Sight-Seeing Takes a Toll on Your Eyes

Let’s begin with the vision.The eyes can easily find themselves on overload as they read signs, take in sights, and often work extra long hours to squeeze it all in. Two ways to care for the eyes are palming and nightly oiling.

To practice palming, place slightly cupped hands with little fingers touching above the bridge of the nose, covering the eyes to block out the light, while resting the elbows on a table (the drop-down table on airplanes is perfect for this!) Keeping the eyes open (or closed if you prefer) while covered allows the upper body, all the orbital muscles around the eyes and the ciliary muscles inside the eyes to deeply relax… Palming for even of 30 seconds can noticeably reduce tension and headaches and improve your mood.  When I hold this position longer, I notice profound relaxation in the entire upper body, which affects my attitude and outlook.

Another eye care tip for travel is oiling the eyes with castor oil at night.  To practice, put a drop of castor oil on a fingertip and placing it in the corner of each eye near the tear duct just before bedtime. This allows the eyes to stay moist and relax during sleep.  A travel-size bottle of castor oil should live in your travel kit  to bring the comforts of home with you, ensuring sound sleep wherever you are.

Each Destination has it’s Flavor

We often eat new and unusual foods when we travel, which may not always agree with our digestive systems. For this reason, I always travel with my tongue scraper. Tongue scraping can stimulate the digestive tract, clear excess bacteria from inside the mouth that accumulated during sleep and heighten our sense of taste so we can truly appreciate the new and different tastes and smells on your travels.  If you forget your tongue scraper, you can always use a metal spoon, but it’s worth the small investment of having an extra which lives in your travel bag.

To use a tongue cleaner, scrape from back to front 8-10 times before brushing teeth in the morning. I always smile when my mouth is clean and sometimes I feel like singing because my mouth feels so happy and light after cleaning the tongue and brushing teeth. My sensation of taste is heightened and I also make better food choices.

Add Nasya Oil to Your Packing List

Ahh, the nose.There are so many new smells to take in when I travel, some welcome and others not so welcome.  I always keep nasya oil in my travel bag, but if you forget, any oil in the nose works.  Put 3-5 drops of nasya oil in each nares morning and night to keep the lymph tissue strong, help fight infection and heighten the sense of smell. Insert your fingertip 1-2 cm inside your nostril and rotate your finger until all the insides get oiled.

Care for those Listening Ears

The ears can be so easily forgotten, if not downright abused. How do we take care of this precious sense? You guessed it.  It involves oil. Before going to sleep at night place a piece of a cotton ball or even a small piece of tissue with 2-3 drops of oil on it into each ear. This keeps the ear canals and the nerves operating optimally and the muscles around the ear relaxed. Take time to appreciate silence as well while traveling.Turn internally and listen.

I always carry bottle of oil for abhyanga (self-massage) anyways, which helps if I forget my nasya or my ear oil (See my blog on abhyanga while traveling for more tips.) Practicing self massage wherever I am heightens all sensations in the skin and nervous system as well as helping me stay fully present inside my body so I can be fully present in my new environment.

Prepare your Senses for Travel

The longer I work these habits while at home, the more naturally and seamlessly the sense organ habits flow into my travel life. Here’s my packing list and my go to list of sense organ practices. Use my tips to organize and get ready for your next big getaway. Follow my guidelines and packing list and I predict you will deepen your connection to your senses and have an extraordinary trip.

Dr. Beth’s Essential Sense Organ Travel Kit:

1. Tongue cleaner (if forgotten use a metal spoon)
2. Three ounce bottle of castor oil for the eyes
3. Small Dropper bottle of nasya oil
4. Bottle of oil for abhyanga that can be used in lieu of nasya and also used in the ears.

Sense Organ Care Practices For Travel:

1. Palming for the eyes
2. Castor oil in the eyes before sleep
3. Nasya oil in the nose in the morning and before sleep
4. Clean the tongue every morning, just like at home.  If no tongue cleaner, use a metal spoon.
5. Oil the ears before sleep with 2-3 drops on a piece of cotton ball or tissue placed just inside the ear canal
6. Take time to enjoy silence
7. Abhyanga daily to heighten body awareness and calm the nerves.

I Carry my Meditation Habit with Dignity

The habit of meditation infuses calm into an individual. Like the rest of the Body Thrive habits one carries it with dignity. The early days of meditation, though, are anything less than charming. I remember cramps in my back and shoulder, monkey mind, numb legs, and fidgeting like an aspen leaf. Nonetheless, once the habit of meditation takes hold, it often becomes someone’s keystone habit, that from which all other habits base their strength.  In order for the benefits of meditation to truly become a part of you, meditation must travel with you like your toothbrush.

Sit Here, Sit There

I’ve sat in small huts, in hotel rooms, in lobbies, on the beach, in the desert and I usually sit on my pillow at the head of my bed. Sitting first thing in the day ensures that meditation happens and distractions do not. For times when early morning isn’t an option for meditation on my itinerary, there is night time sitting that settles the body for sleep anywhere.

Morning Meditation Grounds Me

Morning meditation has become my sacred connection with source, the earth, the divine. When traveling it’s one of the first things I think about  as I settle into a new place because I know being present will make being displaced from my surroundings less disruptive.  When tuned into our core, we can be anywhere.  Seasoned meditators call their practice “sitting”.

One soon finds that when in a meditative state the body cools down. A shawl becomes necessary so focus can remain on the breath or the body and avoid temperature distractions. At home I have several shawls that I use, a warm one for winter, a lighter one for summer, and a beautiful fuzzy one that feels festive. When packing for a trip I usually take the thinner and lighter shawl with me for morning meditation. Having a token with me from home that helps to trigger this habit making sitting much easier to continue the meditation practice. It becomes a bridge from home and familiarity to continue on the path.

Calming Cools Me Down

While traveling, before I go to sleep I put the shawl beside my bed so absolutely no excuses can arise in the morning. Those excuses sound like, “I didn’t want to wake anyone sleeping while rummaging around in my suitcase”, “The warm bed called me to stay because I couldn’t remember exactly where I put my shawl”, or “My internal clock was off and I couldn’t get up.”  When traveling with others, I set my phone alarm on vibrate or a very soft alarm that wakes only me.  After the obligatory trip to the bathroom to Start the Day Right, I sit on my pillow and put the shawl over my shoulders and sit.  If new surroundings pose distractions, simply focusing on my breath is my practice for the morning. I also set an intention to open to possibility for the day and identify resistance in my body. I can breathe into receptivity in a different environment.  

I’ve found the effects of meditating while traveling to be fantastic. My adventures are more colorful, flavorful and present. Have you meditated when you are on a trip? Would love to hear about it. Scroll down and tell me how you meditated while on vacation.

I Pack My Little Packets of Green

One thing I always stash in my suitcase is packets of green powder that mix with water to make an instant green smoothie. My favorite is Garden of Life because it is made with sprouted and organic greens. It’s not too sweet, and it’s very easy to make when I’m on a business trip or a family vacation, especially one packed full of activities. My daughters, my mother and I toured Washington, DC last spring to see the sights and introduce my two pre-teens to our government. Our Congresswoman was a friend. She had hooked us up with White House tickets, entry into Congress and the Senate, as well as a private tour of the capitol.  It was a trip I hope my family remembers forever. The hotel room was tiny and with so much to do, time was limited. These small packets of green breakfast love saved me.  Everyday,  just mixed my  powder, drank and headed for the subway to the Nation’s Capitol. Some people make their own green powder by dehydrating greens from their yard and gardens. That’s a way to stay connected if you can do it.

I Love My Fresh Greens

Whether I am camping, staying at an Airbnb, crashing at a friends place, or a holing up in a hotel room with a fridge, I take my Nutribullet. I love fresh greens when I’m away from home. Here’s how I do it. When I arrive at my destination, I pick up some greens at the store. While fresher is better, even pre-packed/ pre-washed greens will do the trick. I also grab bananas and whatever else I can find wherever I am located. I can make an amazing smoothies while “on the road.” I find these traveling green smoothies even more invigorating because a daily smoothie helps me maintain my routine. The adventures of traveling are enhanced when I’m on my game and feeling light and nourished.

The Nutribullet takes up about as much space as a pair of shoes in a suitcase and is worth every ounce of extra weight.  When I attended a medical conference last summer I bought a box of pre-washed kale, bananas and some fresh seasonal blueberries. There was no space in the little hotel fridge, so I put the produce on the air conditioning vent on the window sill. It kept everything cool enough to last 3 days and I had my morning blast of goodness. The conference was very dull and had the potential to put me right to sleep. However, I avoided turning to junk food and other snacks to perk me up because I had started my day with the best of the best – greens! Another tip, if you feel bloated, add celery to the smoothie.  It’s a natural diuretic.

Turn up the Fire

When my digestive fire gets disturbed at home, I grind spices to make a “fire starter tea” (I use a recipe of equal parts ground fennel, coriander and cumin) This tea helps me reset. It’s something to fall back on at home and I also use it when agni (digestive fire) gets disturbed while traveling. Put a half teaspoon of the spice mix in a small cup of hot water and allow it to steep about 5-10 minutes before drinking. It helps tremendously with digestion which can easily get upset when traveling.  With the interruption of travel on my routine, having fire starter tea in my bag to keeps my agni stoked.  On every trip I take, I always keep fire starter tea in my bag.

Breakfast Spices

I also carry ground breakfast spice mix in a jar (cinnamon, allspice, ginger, cardamom, and a lesser amount of cloves). Starbucks always has oatmeal, and Starbucks are everywhere- even in the airport. Nuts, raisins, breakfast spice and oatmeal with a touch of honey can be the perfect traveling breakfast. I have turned to this recipe many times when nothing else is available. On the same trip to Washington, DC with my family, the breakfast spices saved me more than once. I carried my breakfast spice mix in my purse everywhere. No food or drink is allowed in the Capitol building. No water bottles or snacks can be in your bag. And the guards look! When we were having our bags inspected before observing US Congress in session, the security guards confiscated my breakfast spice mix. It was considered a food and they asked me to come back and pick it up on my way out. I laughed so hard inside because I didn’t see it as food, I viewed it more as a supplement or medicine. It never crossed my mind that I should remove it from my bag as it was a banned substance. Any inconvenience the spice mix caused paid off in spades on that trip.

Dr Beth’s 5 Commandments for a Plant-Based Diet while Traveling

1. DOWN GREEN POWDER every morning.
2. GET YOUR GRIND ON. Pack in the Nutribullet and let her rip in the AM.
3. STOKE THE DIGESTIVE FIRE with Fire Starter tea mix.
4. EAT FRESH LEAVES WHENEVER POSSIBLE.
5. When perusing a menu CHOOSE FOODS FOR A CLEAR MIND AND A VIBRANT BODY.

I’d love to hear about your dietary travel adjustments, tricks and successes!  Please share below in the comments, we will all benefit.

Now one of my most decadent self-care gestures, Abyhanga has become something I have the possibility of doing daily… and I do it every day, even when I am traveling! I am a busy MD who loves to travel for work and play. I have a routine for doing my Abyhanga at home and one that I take on the road.

Here’s my routine when I am home, I dry brush my skin with dry brush shower gloves to slough off old skin cells, and awaken my body’s largest organ. Then I put a squirt bottle of oil into a cup of hot water to make it warm to the touch. Then I head to the shower. If time allows, I massage the oil into my skin and let it absorb for 20 minutes before stepping under the water. This habit has become as automatic as brushing my teeth. On days when I have less time, I skip the dry brushing and take the oil into the shower with me and rub it on under the water stream. The warm water helps it soak in.

What are the results of daily self-massage with oil?

I have experienced a deep nurturing that beckons me to stay inside my body physically, mentally, and emotionally. My body knows it is deeply cared for as a result of this practice. I cherish my body’s presence and I respect its opinion. I have learned to listen. I have grown to admire and love my body for it’s unique traits and shortcomings.

For many years, since my teens, I could only view my body with critique. Through daily Abhyanga, the relationship has changed.  As I have become the caretaker of myself by rubbing oil on my skin and caressing my tissues, I can embrace imperfections as parts of me and judgment falls away. I deeply appreciate everything my body does and I apologize for my lapses in mindfulness that occasionally lead to a bruised knee or poor food choices that make my belly feel uncomfortable.  I bolster all of the above with a daily check-in involving self-touch: a hand to my belly, a hand to my chest, a scalp massage, taking the time to work out some knots. Inner calm, presence and self-respect have evolved from this simple daily practice.

And yet, sometimes I forget, or get stressed, and my practice slips. Things come up. Stuff gets in the way. I prioritize others over self. I’ve noticed this to be especially true when traveling. It’s called life.

What I’ve learned the hard way is that by maintaining my practice, even when it’s difficult to do so, and especially when it’s hard to do so, is when it benefits me most! By treating my body, skin, and mind to an oil massage while traveling, I show up in my new surroundings very grounded and present. When traveling this translates into being more calm in unusual surroundings, more wise and making more mindful food choices. I also find myself getting better sleep in a strange place as a result of my traveling Abyhanga practice.  I feel that I am more present to myself no matter where travel. I take in more of the experience of a new and different place when I am deeply nurtured.

Last summer I traveled to Seattle for a continuing medical education course.  Although the content was dry, rote and boring, it was something I needed to learn.  Every morning I practiced Abhyanga in my hotel room and I think because I did this, I was able to find more calm while sitting in the 8 hours of dull lectures every day.  Because of the care I gave myself, it was easy to resist the tempting snacks in the afternoon and sleep more deeply at night.  When I did get outside, I enjoyed the sights and offerings of the big city by being fully present inside myself.

In certain travel scenarios, oil massage just isn’t possible. In this case, I bring shower gloves in my suitcase for a technique called dry brushing. I bought these exfoliating gloves at Target and of course they are also available online. In lieu of oil massage, dry brushing can be a great back up when oil can’t be used for whatever reason.  Before getting in the shower, I simply put on my gloves and massage the dry skin with mild friction in the same way I would massage oil on my skin.  This invigorates the skin, improves surface circulation and lymph flow, and offers exfoliation as well. Dry brushing can be done before Abhyanga or in lieu of it to maintain a connection with my body. When there isn’t time for a shower, quarters are cramped, or oil is unavailable, dry brushing keeps me in touch with my skin, my largest and most absorptive organ.

Here’s how I do Abhyanga while traveling:

1. I throw a small 2-3 oz. squirt bottle in my carry on luggage. It easily fits inside a walking shoe. I seal it in two zip lock plastic bags and voila, no extra space is taken up by my oil. 
2. Upon arriving, I buy a bottle of oil. I purchase sesame oil or a jar of coconut oil, depending on my destination. Sesame oil is warming for cooler climates, and coconut is cooling for warm climates. (Note: I don’t use a squirt bottle with coconut oil unless it’s warm enough for it to be in a liquid state.)
3. I take a larger bottle of oil. When I go to a place where finding or going to a ‘store’ to buy oils is impossible or it just adds too much stress to my  itinerary,  I take more than the carry on approved 3.4 ounces of liquid. In this situation, I am forced to check my luggage. I fill a larger squirt bottle, with a little bit of space for expansion while at flying altitude, wrap it in a paper towel, and seal it in 2 zip lock bags.  With this protocol, I’ve never had it leak onto my clothes.
4. I pack dry brush gloves to use as part of my daily Abyhanga routine or as back up for any unexpected situations that interfere with my typical practice. I stow my shower gloves in a zip-lock bag and use as needed.
5. When staying in a hotel, I  take advantage of the amenities…the shower gets cleaned every day and an oily towel gets sent to the laundry. When I stay in  private homes or at an Air BnB I adapt different strategies to keep my hosts happy. Sometimes I bring an extra towel for oily situations. Often I offer to clean the shower. It always helps to explain yourself as Abyhanga is not a common practice. Most people will be happy you took the time to explain what you are doing and how you will take responsibility for cleaning up after yourself.

Next time you say Bon Voyage, don’t forget Abyhanga is one of the way to literally stay ‘in touch’ with yourself.  Have a great trip!

As an OB/Gyn physician who often sleeps at the hospital waiting for a birth, I’ve found ways to incorporate my Ayurvedic-based self-care routine into my sometimes fractured schedule. This is especially helpful for sleepless nights when I’m away from home. I pack  a small bag and take it to work. In it I include small bottles of oils I use in my at home Ayurvedic routine. I’ve duplicated everything so there’s no thinking about what to take.  I just grab it and go. I’ve made it a project to figure out how to take Ayurveda and the healthy habits described in Cate Stillman’s book,  Body Thrive, on the road.  This allows me to maintain consistency, balance, and body integrity while travelling.  What has evolved is a blog series in which I share what has made my life easier while away from home.

We Become More Aware of Routine

In Cate Stillman’s book, Body Thrive, readers spend 10 weeks focusing on 10 healthy habits from Ayurveda that are used to fine-tune and simplify their lives. This opens us to the possibility of change in the rhythms and choices we make in our own lives. These types of changes allow us to evolve as conscious creatures on our planet. In the beginning, change happens on an almost imperceptible level. We soften. We shift. We become more aware. Many do not notice the subtle differences in their daily routine. Until one day, they do. For myself, I remember realizing that I warm lemon water felt better than tea or coffee to my body in the early waking hours.

As my life began to shift and the Body Thrive habits became a part of me, I saw how going on vacation or traveling for work threw the routine off. When staying in a hotel room that I share with three other people, it’s difficult to wake up, boil drinking water and meditate without waking up my roommates. A peaceful meditation can easily go out the window, and the domino effect of missed meditations ripples throughout the day and week. Any meditator understands the scenario of cumulative missed meditations has ungrounding consequences.

Start the Day Right

Recently I acquired a Hydro Flask, a trusty companion on every trip I take. Well insulated and vacuum sealed, it holds 32 oz of warm or hot water. In my experience, downing a full flask of lemon water every morning has produced amazing results. Prior to owning my Hydro Flask, I found it difficult to get hot water in the morning, especially early, unless on the rare occasion there was a hot pot in the hotel room.  Even on silent meditation retreats, the rooms were monastic and finding a kettle small enough to put into my suitcase was difficult.  Because my Hydro Flask keeps water very hot through the night, I can fill it  in the evening, put it by the bed, and it’s perfect temperature for drinking in the morning.  This saves time and commotion in the hotel room.  And the steel lining of the Hydro Flask makes the water taste clean and simple, not like plastic water bottles.

Silly American, Why is She Carrying a Jar??

Thank goodness I will no longer need to tote my glass mason jar around!  After landing in Paris two years ago I was making my way to the TGV (high-speed train) to visit a dear friend who lives in southern France. My bag collected and customs navigated, I had begun to taste my adventure. The fog that comes with international travel loomed as felt my feet on the ground after hours in the air. I walked outside and breathed my first gulp of cool, moist French spring air. I had arrived! As I walked along the patio with benches where people waited for trains, my brain rewiring itself to speak French again, I heard various announcements of arrivals and departures. Then, a crash that took a few seconds before realizing it was from me. My glass Mason jar worked it’s way out of the backpack bottle holder and shattered on the train platform. I cringed. My vision narrowed and I felt suddenly estranged. For the next three weeks my routine would be upset.

In the end, I adapted to plastic and avoided adding the lemon to my morning water. I still laugh at the expression of the French, “Silly American! Why is she even carrying a jar with her?” Glass no more!

Vacation Evacuation Made Easy

The finale of starting the day right is the esteemed morning bowel evacuation. To understand what happens when we travel we need to turn to Ayurveda. The dosha  or energy of Vata in Ayurveda is composed of air and ether. It transforms and evolves. Traveling exacerbates its force and it easily falls out of balance. With air comes dryness and with dryness, constipation. To remedy an interruption in bowel function while traveling, I take the supplement Calm every night I’m not at home. I carry a small 1oz Nalgene jar (that I bought at a backpacking store) full of it. I also take triphala tea at night and do the same with that powder. Many people take triphala capsules instead. The water I use to make these evening drinks fills up the Hydro Flask for the morning. Some restaurants and hotels have lemon wedges available too.

I am happy to share these discoveries. Please share what works for you. We all benefit!