We have all heard stories about how Yoga has helped transform lives, but I have hardly heard people gloating about how yoga has helped them travel differently.

We have all heard stories about how yoga has helped transform lives, but I have hardly heard people gloating about how yoga has helped them travel differently.The true potency of yoga is seen and tested in our real lives because there is no use being equipped with tools you cannot use. Travelling always occupied an important part in my life but recently yoga has made its way to the top. Seeing the two complement each other has been truly satisfying.

Here is how it made a difference:

1) You’ll never be lonely

Image Credit: Byond Travel

Your yoga practice is all about you. The asanas teach you to maintain dhyana on your body and pranayama on your breath. This is how you concentrate on yourself and become comfortable with yourself.

I was my best travel companion, whether eating in a bustling café or sitting on a quiet sea side.

2) A ball of energy

We are all nothing but a ball of energy and our every breath is prana or cosmic energy. Breath is very vital in yoga, and the meticulous breathing during a practice simply circulates this prana or cosmic energy to every part of the body, thereby energizing your body. This literally creates an energy storehouse for any journey that you want to undertake; whether internal or otherwise.

I was a ball of energy during my trip, I would walk for hours and hours and still be energetic at the end of the day. Imagine the possibilities it opens!

3) Listen to the said and unsaid

Image Credit: Byond Travel

The ultimate thrill of travel is to listen with all your senses assimilate and convert them to beautiful memories, else it is simply futile. Yoga taught me to set an intention to listen to my body and not my mind, because the body never lies. Listening to locals and travel guides in their space made me feel empathetic towards them, plus you always feel more welcomed if you simply start listening to people.

The quality of listening beyond the words helps you cherish your travel moments.

4) Crisis time

Travel throws some unexpected challenges all the time, whether it is theft, loss or a flight cancellation. Obviously, one does worry and get tense, but the solutions only appear when you start calming down. A simple breathing exercise helps you calm down and then allows you to gather energy to do what you need to.

The goal of any yoga practice is to bring the focus on your breath, and we mostly forget to do so otherwise. So, when my connecting flight to Madrid from Barcelona was cancelled, it was easy for me to sit and panic. But I simply breathed, and did what I had to do – create a hue and cry to get the airline to put me on an alternate flight!

5) Courage to go beyond

If you truly practice and believe in yoga as it is meant to, then you are very courageous because the principles of yoga are guides to your inner world. Similarly, the spirit of a real traveller and wanderer is one who has the courage to go beyond and discover the unknown and the lost; whether it is a place, human or even yourself.

I consider myself as one spirited traveller with a clear intent of seeking.

Like yoga, you are never done with traveling, it is a lifelong journey and commitment. And believe me, once you commit to it, it is nothing short of excitement. We travel forever to seek, discover and accept.

Join Total Yoga’s Manish Pole and Neetu Singh on a journey to Bhutan, where you’ll learn how to interweave yoga, travel, and happiness and fun, in a community of yogis like you. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.

About the author

Gayatri Iyer often oscillates between her love for dogs, quirky art, yoga and all foods healthy, topped with a little bit of chocolate. As a free-spirited wanderer, she is on a quest to discover the unknown and the lost. Travel for her is one the ways to help her on that journey. In between, she takes time out to create art, design stationery, bake and dream. 

Check out her blog, find her on Twitter and follow her on Instagram!