Aeroplane Yoga

Thank you Qantas pyjamas.

If you Google: "yoga" and "aeroplanes", it's surprising just how many articles there are! There is even a book published about it called Airplane Yoga! I really don't think it's necessary to research it though because if you've ever been on a flight, even just a short one, you have most likely, albeit unconsciously, done some yoga! The most effective in opening the hips and really getting that blood circulating whilst I was sitting were: Ardha Padmasana (Half lotus), Ardha Matyendrasana (Lord of the Fish) and Supta Virasana (Reclined hero). Oh, did I mention I was lucky enough to fly Business Class all the way through to NYC?  Yeah, so that was just before I ate my Roast Beetroot and Goats Cheese Salad with Barley and Sunflower Seeds. Ahem, sorry. Thus, ample room for me to do yoga in my seat .I'm sure there is room in Economy Class to do these too, but now that I've flown Business, I can't for the life of me ever go back...EVER!

Once you are out of your seat, after you've strategically contorted your body to climb over a sleeping passenger with all the agility of a Cirque du Soleil performer, there is ample room in some unoccupied corner to do a few more poses.  I found a spare little hallway near the Galley and did a few lunges, including this Anjaneyasana (Crescent Moon) complete with Qantas pyjamas! I then ended up chatting to a lovely Flight Attendant called George, who was possibly one of the most interesting people I've met and again, as I've been discovering with yoga, gravitated towards me for a reason. Stay tuned. Will discuss in my next post.

Overall, in all of my travel experiences including the 25 hours it took to fly to the other side of the world today/yesterday I learnt a few things:

Good morning LAX

• Perhaps people unconsciously do yoga and don't even know it!  The number of people stretching, yawning, taking deep breaths and sharing pitied looks was cool. Like yep, we're all stuck on this godforsaken metal tube together, may as well still feel alive somehow
• Drink lots of water, but make sure you get an aisle seat
• Pranayama (breath) is essential for flying, particularly because the air is thinner, so you need to sit for at least a few minutes and just breathe. I think people do this too?
• Don't EVER drink coffee on an aeroplane, the altitude means that water can't reach boiling point, that's why it's always luke warm. (I also learnt that in Flight Attendant school - Job #54 - amongst other things...)
• Don't watch a movie that involves plane crashes and then fall asleep and dream about plane crashes!