Instructional &
Informational Posts
Those people in the yoga advertisements looking perfectly zen sitting in lotus position next to a lotus flower? Good for them, but that’s not your life, is it? You have a cell phone, you have kids, you have noise in your life. But you also (we swear) have time to meditate. Join us for a weekly meditation you can incorporate into your life, anytime, anywhere.
When you’re crossing time zones, you may start to notice that things get a little fuzzy.
Whether you’re feeling dizzy or just plain exhausted, the lack of synchronization between your inner and outer world can bring you into a strange headspace.
The best way to deal with jet lag is to not get it. Put yourself on the time of your destination as soon as you are on the flight.
When it hits the time that you should be sleeping, start to close your eyes.
Think to yourself, “I am free of jet lag.” The mind is a very powerful thing. Our experiences are an outer manifestation of our thoughts and beliefs, and what we plug into can determine how we react.
You can say this many times in your head, even if you start out not believing it. It can help to reprogram your attitude.
Be mindful of your body, even if it is smushed into an airplane chair.
Breathe in and out. Try not to predict what your trip will be like or review the work that you still need to do.
Now find one part of your body that is relaxed (it could be your nose). Focus your energy on this area for as long as possible, returning to it when you get distracted.
As you tune in, try to imagine that you can spread this relaxation to different parts of your body.
Don’t rush yourself and expect that this can be done within minutes. If you have a long flight, you also have a long time to meditate.
Even if you can’t sleep, it is said that 45 minutes of meditation can be equal to 3 hours of sleep. Without that pesky jet lag, you can enjoy your new location even sooner.
Bon voyage!
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Courtney Sunday is a writer, yoga teacher, Pilates instructor, spinning instructor and Thai massage practitioner. She teaches corporations in Toronto the fine art of breathing deeply, and travels too much for her own good. She likes to cook meals from scratch using ingredients from her garden, and would mill her own flour and make her own butter if she had more hours in the day. Find out more about her at www.courtneysunday.com.
