Y’all know me by now that I am more of a gym/running/walking kind of girl. However, I too, get into yoga mode several times a week while on vacation. Here are 12 simple yoga poses that are perfect while traveling. Namaste!

Although not a yogi by any stretch, I find that spending 20-30 minutes a day reflecting, meditating, stretching, and searching for my own island of peace has helped me, particularly through the past few months. And it’s all part of maintaining health and wellness while on the road.

These yoga poses to practice daily while traveling are for the beginner; most anyone, including kids, should have the ability to perform the routine.

📌Pin It for your traveling yogi friends, especially if they are beginners.📌

~Disclaimer~

Before beginning any exercise program, including Yoga, you should consult with your physician or health care provider for guidance and to determine if the particular exercise program is right for you. If your physician or health care provider advises against beginning any exercise program, including Yoga, then don’t do it as some conditions can be made worse by a change in activity level, including beginning any exercise program.

If you experience dizziness, shortness of breath, chest pain, joint or bone pain, nausea, vomiting, then discontinue your activity immediately and seek medical attention.

And if you think you have a medical emergency, activate EMS instantly.

Affiliate Disclosure: There are affiliate links throughout this post. This means if you click on a link and purchase a product through that link, then I will receive a small commission for the referral. And that is kinda cool.

12 Simple Yoga Poses to Practice Daily on Vacation.

Heading out for the best vacation ever is a fantastic feeling. You’ve planned like a boss, reserved, shopped, and packed. Headed to the airport, hopped on a plane, landed at your destination, grabbed your luggage, hailed a taxi, checked in.  

I am exhausted, and a little unnerved just thinking about it.

Creating a space and time to practice Yoga has become an essential part of my daily routine, so why not continue while traveling?  

Yes, it is a blast to experience the world, but it brings things that may potentially deprive you of finding inner peace. Get it back by practicing Yoga daily while traveling.  

I have gathered up several yogi friends to help me provide various Yoga poses specifically for beginners and kids.

Plus, a few tips to get you started.

Why continue practicing yoga while traveling?

• Work out the kinks after a long haul flight or a crazy taxi ride.
• Recharge, energize, and prepare for your next adventure.
• Help you and your kids wind down after a day of exploring.
• And, so you can live at peace with the others. I love them so much, but you know…

I totally get you, Peace Pilgrim.

Quick Tips to Help You Maintain Yoga Practice on Vacation (AKA Yoga On-The_Go).

• Bring all your favorite poses and prepare a simple, 15-20 minute routine. Promise yourself to devote at least this much time daily to your yoga practice.
• Or if you are all about those youtube videos, there are plenty of quick and easy yoga routines to follow.  Yoga with Adriene has free youtube videos, including Breathe, a 30-Day Yoga Journey (I am on day 4).
• Pack what you need, mainly a light-weight travel yoga mat and your favorite yoga pants and shirt.  

• Dedicate a specific time daily to practice your yoga poses while traveling.  
• Consider waking up before the rest of them so you can have a peaceful time for yourself. A quick yoga routine every morning will leave you energized and ready for a day of exploring.
• Or specify a block of time at the end of the day to destress and find your calm.
• Find a space to practice Yoga every day. Consider a local park, the beach at sunrise, or even the patio or balcony of your hotel room.
• Before your visit, research yoga studios to see if you can drop in as a guest. Or book a room at a hotel or resort that offers yoga classes.

Beginner Yoga Vocabulary to Enhance Your Yoga Practice on Vacation.

At the beginning of your yoga practice, you will hear words that you have never heard before. It’s like a new language, and it helps to learn the vocabulary before you get it started, so you look like one of the cool yoga kids.

Here are ten beginner yoga vocabulary words to get you started.

• Yoga ~ What does the word “yoga” mean? Yoga means “to yoke,” which means to unite.  
• Namaste ~ You will hear this at the end of yoga class; it means “the light within me bows to the light within you.” Namaste is a greeting that shows respect and gratitude.
• Asana ~ When you hear the word asana, it refers to your yoga practice’s physical poses and postures.
• Core ~ Your abdominal muscles.
• Sit Bones ~ The two bones on your bottom’s underside that you feel when sitting on a hard surface.
• Tailbone ~ The bone at the end of your spine, the medical term is the coccyx.
• Sternum ~ Breast none.
• Mantra ~ A group of words that have a magical meaning, often chanted while meditating.
• Savasana ~ Also known as corpse pose, a relaxation pose offered at the end of your yoga practice.  
• Vinyasa ~ The movement between the yoga poses, linking your breathing with the movement. You will hear “Take a Vinyasa” between yoga poses. The idea is to bring your body back to equilibrium when practicing unilateral poses. The two most common Vinyasas utilized in yoga practice are upward-facing dog and downward-facing dog.

12 Beginner Family-Friendly Yoga Poses to Practice While on Vacation.

Always begin your practice with a gentle, slow warm-up sequence, best accomplished alternating the cat-cow poses.

Start in the tabletop position with a neutral spine and an activated core. Place your knees hip-distance apart, and bring your hands out shoulder-length apart on the mat. Make sure your wrists are under your shoulders and your fingers spread wide.

For your cow, inhale, squeeze your shoulder blades together, look to the ceiling, drop your belly towards the floor, and tailbone to the sky.

Now for cat, exhale, push your shoulder blades away from each other, and round your spine towards the ceiling. Tuck your chin to your chest, and pull your belly button up towards your spine, activating your core.

Cat-cow always feels fantastic — it warms up your spine, relieves tension, and prepares you for a blissful yoga practice. Repeat the moves ten times for your warm-up.

#1) Seated Pose (AKA Easy Pose)

Begin your routine with the seated pose, a pose specific for breath control and meditation. Seated pose promotes pelvic mobility, strengthens the joints of the knees, hips, and ankles, and promotes relaxation of the body and the mind.  

Sit with your legs comfortably crossed, your back straight, shoulders down, and your chin parallel to the ground and rest your hands on your knees.  

Close your eyes, calm your mind by focusing on each long deep breath in and out. Remain in this position for 5-10 breaths before proceeding with your routine.  

Begin and end your yoga practice on vacation in the Seated Pose.

#2) The Best Pose for Yoga on Vacation: Child’s Pose

The child’s pose is a restorative and calming pose, often used as a resting position between more challenging poses to stretch the back, hips, thighs, and ankles, to relax your spine, shoulders, and neck. And just breathe.

Start by sitting on your heels, slowly up into the table pose. Exhale and lower the hips to the heals and forehead on the floor. You can keep your knees together or spread them slightly apart. Stretch your arms over your head with palms on the floor. Or you can leave your arms along the side of your body with palms up.

Remain in this pose for 5-10 deep long breaths.

Slowly come out of the pose by placing your palms on the floor under your shoulders, and slowly inhale up into a seated position.

#3) Pigeon Pose ~ The Best Stretch for Yoga on Vacation

My personal favorite. I call it “the best stretch ever.” Yogis call it the “Pigeon Pose.” Open up the hips by spending some quality time in the pigeon pose. Particularly on travel day, we spend a lot of time sitting: waiting in the airport, sitting in the place, sitting in the taxi, sitting in the restaurants. Immobility causes hip tightness. Stretch it out with the pigeon pose.  

Here is how:

Start in the lunge position with the right leg forward and bent at 90 degrees, left leg back.

Use both hands to stabilize yourself and slowly bring your right leg behind your left hand and in front of your left knee. Slowly lower your right leg to the floor so that your shin is parallel to the ground.

Use your hands to stabilize and sit up straight with your shoulders back and positioned over your hips.  

Breathe and hold this pose for 30-60 seconds.

Come out of the pose slowly, then repeat with the left.

For a deeper stretch, slowly lower your torso over your thigh. Stretch your arms straight out in front of you.

Remember to breathe and take it slow, in and out of the pose.

#4) The Garland Pose (AKA Squat Pose)

Also known as the squat pose, stretches out your ankles, knees, hips, and groin. Begin in a standing position with your feet slightly wider than your hips width and angle your feet slightly outward (about 45 degrees). Stand up straight, shoulders down, and engage your core.  

With an exhale, slowly bend your knees, sink your hips down and back, keeping your heels on the floor. If you need additional support, use a soft block, or roll up a towel to place under your butt at the bottom of the squat. Or you can use the wall against your backside to help you keep your upper body upright.  

Press your elbows into the knees, or you can rest your arms on top of your thighs. Remain in this pose for 5-10 breaths. 

To release the pose, with an inhale, lean forward, and slowly come back to standing, use your hands for support if you need to.

#5 Thread the needle

Jessie Festa from Jessie On a Journey loves Thread The Needle. Here is what she shared with me.

“While traveling and at home, I love Thread The Needle. It’s calming, releases tension in the upper back, and opens up shoulders and chest. I love it first thing in the morning to feel my best before a day of exploring, as well as after running around a new city all day to relax and unwind.”

To accomplish the Thread The Needle pose, begin on your hands and knees in the tabletop position, shoulders over wrists, and hips over knees. Inhale and lift your right arm to the sky, opening the chest. Then exhale and draw your right arm underneath of you, resting on your right shoulder’s posterior side. Try to maintain level hips throughout the movement cycle.  

You can relax in this position or raise your left arm to the sky, opening up the chest. Slowly come out of the pose by bringing in your left palm back to the floor, press into the left hand to bring you up and out.

Sit back for a bit in a child’s pose before continuing on the other side.

#6) Figure 4 Stretch described by Kelly at Fit Fashion Traveler.

Yoga poses that promote hip stretching are amazing for travelers. Many people hold stress in their hips, so stretching them out after a day of travel will help to relieve travel-related stress. If you were sitting for a long time, this pose will also feel good.

There are many ways to approach the figure four pose. The easiest way is on your back. Start by lying down with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. You should be able to touch your heels with your fingertips. Lift one foot up, keeping the leg bent, and cross that ankle over the opposite knee near the thigh. If you feel the stretch, stay here! Otherwise, loop your hands around the back of the lower thigh and pull your leg towards you, lifting your foot off the ground. Your head should stay on the ground. Repeat on the other side.

#7) Seal Pose

Pamela’s (from The Directionally Challenged Traveler) favorite yoga pose to do while traveling is the seal pose. It’s simple to do and can help relax your back after traveling and exploring all day. The pose helps restore natural curvature in the lumbar spine, where we hold a lot of stress. 

Lie on your stomach with your legs a comfortable distance from each other. Put your palms on the ground and lift your shoulders up. You can bring your hands forward to reduce the sensation on your back or widen your arms to ease the pressure on the shoulder. 

Hold the pose for a few minutes (3-5) and then lower your chest back on the floor. You can repeat as many times as you’d like.

#8) Downward Dog

Alina from World of Lina says that travel is a lot of fun, but it can also be hectic and demanding sometimes.

Then Yoga can help to stay grounded and recharge your body energy.

Downward Dog is a rather easy yet very effective Yoga pose. First, it can help you to relieve stress and even mild depression. Second, it energizes your complete body and stretches shoulders, hamstrings, calves, arches and hands. Last but not least, you’ll gain more strength in your arms and legs. 

It’s important to do Downward Dog properly because otherwise, it can even hurt some parts of your body such as the back, neck, arms, wrists, legs, etc. But that’s the case with most Yoga poses anyway, so make sure you’re doing it right to benefit from it!

Start in the tabletop position, with your hands underneath your shoulders and your hips right above your knees—Tuck your toes under for a good foot stretch. Spread your fingers out.

Now send your hips high to the sky and drop your gaze between your toes. Press down and forward into your palms. Stabilize your core. For a deeper hamstring stretch, push down in the heels.

Remain in this position for 5-10 breaths.

#9) Supine Twist

Start by lying flat on the floor, pull your right knee up towards your torso, take your left hand and place it on the outside of the right knee. Move your right arm straight out to a T with your palm down. While keeping both shoulders down on the ground, cross the right leg over the body. Only twist as far as your shoulders will allow. If your right shoulder pulls off of the mat, then stop there and hold.  

#10) Half (Seated) Spinal Twist

Another twist yoga pose explained by Natasha at Mindful Feet, who has been practicing yoga for five years.

When I am traveling I really like to do a combo of acupressure for jetlag and Yoga at night to stretch, relax, and re-ground. I especially like twist poses en-route; they get the great for stretching, neck and back pain, and balancing travel digestion.

One easy and really effective pose is the Half (Seated) Spinal Twist. First, sit down on the floor, sitting with the legs stretched out in front of you. Sit more on your sit bones, which will straighten your back. You can also put a towel or book under you to make it more comfortable. From that position, bend one leg about halfway, placing your foot next to your calf. If you need to turn the other leg a bit to be more comfortable, that is great.

Engage your stomach muscles slightly, to protect your back, lifting your chest just a little bit. From there, take the hand opposite of the raised leg and place it just under the knee of the raised leg. (left-hand goes on the right leg and vice-versa). You can also hug the knee with your elbow, if you feel extra flexible that day, keeping your stomach muscles engaged and feeling grounded where your body is touching the floor. From there, place the other free hand just on the floor next to your bottom. Gently rotate your upper body from the waist in the direction of your raised leg.

Your neck is an extension of the spine, elongated and slightly engaged. You can gently move your head in either direction, whichever feels more comfortable and where you need the stretch. Take at least four slow deep breaths in that position, before switching to the other side.

The twist should be more at your waist level, not at the chest or shoulder level. The hands are there for gentle support, not so much for getting into or holding the position, and your spine should be relatively straight.

Nothing should ever hurt; you should just feel a gentle stretch in your external oblique muscles. If you need a bit more of a stretch, twist more or inch your raised leg closer towards you, and come out of the twist a bit for a lesser intensity. You can adapt this pose and do it sitting in a chair, sitting with your legs straight or cross-legged for a quick yoga twist on the go. Starting from a seated posture is also great if you are sore or feel less flexible that day.

*Extra side tip: If you are doing this with your kids, just remember, kids can get into all sorts of poses without trying too hard; I used to be a living pretzel as a kid but had to work up to touching my toes without bending my legs for over a year as an adult. It’s not about getting into a pose. It’s more about getting into your body, being really present, and you controlling the intensity.

#11) Plank

The plank pose can be challenging, but it is one of the best ways to begin to develop core and upper body strength.  

Start on your hands and knees; make sure your knees are hip-distance apart—your shoulders above your wrist and your hips above your knees. Spread your fingers out and push your palms into the mat. Draw your belly button into your spine for support. Look ahead to the top of your mat, step your left leg straight back, grounding your toes, repeat with the right leg. Press your heels back. Assure your body is in a long straight line.  

Inhale, exhale, and hold for 15-30 seconds or 3-5 breaths and release—repeat 3-5 times.

It’s essential to make sure that your shoulders are above your wrist, draw your shoulder blades down away from your ears, tighten your core, look forward at the top of your mat.

Rest in child’s pose between sets.

#12) Legs on the wall

Kick your feet up the wall and chill in this favorite easy Yoga pose you can perform anywhere, including an airport, in your hotel room first thing after a long travel day, or even in your bed.  

If you’re doing this pose on the floor, roll up a blanket or pillow for cushioning and support for your lower back, prop your legs up the wall, if they need to bend some for comfort, it’s all good. Place your hands on your belly or ribs. Take several long deep breaths and relax.

These are simplified beginner yoga poses designed to relieve the tension and stressors of vacation, promote relaxation, or provide an energizing start to your travel day. The poses are family-friendly, quick, and easy to perform, even if you’ve never practiced Yoga.  

What are your favorite yoga poses to practice while traveling?

Drop me a line and let me know what you would add to this list.