If your job involves a lot of traveling, sitting in one place can affect your blood circulation. The altitude and recycled air of most plane trips take their toll on you by slightly dehydrating you inside and out.
Here are a few postures that you can do on your long flight that will help release your stress in your muscles and prevent fatigue.
Lift up your spine and straighten it vertebrae by vertebrae as you are sitting in your seat, as often as you can. Relax your spine. Do this again as you take in your yoga breath slowly for the count of four. Exhale for the count of eight as you relax your spine. Do this eight times. This will energize you and bring blood to your spinal area.
Effective yoga poses in your seat include ankle bends, toe stretches, aswini mudra, sitting chest expander, camel(kneeling in front of your seat), sitting side stretch,mountain, arm lift, modified neck rolls, eye exercises, shoulder shrugs, finger exercises, the blade, posture clasp, sitting abdominal lift, sitting sponge and the alternate nostril breath for relaxation.
Ankle Rotations
Extend your right leg. Pointing your right toes, slowly rotate your foot around your ankle clockwise five times. Then rotate your foot slowly around your ankle counter clockwise five times. The slower the better. Relax and begin with your left foot.
Knee Raises
Lift your right knee and wrap your hands around it as inhale for the count of four. Exhale for the count of eight, remove your hands from your knee and lower your leg to the ground. Alternate legs. Do this eight times.
Shoulder Shrugs
While sitting straight, slide shoulder blades up toward ears – this is elevation. slide shoulder blades away from ears, lightly pressing palms into mat – this is depression. (Don’t round shoulders forward during depression.)
Neck Rotation
Other well-researched recommendations include getting up frequently to walk up and down the aisle; “pretend walking” while standing about. It is an absolute imperative, however, that you practice some sort of calf pump action every hour and intensely stretch and flex the legs often, but never cross them.