In the past few years, researchers in Sweden have found that frequent travel can have some very real and negative side effects on your physical and mental health and wellbeing. Frequent flyers, in particular, have to face some serious physiological, physical, emotional and social consequences. If you’re somebody who travels a lot then you have probably experienced some of these side effects such as anxiety, insomnia, stress, exhaustion, weight gain, joint pain, and loneliness. These are all unfortunately quite common side effects of frequent travel, whether you’re travelling for business or leisure. The good news is that yoga may be able to offer a solution for you when it comes to managing some or all of these undesirable symptoms and issues. Some of the biggest benefits of yoga for frequent travellers include:
#1. Management of Anxiety Symptoms:
Practicing yoga on a regular basis helps to transfer your focus and attention to your body and your breathing, rather than your inbox or your to-do list. This can help you refresh your mind, think more clearly, regain your focus and control, and help to keep anxiety symptoms at bay.
#2. Sleep Better:
Frequent travel often leads to insomnia and sleepless nights, but the good news is that yoga is a great way to treat these symptoms both naturally and easily when you’re on the road. Studies have found that yoga is not only able to improve the quality of your sleep, but also help you to sleep for longer at night – making it the perfect solution if you tend to wake up during the night and struggle to get back to sleep when you are travelling.
#3. Stress Management:
Yoga is a great way to encourage relaxation of both your body and mind, which in turn helps to reduce the level of cortisol in your body, which is the main stress hormone. In addition, the ability of yoga to improve your focus, help you regain control of your thoughts and worries, and improve your quality of sleep will all lead to easier stress management on a day to day basis. Many travellers who practice yoga regularly find that they find it easier to deal with the stresses that their job or the travel throws at them. Check out Yoga Selection for online instructions that are perfect to use whilst travelling; Yoga Selection has some great online videos and other resources.
#4. Feel Happier and More Satisfied:
When you’re travelling to an exciting destination, whether your trip’s main purpose is for business or leisure, the last thing that you want is to be feeling down and miserable due to the unwanted side effects of frequent travel. Studies have found that consistently practicing yoga can lead to decreased depression, in addition to a significant increase in serotonin levels – the hormone that is largely responsible for your emotions and feelings. Additionally, decreased levels of the enzymes that break down neurotransmitters and the stress hormone cortisol mentioned earlier can lead to an all-around happier and more positive outlook for yourself when travelling.
Have you found that yoga has benefitted you in any of these ways, whether you’re travelling or not? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.
