Stay Safe While Traveling with Plane Yoga

Long-distance flights can be hard on your body, and, in some cases, could be deadly. But with a few simple precautions, you can arrive at your destination worry and ache-free.

One of the most dangerous hazards of long-distance travel is developing deep vein thrombosis in your legs (essentially, a blood clot), which has the potential to break off and cause a stroke. There have been several high profile instances of this, including journalist David Bloom in 2003, but it can easily be avoided by staying hydrated and not staying put.

So get that body out of that cramped seat every half hour to an hour and walk up and down the aisles. (If you're driving, take advantage of rest stops for a walking break.)

If you're stuck in your seat due to a delay or turbulence, are wearing comfortable clothing, and have a little ingenuity, you can find a way to stretch most every muscle in your body, either in your seat or in any available space you might find in the vehicle. On a flight from New York to Austria, a colleague and I figured out what we called "plane yoga." We could stretch pretty much everything sitting right in our seats. Warning: Always go slowly, don’t bounce, and NEVER stretch through pain. If you have back and neck problems, avoid anything that puts too much stress on those areas.

1. Start by taking off your shoes, and rotating your ankles.

2. Flex your feet back and forth to get those all-important calf muscles. Feel that stretch! Ahhh….

3. Spread and wiggle your toes.

4. Sit up straight in your seat to start the back stretches. Tighten your abdominal muscles. Put your left hand on the outside of your right thigh, or your armrest. Gently and slowly rotate your back and head toward your right side, hold for 10 to 20 seconds, release, and repeat on other side.

5. If you can, sit toward the forward edge of your seat. Supporting your lower back with both hands at the top of your butt, gently and slowly bend backward. You may feel a stretch in your chest. This is fine.

6. If you’re a flexible sort, try this for your back: while sitting, cross one leg over the other. Lean forward, letting your head hang, until you feel the stretch in your back. Hold for about 10-15 seconds, roll up slowly and repeat with legs crossed the other way.

7. Release your neck muscles with some shoulder rolls. Ten in each direction.

8. Slowly, while exhaling, turn your head toward the left. Inhale and bring it back to center; exhale and turn toward the right. Do this 4-5 times. Then move your head gently up and down, always exhaling on the stretch and inhaling out of it. If you can, also move your head gently toward one shoulder; up, and toward the other. Keep your shoulders relaxed while doing this.

9. Clasp your fingers together, turn your palms so that they are facing outward and stretch your arms out in front of you. Then, if you can, stretch them over your head.

10. Wiggle your fingers and rotate your hands.

11. Press both palms together with your fingers pointed up, hold the stretch for 10 to 20 seconds, then rotate so that the fingers are pointed down, and hold that stretch.

12. Then work your upper arms by placing a hand on the back of the corresponding shoulder and lifting your elbow. Do the same on the other side. This gets your triceps. Straighten each arm, stretching gently through the hand, to get the bicep muscles.

13. Without hitting the person sitting next to you, hold up one arm. Grasp it just above your elbow and stretch it across your chest, keeping your arm straight and level with your opposite shoulder. This gets the back of your shoulder (which often gets cramped up during long trips) and your lat muscles. Then do the other arm.

14. When you can get up, walk around a bit (take advantage of those layovers to walk and get more water!), then stretch your hamstring muscles and quadriceps. For the quads, hold onto a wall or the back of a seat, tighten your abdominal muscles, lift up your left leg by bending the knee until you can grasp your heel with your left hand. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds, and then switch sides. For the hamstrings, tighten your abdominal muscles. Bend your left leg slightly, and set your right heel in front of you. Lean forward with your back straight and put your hands just above your right knee. Slowly lean forward until you can feel the stretch in the back of your right thigh. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds, then repeat on the other side. If your back is a problem, try to find a place to do this on the floor (ideally, on the softest carpet you can find at the airport.) Lie on your back, with both of your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Supporting your left leg with both hands, just below the knee, straighten your leg upward until you can feel a stretch. Again, don't stretch through pain. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds and repeat on the other leg. If you’re having back pain from the flight, getting on your back is a good way to get out of it. Here, you can do some deep breathing to help relax the muscles, and then, tightening those abdominals, bring your bent left leg up and, with your hands below the knee on the calf, pull your knee toward the same-side armpit. Hold for 10-15 seconds, relax, repeat twice, then do the same on the other side.

Safe and happy travels!