10 Yoga Poses For A Road Trip

Do you enjoy exploring the world by car? Me too. I recently took a six-hour road trip from Los Angeles to California’s central coast. The drive was breathtaking, but about three hours in I started to become fidgety and uncomfortable. As a yoga instructor, that’s particularly unsettling, as I’m used to feeling comfortable with my body.

But I also know how to quickly get comfortable again and I’m sharing that knowledge with you! If you’re going a little stir crazy in the car or just starting to feel stiff on your road trip, pull over and do these 10 yoga poses. In 10 minutes or less, these yoga poses can give your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints the attention they need to help you feel less stiff. And that makes life behind the wheel a whole lot more pleasant.

10 Seated Yoga Poses For Your Next Long Road Trip

Spinal Twist (With car seat assistance)

The lower back is the loudest barker when you’re dog tired behind the wheel. Start by facing in your seat with your feet flat on the floor and hip distance apart. Twist your upper body so that you are looking out the back window, gripping your seat with both hands to assist in holding the pose and deepen the stretch. Take eight to 10 breaths. Repeat in the other direction.

Accomplished Pose or Lotus

When you sit too long in one position your hips and inner thighs can get sore. This pose can help ease the ache. It will be slightly more difficult if you have a small car or are blessed with beautiful, long legs (of which I am not, hence my name The Tini Yogini), but the gist is this: You sit in a lotus position on your car seat. Place the outside of your right foot on top of your left thigh, close to your groin. If that feels comfortable, carefully bring your left foot up and over your shin, placing it on your right thigh. Allow the backs of your hands to rest gently on your knees, thighs, or on your lap. Straighten your back and hold this pose for as long as you comfortably can (at least eight to 10 breaths). Switch leg positions, and repeat.

Seated Figure Four Pose

This pose is especially good for opening the inner groin, thighs, and hips. It also works wonders for sciatica sufferers. Start by facing forward in your seat with your feet flat on the floor and spread slightly wider than hip distance apart. Keeping your left foot flexed, pick it up and rest your left ankle on your right thigh. You can stay here if you feel a deep enough stretch, or you can thread your left hand between your legs and grab onto the back of your right thigh to go a bit deeper. Hold onto your left hand with your right hand to pull both legs toward your chest (you can place your right foot on the seat if you like). Hold for eight to 10 breaths. Switch sides, and repeat.

Neck Rolls

People often hold tension in their necks and shoulders, and even thinking about driving is enough to make it worse. To loosen up, simply roll your head from side-to-side several times. Start by sitting tall in your seat and tucking your chin toward your chest as you roll your shoulders back and down. Now roll your head to your right, moving your right ear toward your right shoulder. To intensify the stretch, place your right fingertips above your left ear and your left fingertips on your left shoulder, and pull very gently in opposite directions. Hold for eight to 10 breaths. Repeat on your other side.

Seated Forward Fold

Is your lower back still aching after performing the previous stretches? Try this one next. Place both feet flat on the floor so that they’re hip-width apart. If you have room, reach for the floor with your hands, keeping your back flat as you hinge forward. Drop your head at the end to stretch your neck. If you can’t fold all the way down, rest your arms and head on the dash. In addition to opening up your low back and neck, you should feel a stretch in your hamstrings. Hold for eight to 10 breaths (or even longer if you like).

Legs up on the Dashboard

Now it’s time to kick back. This pose will restore blood flow to your pelvic cavity and the lower back, and release swelling in your legs and feet caused by sitting for extended periods. You may need to push your seat back (and recline it a bit) for this stretch, especially if you have long legs. Place your feet on the dash with only a very slight bend in your knees, and lean back. That’s all there is to it. Hold for at least eight to 10 breaths, but for as long as you like.

Seated Head To Knee Forward Bend

You can transition into this pose right after you do “legs up on the dashboard” to stretch your hamstrings, inner thighs, hips, and spine. All you have to do is keep your right leg extended with your right foot on the dash, and pull your left leg in, resting your left foot on your right thigh. Keep your spine straight, and then fold over your right leg. Hold for eight to 10 breaths, and then switch sides.

Anterior Shoulder Stretch (With car seat assistance)

Odds are you sit in your car in much the same way you sit at your desk — hunched over. The result: Tight shoulders. Begin by sitting up straight with both feet flat on the floor. Lean forward slightly and grab the seat behind you, extending your arms as you continue to lean forward. In addition to your shoulders, you should feel a stretch in your chest. Hold for eight to 10 breaths.

Posterior Shoulder Stretch

This stretch, which targets the posterior region of your shoulders, is a perfect one to do after the anterior shoulder stretch. Sit tall with both feet flat on the floor. Reach your arms straight out in front of your shoulders and interlace your fingers with your palms facing inward (you should feel a stretch in the tops of your wrists). Arch your back to create a C-shape with your torso, rounding your shoulder blades, and then drop your head to stretch the back of your neck. Hold for eight to 10 breaths.

Cow Face Arms

This stretch also targets your shoulders and arms, especially your triceps. Sit up straight in your seat with your feet flat on the floor. Raise your right elbow and drop your right hand behind you. Now reach your left hand behind you, reaching up to grip your right hand. If that’s too difficult (or uncomfortable), reach your left hand up to grip your right elbow, pressing down gently. Hold for eight to 10 breaths. Switch sides, and repeat.

Skinny Broccoli Salad

SKINNY BROCCOLI SALAD RECIPE

 

PREP TIME

30 mins

TOTAL TIME

30 mins

 

This light and crunchy broccoli salad with creamy dressing, grapes, celery, and raisins is my new favorite way to enjoy broccoli.

Author: Martha | Simple Nourished Living

Recipe type: Salad

Serves: 8

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups small broccoli florets (about 1½ pounds)
• 1-1/2 cups seedless red grapes, sliced in half
• 1 cup chopped celery
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ¼ cup salted sunflower seed kernels
• ⅓ cup light mayonnaise
• ¼ cup plain fat-free yogurt
• 2 tablespoons sugar (or sweetener to taste)
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar

CRISPY SOUTHWEST LASAGNA

I found this recipe in Trim and Terrific by Holly Clegg when Bryan and I first got married. I bought it used off of Ebay and this recipe was a winner. I think I stopped using it after that. Anyway, here you go.

Crispy Southwest Lasagna

1 pound ground turkey
Diced tomatoes with Juice
Can green chilies
2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic
2 egg whites
2 cups cottage cheese
14 Whole Wheat tortillas
Corn
Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook meat with tomatoes, chilies, and spices.
3. In a small bowl, blend egg whites with cottage cheese until completely combined
4. Spray 13×9 dish. Tear up tortillas into quarters. Cover the bottom of the dish with some of the quartered tortillas.
5. Layer all corn, half meat, cheese, then more tortillas.
6. Layer cottage cheese mixture, rest of ingredients, top with remaining tortillas and cover with cheese.
7. Bake for 30 minutes

MEXICAN EGG SCRAMBLE

Yesterday we had the neighbors over for a cookout. I did pretty well. We had grilled chicken, asparagus and a Garden Veggie Salad. But, I also made a chocolate cake. I’ve been doing the 21 Day Fix and haven’t baked the entire time, which is pretty good for me! So I decided I could bake a cake and send the rest home with the neighbors. Well, not only did they not take it home but they didn’t even eat any! I still did well, I only had one normal person size piece instead of my typical quarter. But I still feel gross because it’s been awhile since I’ve eaten something like that. This morning I needed to step up my game with the vegetables.

I shared a recipe yesterday, Venison Spaghetti, where I spoke about hiding vegetables in food. What better place to hide vegetables than in scrambled eggs? Bonus: we already have been doing it, my husband loves peppers in his eggs! So what’s a few handfuls of spinach going to hurt?

Mexican Egg Scramble

No measurements for this recipe, it all depends on how many people you’re feeding and really, you can’t go wrong!

Eggs
Bell peppers, chopped (any color or every color!)
Onion, chopped
Cilantro, finely chopped or just torn
Spinach
Splash of milk
Cumin
Chili Powder
Garlic Powder
Pepper
Hickory Smoked Salt
Cayenne

1. Crack the eggs in the pan and add your splash of milk. Add all the seasonings and stir until combined.
2. Add all the vegetables but the spinach and cilantro. Cook until the eggs are almost done.
3. Add a few handfuls of spinach and the cilantro. Stir while it cooks until the spinach cooks down.
4. Serve with salsa and a tortilla 21 Day Fixers – only if you can afford it for the day!

Tortilla Soup

This is one of our favorite winter recipes. IT is hearty, full of veggies and protein, and our son loves it! The whole time he was eating it his whole body tensed up and his eyes would get huge. (No, it wasn’t too hot!) This recipe can be made on the stove or in the crock pot. It does take some prep work to chop all of the veggies, but it is worth it. If your crock pot or stock pot is big enough, I like to double the recipe and freeze the leftovers.

Tortilla Soup

1 pound ground (venison, beef, turkey, chicken, ect. We prefer venison)
2 tomatoes
5 potatoes
5 carrots
5 stalks of celery
1 onion
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp cumin

1. Brown meat and drain.
2. While the meat is browning, chop all of your veggies and put them in your crock pot.
3. Add the drained meat.
4. Cover with water and add spices.
5. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until veggies are tender
6. Crunch tortilla chips at the bottom of a bowl and ladle soup over chips. Top with cheese and serve.

Protein Pancakes

CHOCOLATE CHIP GREEK YOGURT PANCAKES

 

Serves:4

Prep time:10 mins

Cook time:20 mins

Total time:30 mins

 

These chocolate chip pancakes make a perfect light and healthy breakfast and are packed with extra protein from the Greek yogurt!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup mini chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat a large skillet or griddle to medium heat and spray well with non stick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the greek yogurt, milk, eggs, oil, honey, and vanilla.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined, making sure not to over mix the batter. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, scoop the batter from the bowl and drop onto the skillet or griddle. Once the top starts to bubble and the edges look set, flip and let cook for another 1-2 minutes.
6. Serve with extra chocolate chips, fresh fruit, or pure maple syrup!

Happy Cinco De Mayo- Stuffed Peppers

• The first thing you need to do is PREHEAT your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  After you do that, you are going to take FOUR medium red, yellow, green, or orange bell peppers, cut in half, with seeds removed, and place them, skin side down, in a large baking dish.  Go ahead and set that dish aside.

• Next, heat 2 tsp. of olive oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add 1 medium, chopped onion and cook.  Stir frequently for 4 to 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent.  Add 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic and cook that while stirring frequently for 1 minute.  And then add your 1 1/2 pounds of raw chicken breast (boneless, skinless, chipped into 3/4 inch pieces), 1 tsp. ground chili powder, 1 tsp. ground cumin, 1/2 tsp. Himalayan sea salt, and 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper.  Cook this for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the chicken is no longer pink.

• Time for the fun and fiesta to begin!  Next, you are going to add 1 cup of spaghetti sauce.  Personally, I use Grandma’s Tomato Sauce recipe from the FIXATE cookbook because my family can’t get enough of it, so I make it in huge pots and freeze it in various serving sizes.  If you don’t have the recipe for that sauce, Prego, Ragu, and Healthy Choice all have your run-of-the-mill healthier versions of sauces.  After your sauce is added, mix in 2 cups of cooked quinoa, 1 cup of canned black beans drained and rinsed, 1 cup of frozen corn kernels, 4 Tbsp. of chopped, fresh cilantro, and 1 Tbsp. of fresh lime juice.  Reduce your stove top heat to medium-low and cook while stirring occasionally.  You will continue to cook this for 3 to 5 minutes until it is completely heated through.

• Add a HEAPING 1/2 cup of chicken mixture to each pepper half.  Cover your dish lightly with aluminum foil.  Bake for 35 minutes or until the peppers are tender and remove the foil.

• Using 1 cup of shredded Monterrey Jack cheese, top each pepper evenly with the cheese.  Bake for another 3 minutes uncovered or until the cheese is melted.  Remove from the oven and garnish the top with an evenly distributed 1 Tbsp. of chopped, fresh cilantro and serve!

When you are finished, you have a robust and flavorful dinner that will serve 8 (1/2 pepper each).  If you are following the 21 Day Fix, your container equivalents are as follows:

• 1 green

• 1 yellow

• 1 red

• 1/2 blue

If you are tracking your macros, each serving includes:

• 322 calories

• 10 grams fat

• 4 grams saturated fat

• 68 mg cholesterol

• 479 mg sodium

• 29 grams carbs

• 6 grams fiber

• 6 grams sugar

• 27 grams protein

DINNER IS SERVED!