:: March 2008: Volume 7/Number 2

On The Road Again

Prevent jet lag by traveling and commuting skillfully with Ayurveda.

by Robert Sachs

More than 2,500 years ago, the historical Buddha predicted the time we now live in would be a time of aggravated vata (air and ether elements). The world would be in turmoil both in terms of our environment and ways of living and being. The results he foresaw were increases in chronic degenerative diseases and mental stress and illness.

Gone are the days when the average person travels no more than five miles from where they were born. If we do live a secluded life where we grow our own food and remain wholly self-sustaining, it is rare to not be connected to more distant parts of the globe via radio, television, phone or internet. Nowadays, we are either on the move physically, encountering new environments, or through our eyes and ears, hearing about and seeing images that leave impressions on our mind and emotions.

In Ayurvedic terms, movement of mind and body challenges the vata dosha regardless of our particular prakruti or constitution. When traveling frequently, balancing vata needs to be addressed to maintain our health, mental and physical clarity and continued vitality. Jet-setters may think of jet-lag, which is, of course, a sign of vata aggravation. Yet those of us who commute from the suburbs to the city, who take subways, trains or spend time stuck behind the wheel in freeway rush-hour traffic, suffer from vata-aggravating symptoms as a result.

Considering the rate, frequency and distances many of us travel, it is surprising that we accomplish anything with any degree of clarity. Yet, when we travel our vata energy increases and our minds expand. We see new things, make new connections and often get brilliant insights. You may feel the heavy, fatiguing effects of travel-lag, but when you stand in front of people to speak or teach on your traveling gig, you are a literal talking inspirational-idea machine. You may find you can practice asana (posture) and move with more freedom on the road. The opposite pole of your exhaustion is the super-human way in which you can perform. Both are symptoms of aggravated vata and feeling super-tired when you are not in the spotlight is the flip side to the energy you exude on stage: be it in front of a class, talking to the boss, making a deal or delivering a scintillating presentation.

Over-the-top vata expression can be quite functional: inspiring and useful to yourself and others. But, there is a cost that usually manifests when you return home and fully unwind. When the excitement of the new and different and the need to be in the zone are gone and you finally sigh and take a deep breath (prana, the subtle aspect of vata), at first you feel relieved. You return to a more familiar vata-pacifying routine, then after a few days you feel depressed, easily bored and disconnected. This represents the degree to which your vata dosha has been disturbed from the tumult of travel.

Think about the movie Lost in Translation. Many people thought it was just funny. As a traveler and Ayurvedic practitioner, I saw it as an excellent study of full-blown psycho-physical jetlag: vata on parade.

Signs of Vata-Aggravation
Fatigue	Constipation	Depression
Joint stiffness	Distractible mind (mental or physical channel surfing)	Tension or headache, particularly in the middle of the forehead
Dry skin	Obsessive thinking	Restless sleep or insomnia
Dry Hair	Manic behavior

What to do? Quit your job? Stop traveling? Perhaps. But if we are experiencing a vata imbalance, we can look to Ayurveda for suggestions to counter or at least mollify the effects of our sojourning ways. The following practices can be used before, during or after long-distance jet travel or a daily commute. You don’t have to practice everything. However, the greater the vata provocation, the more you will benefit by incorporating more techniques.

Eat to Calm Vata

• Avoid caffeinated, alcoholic and iced drinks.

• Avoid overly processed or dry snack foods.

• Choose warm, heavy foods if you must eat while traveling. Upon arriving, favor warm or oily foods such as soup, choose more cooked than raw.

• Fermented foods like pickles, sauerkraut or miso reset and aid digestion after travel.

• Sip hot water (with a bit of lemon or lime) frequently on a plane.

• Drink hot water before and after a meal to aid digestion.

• Chew roasted fennel seeds or other digestive seeds after a meal.

• Chew your food well and pay attention to eating.

• If you are flying, turn off the movie and take out your ear buds. If in a car, turn off your radio or put on some soothing music. Try to reduce or eliminate jarring sensory impressions while eating.

Stretch and Move

When on a plane or behind the wheel, I need to stretch. Consider that you are moving through space, yet you generally remain politely still. This artificial situation creates a build-up of tension which can disturb sleep and overall sense of balance. Get prana (life-force) moving through your joints with neck rotations, gentle spinal twists, toe and ankle flexion and hand massage. When on a plane walk periodically and practice modified standing poses.

Breathe the Earth

When you arrive, practice deep breathing or pranayama (yogic breath techniques). Find a grassy area or the sand on the beach, take off your shoes and reconnect with the Earth.

Quick Change

At your destination, make a transition from your on-the-go persona to one that is more settled by changing your work or travel clothes.

Bathe Away Tension

Even better, take a bath or shower before you change your clothes. Our bodies are electro-magnetic and we get scrambled when we travel. A cup of tridoshic (energy-balancing) bath salts or Epsom salts in a warm bath provides a recharging solution for our body’s internal battery.

Invert

Inverted postures generally decrease vata. Practice to your level of comfort ability and remain in the pose long enough to feel the effect, often 10 minutes. Use supported postures when appropriate.

Supported bridge pose.

Salamba sirsasana (headstand)

Salamba sarvangasana (shoulderstand)

Vipariti karani (half shoulderstand)

Legs up the wall (pictured above)

Oil Your Body on the Journey

Oil generally pacifies vata and after oil massage we feel more grounded and less jostled by travel. If an all-over body massage is impractical before embarking, Dr. Vasant Lad teaches the following practice to seal the body’s openings with oil. Apply high-quality vegetable oil to: brahma randra marma (on the crown of the head), inside the ears and nostrils, in the lachrymal ducts of the eyes, around the lips and corners of the mouth, in the navel, on tip of the penis or around the vagina, and the anus. Even a dot of oil may be sufficient. This practice makes you more self-contained and less impacted by the energies around you.

Self-Massage

After traveling, perform self-massage. My wife, Melanie, and I always carry massage oil, Ayurvedic mud, and cleansing ubtan (Ayurvedic grain and herbal) powder with us when we travel.

Get a Massage

When traveling long distances, it is sensible to schedule a massage with a recommended therapist. Even if you commute all week by car, turning yourself over to the hands of a massage therapist is not an indulgence, but a great way to let go, relax and recharge.

Warm

Place the warmth of a hot water bottle or pillow that can hold heat on your abdomen for at least 10 minutes before you go to bed, or even, leave it on. The colon is the seat of vata; placing warmth over this region encourages the gathering of excess vata into the large intestine where it can be eliminated.

Triphala

Before going to bed, take some triphala. This combination of three bitter fruits is a colon cleanser and rejuvenative. A teaspoon of the powder steeped in hot water is helpful for constipation and getting digestion on an even keel.

Many of us travel for good reasons: to satisfy our curiosity about the world and broaden our horizons; to provide for our families through work that demands a willingness to stay mobile and available; to teach something that we hope will be useful in transforming the lives of those we encounter. Yet while constant movement and travel may facilitate these aims, unless we are able to manage our own vata, these very activities can create symptoms that will eventually lead to our own burnout and end even our most noble endeavors.

It takes time and attention to travel skillfully. By adding some of these practices into your jet-set or commuting schedule, the winds of vata will be less likely to push you around. You will feel more harmonious and as a result, use less frenetic energy, making you more efficient and giving you more time. The trick then is not to fill it up with more to do, but to calm the inner vata-junkie. Then we can literally smell the roses, once again look into the eyes of our beloved, breathe and love living.

Robert Sachs is the author of a number of books including Tibetan Ayurveda, Ayurvedic Spa and The Buddha at War: Peaceful Heart, Courageous Action in Troubled Times. He and his wife Melanie Sachs operate Diamond Way Ayurveda. Diamondwayayurveda.com

When traveling frequently, balancing vata needs to be addressed to maintain our health, mental and physical clarity and continued vitality.

 

 

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