Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.
- S. Clemens
I travel for work. A lot.
I don't mind the travel. It takes me away from home and family, which sucks, but the work feels meaningful and I am privileged to work with some amazing professionals (usually). So, I really don't mind the travel (usually).
There was a time when the work-related sojourns were an excuse to skip a workout. There was a time when airport food "didn't count." There was a time when I was way the fuck out of shape, because of the travel. (Not really, but that's where I placed the blame.)
For the past several months, I've made it a personal goal to find a yoga studio in which to get a daily practice when I'm on the road.
I visited this amazing studio, Kodawari Studio, in Tampa several months back. The people there were kind and welcoming. They actually called a few days later just to "check in" and see how I liked the practice. I loved it, by the way.
When I was in Spokane a few weeks ago, I bought a two-week special at Spokane Yoga Shala for a mere $20. The one-time drop-in fee was $16. I enjoyed a Beginner's Yoga class, several simple Flow classes and one amazing Kundalini Flow. The studio was site-built as a yoga studio. If you find yourself in Spokane for any reason, you should drop in.
In DC, back in the spring, I was taking meetings with the founder of a tech startup, and I grabbed a couple of early morning practices at Georgetown Yoga. The bare brick walls in this second-floor circa 1800s storefront settled me right down with a sense of history. The teachers were all thoughtful and open and simply lovely human beings.
I've adopted a new approach to the whole yoga/travel thing. I love trying new studios. Of course, there are times when you just can't find a place or the work keeps you in the grind past all scheduled classes.
This is where hotel yoga and a personal practice come in. This evening I settled into an AirBnB in a small Texas town. I have a couple of days of meetings, and I got into town kind of late. I rolled out my trusty mat and, for the next two nights, moved myself through a series of poses in the peace of my own space.