Hoeft began her exploration with yoga 10 years ago with Bikram Yoga. After realizing how free and happy she felt being on her mat she enrolled in the 200-hour teacher training with CorePower in the summer of 2015 and decided to continue her passion and became 500-hour RYT through CorePower’s 300-hour teaching program this past summer.
In maintaining a mindful practice, she believes the mind-body connection teaches us how to live a fulfilling, healthy, and happy life on AND off the yoga mat. She encourages her students to play with their edge, while providing a safe, encouraging, and nonjudgmental environment where each individual can achieve their full potential. Check out the group fitness schedule to see when she teachers and stop by a class!
