There is always something exciting about traveling as it gives you the chance to create new memories you will treasure for life. One aspect of all the fun is the anticipation of waiting for the day to finally come when it is time for you to board the plane or hit the road to your dream getaway.
However, traveling can also take its toll not only on your body but also on your mind. But by following Ayurveda practices, you can look forward to a unique travel experience like no other.
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What is Ayurveda?
The purpose of Ayurveda is to balance the body, mind, and spirit to achieve and retain optimum health. This has an excellent potential to keep you energized and balanced during your travels.
One of the key Ayurvedic principles is to balance your doshas as a means to nurture overall well-being. As expected, traveling can deplete and create disharmony in the doshas, which can create imbalances in the mind and body. Vata is one specific dosha that is impacted the most.
One of the key Ayurvedic principles is to balance your doshas for your well-being. (image source: Thermana Laško)
Vata is basically the personification of change. This is made up of air and space and this likes to move. If placed in a certain environment such as traveling that needs lots of change and movement, this can get overloaded which may result in some negative effects. Balancing your Vata dosha is a must if you want to enjoy a smooth trip.
Below are some tips to help you balance your Vata dosha so you can look forward to a wonderful and relaxing trip.
Consume Grounding Foods
Focus on loading your plates with moist and warm grounding foods on the day of your travel, such as:
Hot soups
Cooked apples
Rice
Steamed vegetables
Snack often and eat light and stay away from heavy meals. Eating raw and dry foods such as dried fruit, potato chips, and salad can make your body drier which can cause digestive issues. It may require you to prepare and bring your own snacks. Good thing that food marts and airports are now starting to provide healthier food options.
Pamper Your Body with Massage
After spending the day doing touristy activities and walking, it always feels great to finally hit the bed. But before you doze off, you might want to give yourself a relaxing self-massage that is found to offer different health benefits such as:
It improves circulation.
It calms the nervous system.
It frees the body from tension, which is found to promote relief from headaches.
Ayurvedic massage in Thermana & Veda Ayurveda Centre. (image source: Thermana Laško)
Traditionally, an Ayurvedic self-massage is performed sitting or standing using oils like sesame that can help pacify Vata imbalance. You might want to add a small bottle of oil properly packed in a plastic nah to your travel toiletry.
Self-massage can be performed at the end of the day while lying in bed with or without using soil. Start from the top of the head by massaging the scalp then make your way to the bottom of the feet. Don’t forget to massage your tummy to aid with digestion. This is something you can do in the morning before taking a shower and make the experience work for you.
Practice Yoga
Most of the time, you need to sit for long hours during a trip. After you spend a fun day filled with activities, your body might feel a bit stiff. Yoga and Ayurveda are sister sciences and practicing them together can offer huge benefits.
Now, just because yoga is mentioned doesn’t mean that you need to perform complicated twists and handstands. It can also be something as simple as comfortable stretching that can open and create space for movement and help heal the mind and body.
Yoga and Ayurveda can offer huge benefits. (image source: Thermana Laško)
You can also try several chair yoga poses at the end of the day at the destination or even during your flights. All of these fun poses are specially made for road trips that can also give you a much-needed break after a long and tiring day of driving. You can even include a few stretches of your own while standing like standing twists, bending side to side, or forward folds. Be sure to move in the specific direction that your body prefers.
Indulge in a Relaxing Sleep
Getting good quality sleep ( https://www.thermana.si/it ) is important to your overall health and wellbeing. Try to follow a regular sleep routine to get enough sleep. Both your mind and body engage in rejuvenation, detoxification, and self-repair at night, and you wouldn’t want to miss it. It might be tricky to decompress at the end of a packed day but there are some techniques you can try, such as:
Journal about your day
Listen to calming music
Meditate
Free your sleeping area from electronics
Take a hot shower
If possible, make sure your itinerary has some room for a leisure day when you will just take a rest and let the day unfold on its own.
Stay Hydrated
Enjoying the refreshing breeze while you zoom down the road or having the air of the aircraft cabin blowing in your face can both dehydrate your body and skin.
This is why it is important to drink plenty of water during trips, particularly during long-haul flights. As much as possible, never drink alcohol on the day of your trip since it can also dehydrate you.
Always have a bottle of water with you that is easy to pack and collapsible. If possible, you can also drink some warm water for comfort and to help with digestion. You can even take electrolytes right on the day of your trip to prevent dehydration.
Take Time to Stop to Breathe
Breathing is an action that is very easy to take for granted. Your breath, depending on your current state of mind, can get shallow when responding to stress. It can also become deep if you feel relaxed. You will be better off if you take more cleansing deep breaths. Spending some moments in your day where you pause and perform breathing exercises for several seconds can do wonders to calm you down and make you feel more grounded.
Ayurvedic Breathing Exercises To Reduce Stress.
The next time you plan your vacation, try to incorporate these practices inspired by Ayurveda to make your trip more fulfilling and rejuvenating.
