Mitigating the Impact of Holiday Travel

Holiday travel can take a toll on our bodies and minds, but Ayurveda offers a holistic approach to mitigate its impact. I have already written extensively on āyuvedic guidelines for mitigating travel effects and you can read the post here for a full list of āyuvedic travel tips. Some of the most helpful tips for the holiday travel season are:

  • If you are planning to travel to a different time zone, start adjusting your internal clock ahead of your travels. You can adjust your wake time and/or sleep time by 10-15 minutes per day so that by the day of your travel you’re as close to your destination time as you can be. 

  • Before the big day, plan a day of rest. Don’t fill up your last day before travel with last minute, frantic packing. Plan to have a restful, grounding day ahead of your travel. Eat nourishing, grounding foods that are easy to digest on the day before you travel.

  • One of the most common woes once we arrive at our destination is constipation. It’s hard to go poop in a new location! To aid regular bowel movements during your trip consider taking triphala before bed each night.  Triphala tones the colon, supports healthy elimination, and as an added bonus, contains amalaki which is super high in vitamin C and will support your immune system while you’re away from home.

  • And finally, being away from home during the holidays can feel jam packed with activities, visiting family and checking out all there is to do in the town you are visiting. But, don’t overschedule yourself.  Make sure you have some unstructured down time planned into your trip, and make time for your yoga and meditation practice everyday - it’s one small thing you can do that will have a deep impact on your day. 

Carrie Klaus