This week’s blog entry was written by guest author Wesley Vonn. He can be contacted at wesvonn@gmail.com.

Traveling can bring stress to your mind and body that can hinder your happiness and affect the overall quality of your trip. Even if you are traveling for pleasure, cramped plane rides, different mattresses, or stressful situations can put a knot in your back or give you headaches. Incorporating some yoga into your travel plans can greatly improve your experience, letting you relax and enjoy yourself.

With more and more people understanding the benefits of yoga, there is plenty of opportunity to find a great place to do yoga while you travel. Of course, a series of sun salutations in your hotel room can work just fine, but maybe take the opportunity to check out a new class while you are away. Maybe you always do Bikram, but have never given Vinyasa a try. Find a studio nearby or even check with your hotel to see if they offer any classes.

Some airports and hotels now even dedicated yoga rooms. According to Jane Levere “Hotels are providing yoga equipment and videos in guest rooms, as well as classes, often for no charge, while airports are offering yoga studios to passengers in transit.” Stepping into one of these zen rooms before or after your flight can ease your tension and nerves about flying or help you reground yourself and refocus. If your hotel does not offer these classes, then you could just perform your own yoga in the comfort of your hotel room. When I took a trip to Las Vegas I did my research before booking a hotel. I landed on a bunch of great reviews for the Mandarin Hotel. Those reviews showed me that they have an excellent spa and yoga studio, which I took full advantage of. Moral of the story is that if you do a little do-diligence before your trip you can take full advantage of the amenities that you want.

If you aren’t lucky enough to stumble into a hotel with yoga capabilities, try to find the time to incorporate some of your daily yoga into your routine. Travel easily throws of our body’s natural rhythm and doing some simple practices in the morning can help you get back on track. The wonderful thing about yoga is you don’t need to pack any extra shoes or equipment to get in a session. All you need is yourself and you can find a way to do your routine.

So, next time you are feeling irritable on a trip or find your body feeling stiff and out of whack, think about doing some simple yoga poses or stopping into a new class at your hotel. Take control of your mind and your body, wherever you may be.

Wes