Yoga for beginners doesn’t need to be intimidating. And when you learn how it relates to RV life, you may wonder what you waited for. We’ve all seen the Instagram posts of yoga poses in beautiful places. While it’s true that it can be fun to strike a pose somewhere scenic and inspiring, that’s not really what yoga on the road looks like. Similar to many other forms of fitness, yoga while traveling faces obstacles. Obstacles such as carting around equipment, and battling wind, dust, and other elements.
Yoga is a good match for RV life for a few reasons:
1. Little to no Equipment
Yoga supports your desire for exercising while RVing because all you need is a mat, or even just a 6’ x 2’ small, open space. Some travelers will use a beach towel as a yoga mat, a great way to do yoga without a mat. Or, you may want to put a towel down first and then use your yoga mat on top of that, especially in dusty or sandy conditions. The best yoga mat for camping is one that you don’t mind getting dirty. If you have a shiny new yoga mat that’s only seen the pristine environment of a yoga studio, pack your old mat for RVing because you won’t want to ruin your new one. If you’ll be exercising in an RV perhaps your mat will never meet dirt, but many RVers find themselves working out outdoors due to space limitations.
2. Reduces Stress
As much as we may not want to admit it, RV life can be stressful. Long drive days, tight parking spots, traffic, breakdowns, etc. RVers need a quick and easy way to destress on the road, and yoga is a great option. Even just the breathing patterns taught through yoga can bring you back to center after trying to back the trailer in at the campground. How yoga helps with stress, starts with the breath. Slow, deep breathing triggers our vagus nerve, the body’s built-in stress reliever. Next, the mind-body connection of breath and movement can often offer access to a flow state experience, the single focus on something challenging shuts out distraction and invites calm.
3. Stretch It Out
If you live in a small space, you may find yourself hunched over, ducking under cabinets, or feeling just generally tight and crunchy. Yoga is a great way to expand the body and stretch it out after this crammed experience. Maybe you had a few long drive days or a whole day of rain that kept you inside, your body is likely in need of some expansion. Yoga provides a good balance and invites the body to move in ways it might not otherwise, in RV life and in modern (seated) society. So maybe it’s time to add yoga to your Healthy RV lifestyle.
Whether you live in an RV or just like to stay fit while traveling, yoga is one of the most holistic whole-body workouts that doesn’t require any RV fitness equipment. You can work on cardio, strength training, and flexibility all in one RV workout routine.
Here’s a sample yoga for beginners sequence
You can do it with or without a mat. It offers good yoga poses for beginners and experienced yogis alike:
- Sun Salutations (do as many reps as you have time for, up to 5)
- Padangusthasana– Big Toe Pose (forward fold, hands reach for feet)
- Trikonasana– Triangle Pose (one foot steps forward, the same hand reaches for the foot, twist so the other arm reaches up, and the chest opens to the side)
- Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana– Hand to Big Toe Pose (beginner’s version: lift one foot up off the mat as high as you can, hands on hips and hold, repeat on the other side)
- Utkatasana– Chair Pose (feet and knees together, bend to squat, arms reach up, hold)
- Vīrabhadrāsana– Warrior Pose (legs lunge, arms reach up)
Some of the above poses (2, 4) can be done seated if the balance of the standing pose is too challenging for you to start. Wherever you start on the postures, begin with breathing. Create some space between whatever is happening in your normal day with at least a few deep breaths. Slow down the breathing, fill it deep into your belly, and create some peace and space before you begin with the physical poses.
As a traveler on the move with limited space for carrying around lots of RV workout equipment, yoga may be an excellent choice for your fitness on the go. Plus, it will help you de-stress after a travel day, or stretch your body after being in a cramped space. Perhaps you can add this sample yoga sequence to your RV travel workouts. Let us know what you think!
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