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Yoga Behind the Wheel

Paloma Chavez

yoga in car.jpgSo if you are driving along the highway and you happen to see a person in the next slow moving vehicle bobbing and circling his head in a figure eight, then you might have come across the unique idea in yoga – Drivetime Yoga.

It might seem a bit crazy or enlightening. Consider the number of people furiously running the road trying to cut another two minutes off of their drivetime, while only saving 30 seconds. Now that is crazy!

So when we heard about the release of the Drivetime Yoga book and CD, we just had to find out more about it.

From an article in the North County Times, Elaine Masters a longtime yoga instructor has created a book and CD that guides drivers through yoga inspired stretches and visualizations. In what we read she consulted with psychologists, and physical therapists to provide the statistics and safety of her yoga positions.

Breathing techniques, shoulder rolls, back arches are just a few of the areas that she covers in her CD. According to Ms. Masters “ This is not going to replace yoga or exercise class,” she said. It is to enhance your life and your exercise program. And it can also make you a better driver, because you will be more aware of what is going on around you while staying relaxed.”

Given that “road rage” has caused an increase in automobile accidents and the statistic of “83 percent of commercial drivers will be involved in a aggressive driving incident” Drivetime Yoga could just be one of the best preventative measures to decrease this number.

[tags]heath and yoga, car yoga, yoga practice, relaxation exercises[/tags]

One Response to “Yoga Behind the Wheel”

  1. Hello Paloma,
    Thank you for your comments about Drivetime Yoga. Whenever we can help ourselves and others to breathe more consciously and stretch more often, life just has to get better – whether on the road or on the mat.

    I know how frustrated I can get behind the wheel but it’s been surprising to learn just how world wide the road rage epidemic is! For example, this past summer, the Vatican released the Ten Commandments for Drivers, which revolve mostly around being more patient and responsible; among many incidents, last year a man was shot when he took someone’s parking place in San Francisco; plus aggressive driving has become a leading cause in the death of young children, according to the US Dept of Safety in a recent report to Congress. Drivetime Yoga is a step towards relieving this and the collective denial that we all are encountering various degrees of rage behind the wheel.

    There were a couple of corrections needed in the NCTimes article: I have been practicing Yoga for decades but a teacher for only a couple of years, this is stated in the book; also, I didn’t consult with a psychologist but with physical therapist/ergonomic consultant, Julie Garner, who contributed to the book/cd. The psychologist’s comments were part of the research gathered.

    Namaste,
    Elaine Masters

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