Yoga When You Are Tired Or Travelling: Rejuvenation Poses That Need Little Gear

Yoga when tired: the short version

A guest house manager once peered through Stuart’s window after a long day on the road and saw two bare feet sticking straight up the wall. He did not forget it, and neither did Stuart. That evening Stuart was too tired for a normal practice, but not too tired for Legs Up The Wall. Yoga when tired is not a contradiction. There are poses that ask almost nothing of you, and many students find they leave them with more energy than they arrived with.

This note in short form

• The idea: tiredness is a good reason to do yoga, in a gentle, supported form.
• The poses: Legs Up The Wall, supported forward bends, Bridge Pose over a prop, a backbend over a chair.
• The gear: a chair, a bolster, a strap, blocks and a mat cover most of it, and you can start with less.
• On the road: Stuart carried these props on a long work trip over remote dirt roads.
• The research: yoga has been tested for cancer-related fatigue, not for ordinary tiredness.
• Safety: tiredness that will not lift is a reason to see your doctor.
• Next step: try a class in the studio or LIVE online. Your first class is free if you’re new.

Back to our Food and Habits notes.

Why do we skip yoga when we are tired?

Most of us were raised to think of exercise as something you do when you have energy. So when we are tired, we skip it. Sometimes we do something worse, and wreck ourselves in a perverse approach to rejuvenation.

Tiredness does make everything harder. But in yoga, there are ways to do poses that are easy to tackle even when you are tired. And there are ways to do many of them so that they rejuvenate you. That is why being tired is a very good reason to do yoga.

Iyengar yoga is the style developed by Mr BKS Iyengar. In the 20th century he did more than anyone to set down traditional Indian yoga, through his books and his teaching, and he pioneered the use of props. It is sometimes called modern classical yoga, and it’s the style we teach at Flametree. Props are a big part of that style, and they are what make the resting poses possible.

Which yoga poses help when you are tired?

The poses that help most are the ones a prop can hold for you, so the effort goes out of them. Here are the ones we suggest first.

• Legs Up The Wall (Viparita Karani): lie on the floor with your legs up a wall, a bolster under the hips if you have one. Our note on Legs Up The Wall has the set-up.
• Forward bends with head support: fold forward and rest your head on a prop such as a chair seat or a bolster.
• Bridge Pose over a prop (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana): lie back over a bolster or a stack of blocks and let the chest open.
• A backbend over a chair: lie back over the seat of a chair, with something soft under your back.
• Supported Shoulder Stand over a chair (Salamba Sarvangasana): this one is best learned from a teacher.

In a studio with ropes or a swing, supported upside-down poses are also taught for tiredness. Those need a teacher, and they are one reason a class can lift you when a night in front of the television will not.

Is restorative yoga a fast track to more energy?

Many of these poses are taught in restorative yoga, the style that uses props so you can stay still and let go. Many students find that restorative poses are a faster and healthier way to rejuvenate and de-stress than collapsing on the couch. That is known from practice. Our guide to what restorative yoga is explains how it works.

If your tiredness shows up at night, our article on yoga for sleep covers the research on sleep and the poses to do before bed.

What did Stuart carry on a long trip?

Stuart, who teaches at Flametree with Chris, once spent weeks on a long work trip across remote Top End country, where days outdoors in the tropical heat were exhausting. Over 2,600 kilometres of demanding dirt roads, the easy option each night was to collapse in front of whatever television worked, or to reach for a drink that does not help the next day.

Instead he carried a few props: a chair, a bolster, a strap, some blocks and a mat. They made it much easier to do a short practice every day. With restorative poses, he says, he never found he was too exhausted. They are easy to get into, and they help the body and mind settle.

The same set of props rides in the back of his 4WD when he heads for remote beaches. One of the things he likes about yoga is that he can take it wherever he goes, and now that includes Flametree’s online classes.

What if you have no props?

Start with what is around you. A sturdy chair, a firm pillow or a rolled blanket, a belt and a bare wall already allow several resting poses. Our page on yoga props explains what to buy and what to improvise.

What does the research say about yoga and fatigue?

Yoga has been tested for one particular kind of fatigue. A 2017 systematic review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (Hilfiker and colleagues) pooled 245 randomised studies of exercise and other non-drug treatments for cancer-related fatigue. For people who had finished cancer treatment, yoga had the largest effect of the options compared.

That is a specific kind of tiredness, so it does not prove anything about a long drive or a hard week. What it shows is that yoga has a place in the research on fatigue. For everyday tiredness, our guide is practice: what we have seen in students, and what the tradition teaches. Not yet tested is not the same as not working.

How do you keep yoga going in a busy or stressful stretch?

Keep it small. Chris Lalor has noticed that just when stress and tension rise, such as around the holidays, students tend to drop the practices that help most. Her advice is to stick with your normal yoga and breath work, even if that means a shorter version.

Ten minutes of Legs Up The Wall counts. So does one supported forward bend. The aim is to keep the habit alive, so it is there when you need it.

When is tiredness a reason to see a doctor?

Tiredness that lasts for weeks, does not ease with rest, or comes with other changes such as weight loss, fever or breathlessness is a reason to see your doctor. You can also talk to your yoga teacher or yoga therapist, and your doctor if you wish. Stop any pose that hurts.

Practise this at Flametree

Your first class is free if you’re new to Flametree. New students, and anyone who has been away three months or more, can also get a half price 10 class pass with 2 extra classes free, to use online, in the studio, or both. We teach in the studio at Woolner in Darwin and LIVE online. For the studio, just come along. For an online class, click the class time you want and we email you the link to join.

• Beginners: see the half price 10 class pass for new and lapsed students
• Not a beginner: see the half price 10 class pass for new and lapsed students
• The timetable, including online classes

Questions people ask about yoga when tired

Should you do yoga when you are tired?

Yes, if you choose the right kind. When you are tired, easy supported poses are a good place to start, because they ask very little of you. Many students find that a few minutes of restful poses leave them with more energy than they started with.

What are the best yoga poses when you are tired?

Resting poses that a prop can hold for you. Legs Up The Wall, a forward bend with the head supported, Bridge Pose over a bolster or blocks, and a gentle backbend lying over a chair are the ones we suggest. Many are also taught in restorative yoga.

How long should you stay in a pose when you are exhausted?

A few minutes is a fine start. Legs Up The Wall is usually held for 5 to 10 minutes, or longer if it feels good. Come out slowly, and stop if anything hurts.

What props do you need to do yoga while travelling?

A mat, a strap, a few blocks, a bolster and a chair are what Stuart carried on a long work trip. You can start with much less. A sturdy chair, a firm pillow or rolled blanket, a belt and a bare wall already allow several resting poses.

Can you do Legs Up The Wall in a hotel or guest house?

Yes. All you need is a free stretch of wall and the floor. That is what Stuart did in a remote guest house after a day of driving. Our note on Legs Up The Wall explains the set-up step by step.

Does yoga help with fatigue?

Research has tested yoga for one kind of fatigue. A 2017 review of 245 randomised studies in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that, for people who had finished cancer treatment, yoga had the largest effect on cancer-related fatigue of the exercise types compared. Ordinary tiredness has not been studied in the same way.

When is tiredness a reason to see a doctor?

See your doctor if tiredness lasts for weeks, does not ease with rest, or comes with other changes such as weight loss, fever or breathlessness. You can also talk to your yoga teacher or yoga therapist, as well as your doctor if you wish.

Where can I do restorative yoga in Darwin?

Flametree Yoga Studio teaches Iyengar yoga, including restful supported poses, in the studio at Woolner in Darwin and LIVE online. Your first class is free if you’re new to Flametree.

Flametree Yoga Studio, Darwin NT, teaching Iyengar yoga in the studio and LIVE online. This note is general information, not medical advice.

Sources

• Hilfiker R, Meichtry A, Eicher M, et al. Exercise and other non-pharmaceutical interventions for cancer-related fatigue in patients during or after cancer treatment: a systematic review incorporating an indirect-comparisons meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2017. doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2016-096422
• Stuart McGill, Flametree Yoga Studio: first-person teaching notes on restorative yoga and travel.
• Flametree teaching notes by Chris Lalor, Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher, Flametree Yoga Studio.