Taking Your Daily Routine on the Road

By: Teresa Mupas

Photos: Daniel Castellano (https://danicastellano.com/)

Yoga's sister science, ayurveda (Sanskrit for the science of life), teaches that a daily routine is one of the most basic aspects that support our physical existence. Ayurvedic masters recommend a dinacharya, a daily routine based around the rhythms of the sun: waking, exercising, and meditating before sunrise, having lunch when the sun is at its highest around noon, having dinner at dusk, and going to bed before 10p.m.

A daily routine is a simple remedy to help keep your mind, body, and spirit in balance with nature's cycles.
At a home-base, a routine might come easily. But what happens when you travel, when you're faced with a long-haul flight through multiple timezones and shared rooms?

1. Plan it out. All jetlag is is your body trying to adjust itself to time-traveling. Consider the local time of the destination, starting on the plane: where will the sun be when upon arrival? Adjust your routine around it. When the cabin lights go down on the plane, for example, start your normal evening routine: brush your teeth, turn off the TV, meditate, and sleep. When the cabin lights go back on simulating morning, try to get up and stretch if you can, scrape your tongue, and meditate before breakfast. 2. Get up and go to bed at the same (local) time everyday. Practicing Ayurveda is a lifestyle change, which means you avoid having hangovers because they zap your energy, throwing you off your routine. Keep waking before the sun rises. Use it as a chance to see what it looks like in the part of the world you're visiting. What do the people do during those hours before daybreak?
3. Use headphones
Whether you're on the plane, at the airport, or sharing a room, making time to maintain your meditation practice helps ground you while traveling. Use an app or calming music to remind your body it's time to clear the mind.
3. Find a yoga class or do it in your room
Finding a yoga or exercise class allows you to get a taste of local life, while maintaining your routine. If you can't find a class, exercise in your room even if you're sharing it. Make sacred space for yourself and your body even when you're a guest.
4. Eat at the same time everyday
Keeping to a dinacharya allows you to maximize your time and energy. By following the sun's patterns, your body will learn to ask for nourishment as the sun peaks, and again as it dips. In between, you have hours to explore and delight in your surroundings.