Exercising on the road - can you do it?
Can you do yoga in a small travel trailer or RV? We all know that we are supposed to exercise. If you are like me, you want to exercise but don’t have the time, space, or inclination to participate in high impact exercise that includes jumping, running, or excessive sweating. Have you considered yoga?
If you think there isn’t enough room in your RV to practice yoga, you might reconsider. Recently I took my yoga mat on a road trip to continue a 30-day yoga challenge. I found that there are two orientations I can place the mat, in our little 16-foot trail trailer, with Tony working in the other bit of “open space.” I also put the yoga mat on the camp rug outside one of the days, which of course gave me all the space I could want!
Yoga is really an ideal exercise for small spaces. The poses are done within the space of the yoga mat. It’s low impact, without a bunch of jumping around, so trailer stability isn’t a worry.
Really, no equipment at all is required. However, depending on your floors, a mat makes poses a bit safer and helps keep your feet from slipping. Some online teachers recommend various props to assist in certain poses. Even those props can often find other uses in the camper. For example, bolsters can double as back pillows.
If you’ve never done yoga “live” and learned the proper form for poses, you do want to be careful and find videos that offer good explanations on how to do them safely. The classes I join on Zoom are really focused on proper technique. For your safety, please find a beginners training to help you practice safely. Yoga International includes live online classes, which I love because the teacher can offer feedback, yet I can join the practice from wherever I happen to be.
When I do too much traditional yoga, with several transitions between standing and floor poses, my knees get overworked. That’s why I also like to practice chair yoga with YouTube videos. Since the whole session is done sitting in, or holding, a chair, there is less chance of injury. Another great option is to search YouTube for “standing” or “hands-free” yoga lessons, where there is no, or very little, floor exercise. These options are great to make sure I stick with a daily practice while giving my body the break it needs. Look around and find some favorites. I save videos into a playlist so that I have some variety when I log in.
Also, a super important not to keep in mind: always listen to your body. Tired muscles from a great workout are good. Sore muscles from over-extending are not great. Pulled muscles from bad form are likely to keep you from exercising again for a while. And once you lose the habit it will be much harder to start it up again.
