by Nina
Baxter was interviewed yesterday by the Washington Post health blogger about the new San Francisco Airport Yoga Room and the benefits of doing yoga at the airport, and you can see the post here.
In his interview, Baxter admits that it is unlikely that anyone would stop at an airport yoga room after they arrive at their destination, however, during the time before you take off or when you layover in an airport between flights, practicing yoga can be beneficial.
“The general tenor of travel these days is so stressful, it’s almost designed to get the blood
pressure up and stimulate the fight-or-flight response. Stretching [as in doing yoga] can switch from the sympathetic, fight-or-flight nervous system to the parasympathetic, or rest and digest, system. That could go a long way toward reducing stress.”
He even suggests a few inverted poses that you might do in the yoga room. Of course only the San Francisco Airport has a yoga room, so what’s the ordinary traveling yogi to do? Well, you know all those chairs you have to sit around on while waiting for your plane to board? You can use them as props for an “office” yoga practice (see “After the Retreat: Office Yoga” right here on our blog).
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This is great news! Just the idea of a yoga room at the airport is calming to me. When we flew to Paris, my 71 year old mom & I did yoga in our seats while my dad & husband sat next to us with knowing looks on their faces. Other passengers seemed a bit perplexed, most seemed to understand. The seated yoga along with lots of walking up & down the aisles made the long flight so much more bearable.
For many, many years, I have done yoga "bits" in airports around the country. When I first started traveling for my work, it was a way to get through long flights and late-night flights. In those days, I usually had a yoga book or a Yoga Journal with me (started traveling in 1980), so that people could see I was doing something called yoga. Many times, I was asked questions about my practice and I often gave away the magazine. On my most recent trip, the gate I was scheduled to depart from was full, but the gate across the way was empty with almost no chairs. There were 6 of us doing yoga! On the floor, against the wall or a post, and even using the counter. I had to smile and join in. We've certainly come a long way.