My 5 Essential Ayurvedic Travel Tips for Peace of Mind & Good Digestion

Travelling can be so much fun, but it can also be brutal! Not even thinking about the effects of flying (cold dry air, germs, jet-lag, stress, "food"), it's can simply be hard to be away from your usual life sustaining routines. Travelling naturally increases Vata Dosha, the dosha with the qualities of movement, cold, dry, rough, and instability, because we are moving locations and out of our usual stable warm grounding routines. This can result in anxiety, bloating, gas, constipation, fear, fatigue, mood swings, insomnia and more. Fortunately, you, wise one, know about Ayurveda and it's got some wonderful tools that are very travel-friendly...

Why do I bring this up? I just got back from about 38 hours in Tahoe with Blake's family. It went something like this: Drive up, spend the day eating, drinking, teaching a family yoga class by the lake, celebrating a birthday, trying some acro-yoga, more eating, drinking, then bed, then wake before sunrise and come home. All totally worth while to see everyone- they're really really great - but man, I put my digestive system through the ringer! Everything was manageable until I made two fatal mistakes: fruit at the end of a big meal (darn you delicious homemade boysenberry pie!) and not eating my fennel seeds after delicious spicy homemade mexican food and pie and chocolate and maybe a carbonated alcoholic beverage (Did I mention I'm not perfect? and really?! I so know better.) So today I was hurting a bit, but now, only four hours later, my digestion is happy and I'm back to feeling normal. These 5 tips can make all the difference from feeling out of whack to feeling like your happy healthy self. Please give them a try on your next trip and tell me how it goes. :) 


MY 5 ESSENTIAL AYURVEDIC TRAVEL TIPS FOR HEALTHY HAPPY TRAVELS


1. Practice some Yoga Asana in the morning- especially Uddiyana Bandha Kriya- and set an intention. Before you have breakfast, take at least 5 minutes to do:

• 5 rounds (or more) of Uddiyana Bandha Kriya (so long as you're not menstruating or pregnant)
• some standing poses
• legs up the wall (or the imaginary wall - just let them float in the air) for 20 breaths +
• sitting watching your breath and setting an intention for your day

2. Take Triphala at night. Constipation is a real bummer, and it happens to SO many people when they travel. Triphala tones the colon and gently aids in bowel movements. It also has amalaki in it, a fruit with more vitamin c than citrus fruit! So it's great for aiding your immune system against any bugs you may encounter. If you take the recommended amount and nothing happens, take double the next night and be sure to drink a big big glass of warm water upon waking. Some find taking Triphala morning and night to be very useful, especially for Pitta. 

*You can now purchase Triphala here and at The Mindful Body store...I'm so thrilled to have this fabulous product more easily available to you all.

3. Chew a pinch (or more) of fennel seeds after meals. My favorite trick for indigestion, bloating and gas. Seriously, these little seeds are lifesavers. One of my clients told me she keeps hers in a tick-tac box-- how cute?! So why love fennel seeds?

• Balances all doshas.
• Increases Agni (digestive fire)
• Alkalizes the body. 
• Calms and clears the mind. 
• Especially good for gas, bloating and indigestion. 
• Helps calm PMS and cramps. 

4. Drink Spiced Teas. If you've been using some of my recipes or other Ayurvedic recipes, you're probably including spices in most of your meals to make your meals tasty and improve your digestion (and therefore your overall health). Travelling can often mean bye-bye-spices, but it doesn't have to. Spiced Teas are easy to take with you when you travel. I really love all the teas Pukka makes and have added my favorites to the store here. If you're in SF, you can also find Pukka at Rainbow Grocery. My favorite teas when travelling are: a non-caffeinated chai, mint and some kind of bedtime tea. Stick a few in your purse or toiletries bag, and I guarantee you'll be happy you did. 

5. Apply oil, before, during and after travelling. Oil is the #1 way to calm Vata Dosha. While full body oiling is best, I know it can be hard to work into the schedule while travelling. Try to oil before you travel, especially if you're flying, and oil when you get back. While you're gone, gently massaging a little on your ears, belly and feet before bed can feel really nice and help combat the light sleep that normally comes with travel. What oil to use? Herbalized oil for your dosha is best especially if you're only using small amounts while travelling because the herbs will provide extra healing, but un-toasted sesame oil does very nicely. If you can't stand the smell, use almond oil. 

If you didn't already see via facebook or at the MB, there's now a shelf full of Ayurvedic products that I really like from Banyan Botanicals. They make great quality products, and I'm proud that we now sell them at The Mindful Body. For those of you not in SF, you can see and order the same products available at the MB online through my store right here. You'll also see my favorite books, teas and more. I just added a new cookbook to the list by the way... go here and click a link on the right to see books and teas.