Feel like your time in the air is causing more zaniness than zen? A new service recently debuted in the Denver Airport — with more to come in 2018 around the U.S. — just may take your stressful airport experiences and turn them into moments of serenity.
Yoga on the Fly®, the first-to-market private airport yoga studio, offers yoga and meditation practices designed for the modern traveler. During a long layover or delay, or pre-flight if you are prescient enough to plan for it, a Yoga on the Fly® studio provides easy-to-follow instructional videos, yoga mats and wireless headsets… as well as an escape from the mental and physical stress of traveling.
Founded by Elizabeth Feinstone and Avery Westlund, who met while teaching yoga on a retreat in Nicaragua and connected over their mutual love of travel, the duo also has a shared aversion to the unfavorable effects it takes on body and mind.
“We are thrilled to be introducing the world’s first-ever guided, private yoga and meditation experience within airports,” said Feinstone. “Our goal is to elevate the passenger and staff experience, offering an accessible respite from the chaos of travel.”
While at participating airports, Yoga on the Fly® participants can visit a studio comprised of a reception area, private studio rooms, and a curated retail selection of athleisure wear and mindful travel accessories. Classes, which range from 8 to 20 minutes, include yoga, meditation, and breathwork via instructional iPad videos, and can be combined for longer sessions or to concentrate on specific travel-related issues such as poor circulation, muscle aches, or anxiety.
But what may be the most common flight wellness issue? Jetlag! According to Feinstone and Westlund there are a few simple poses which are best to combat jetlag… and these positions are easy enough to fit in on the fly:
- Downward facing dog – Circulation issues are common when traveling. Get your heart working and blood flow pumping!
- Triangle- Engages major muscle groups in the body and stretches the sides of the body that are so often neglected when we’re sitting for hours on end – whether it be in an airport or on a plane.
- Seated spinal twist – After sitting for hours on a plane, decompress your spine and get your digestive organs working! It’s especially important when you’re eating in an airport, where it’s so hard to find healthy food options!
The Yoga on the Fly®’s Denver studio began with a 90-day residency for the holiday season, and is open Sundays-Fridays from 7 am to 9 pm and Saturdays from 7 am to 7 pm. Sessions range in price from $15 to $60 depending on desired studio time.
