Bandha Basics: The Three "Bonds" of Yogic Practice

When I was a beginning yoga student in the tradition of Pattabhi Jois’ Ashtanga, my teacher often reminded us to “use mūla bandha” or “engage the root lock.” The benefits of doing so, she explained, range from lightness in arm balances to ease during childbirth to eternal youth. Wow, that’s some real yoga magic, I thought. I earnestly wanted to experience this mystical bandha thing, whatever that was, but my teacher’s instruction on how to do it was a series of baffling cues.

“Squeeze your anal sphincter and hold it.”

“Pretend you’re trying to stop yourself from peeing.”

And of course, “Lift your pelvic floor,” which sounds simple and impossible all at once. (My early attempts to do this very thing made me furrow my eyebrows so intensely I wondered if my mūla area was somehow connected to my forehead.)

If you’ve ever been confounded by these phrases in yoga class, you’re in good company. As yoga continues its explosive growth — with more than 300 million practitioners estimated worldwide — the challenge of illuminating yogic concepts for a broad, 21st-century audience has never been greater.

How can we modern yogīs explore esoteric concepts like bandha in practical terms? Do I really have to squeeze my you-know-what? What does my pelvic floor have to do with eternal youth? 

Relax your sphincters (for now), and let’s just start with the basics.

What is a bandha?

Bandha is a Sanskrit word that can mean bondage, seal, stop, or capture, as well as binding or putting together. In yoga classes, teachers often use the translation “lock,” as in the phrase “root lock” or “chin lock.”

There are three major bandha in the human body: 

1. Mūla bandha, located at the pelvic floor

2. Uḍḍīyana bandha, located at the solar plexus and diaphragm area

3. Jālandhara bandha, located at the throat

Mūla means root and connotes foundation, stability and fundamentality. This word also appears in the name of the root chakra, mūlādhāra.

Uḍḍīyana comes from the root uḍ, meaning up or upward. Uḍḍīyana bandha is sometimes translated as “upward flying seal.”

Jālandhara is comprised of two terms, jāla, which means web or net, and dhara, which means holding or containing. Jālandhara bandha is sometimes called “the catcher’s mitt” in reference to how this technique directs the life force energy, or prāṇa.

How do I practice these bandha?

Yoga practice is designed to support wellbeing by directing the flow of energy throughout the body. Instead of releasing and relaxing, however, bandha practice emphasizes energy containment and activation.

Mūla bandha

The lowest of the three major bandha, mūla bandha comprises the very base of the abdominal balloon, the pelvic floor. The pelvic floor plays a crucial role in supporting the organs and stabilizing both posture and movement.

Activating mūla bandha restricts the downward flow of energy, which helps prāṇa circulate back upward.

 To find mūla bandha, try this… 

Envision a layered criss-crossing of slings that amount to a diamond-shaped hammock, anchored to your pubic bone, tailbone, and both sitting bones. Pour your attention here, into your pelvic floor. 

Exhale as smoothly as you can, while focusing on emptying yourself completely. Can you detect a subtle lifting sensation here? If yes, you’ve found it. 

If no, try the cues my long-ago Ashtanga teacher gave me. Squeeze your anal sphincter, and imagine you’re stopping the flow of urine as well. These are way-exaggerated actions, but they serve a good purpose: to bring awareness to a body area that you might not have consciously engaged before.

Once you’re oriented to this mūla area in your own body, experiment with intensity. How gently can you contract these muscles without losing your awareness here? Can you activate this area strongly? How completely can you relax here?

Uḍḍīyana bandha

The “upward flying seal” of uḍḍīyana bandha is located at the diaphragm and represents the top of the abdominal balloon as well as the bottom of the chest cavity. The top of the diaphragm connects to the pericardium (the membrane around the heart) and contacts the lungs.

When practiced in conjunction with mūla bandha, uḍḍīyana bandha encourages prāṇa further upward and is used to generate heat. Engaging this bandha at the end of the exhale lifts and massages the internal organs.

To find uḍḍīyana bandha, try this…

Note: With any uḍḍīyana bandha practice, including this exploration, your stomach should be empty and you should not be menstruating.

Visualize (or briefly touch) all the way around your rib basket at your lowest ribs. Imagine a dome that’s anchored to this circle. Sense your heart riding on the top of this dome, gently moving downward on your inhale and upward on your exhale.

At the end of an exhale, again focus on emptying yourself completely. Feel your pelvic floor lift slightly with mūla bandha. Continue exhaling as you envision expanding through your rib basket, raising the dome of your diaphragm. Your belly may suck inward of its own accord, but don’t force it.

Release gently and let the breath flow as normal.

Jālandhara bandha

The uppermost of the three major bandha, jālandhara bandha is the “catcher’s mitt” that contains prāṇa at the top of the chest. This bandha is almost never engaged during yogāsana (physical poses), with the exceptions of Setu Bandha Sarvāngāsana (Bridge Pose) and Sālamba Sarvāngāsana (Supported Shoulderstand).

Using jālandhara bandha restricts the upward flow of energy (and can temporarily prevent air flow), encouraging prāṇa to circulate back downward. 

To find jālandhara bandha, try this…

Note: With any jālandhara bandha practice, including this exploration, stop immediately at any sense of lightheadedness.

Envision your throat as the bendy portion of a bendable drinking straw. From a seated position, lengthen the back of your neck such that your chin lowers toward the very top of your chest — bend the bendy straw.

On a big inhale, lift your chest until your breastbone meets your chin, or comes close. As you do this, avoid jutting your front ribs forward, instead sensing an even expansion all around. Feel the gentle restriction in your throat in this position. Maintain this soft hold through exhale, and hold your breath out for a few seconds.

Release jālandhara bandha smoothly, and return to your normal breath.

When should I use bandha? What’s their “traditional” usage?

Modern yoga has popularized the use of bandha in physical practice, with Pattabhi Jois and his disciples at the forefront of this development. However, this usage of bandha isn’t quite as “traditional” to yoga history as one might assume.

The concept of bandha as a physical practice is mentioned in two classical yoga texts, the Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā and the Gheraṇḍa Saṁhitā. These texts suggest that the three major bandha are for use during prāṇāyama, or breathwork, and not for constant engagement in yogāsana practice.

Interestingly, a more widely-read text, the Yoga Sūtra of Patañjali, contains the word bandha only once, and this solitary mention refers to the binding of consciousness via concentration, and not to any body-centered technique.

So… To bandha, or not to bandha?

The question remains: Will bandha practice ultimately deliver on my first yoga teacher’s lofty promises? 

To be completely honest, well, maybe.

Each of the three bandha are located at a confluence point in the body, a place where energies intersect, where muscle and fascia connect in trampolines against gravity. Cultivating awareness in these areas builds strength and coordination in the physical body, and it deepens the inner work of svādhyāya, or self-study, which develops emotional resilience.

You might not be after effortless arm balances, easy childbirth or eternal youth per se. No matter. Bandha practice yields these other meaningful benefits along the way.

Now, that is some real yoga magic.

This article appears in edited form in Yoga Hawaii Magazine, 2019 issue.

Travel Like a Yogī, Part 3: IN-FLIGHT FAVES

Welcome to part three of my “Travel Like a Yogī” article series. In part one of this series, I revealed my five essential tips for flying in comfort. In part two, I shared how I pack, including a specific folding method that maximizes space and visibility. In this part three, I’m spotlighting my top seven products for DIY in-flight luxury.

I love the feeling of first class travel, without the hefty price tag. With this collection of seven items, curated and tested over thousands of hours of travel, I’ve got luxury in the bag.

Favorite product #1: Vogmask face mask

My Vogmask is the most game-changing product in my carry-on bag. This little guy was $30 and worth every penny. I wear a size large, although I’m a small human—most adults wear a large, the medium size is for children.

The mask helps keep allergens and pollutants out, but it has the bonus of keeping my own moisture from my breath in. This is a huge win for staying hydrated in dry airplane cabins. And if I have to be in polluted air for an extended period of time, the Vogmask is designed for exactly that.

Breathing with the valve mask properly aligned did take a little bit of getting used to—it is after all filtering the air coming in, so there’s a noticeable restriction of airflow. At first, I had to tell myself not to get annoyed that there was something totally covering my nose and mouth. But I got used to it quickly, so I don’t see this as a huge downside. However, if you suffer from respiratory difficulty, do give yourself a few short-duration practice wears before you decide to have it on for a long period of time.

Favorite product #2: Bose QuietComfort noise-cancelling headphones, over-ear, Bluetooth capable (QC35 II)

The technology of the Bose noise-cancelling headphones is well documented on their site and there are glowing reviews aplenty all over the Internet, so I’ll just skip to the effects of having them on me personally.

The moment I put these on I feel a dramatic reduction in sound-based stressors. What does that mean? Because I’m a meditative singing teacher (plus actor and singer), my sonic environment and my hearing are very important to me. I need to avoid sound fatigue in order to fulfill my service to the world. This isn’t just for musicians and sound professionals, however. Coping with environmental noise stressors can be fatiguing and damaging to your ability to focus.

Conversely, when I have a peaceful sound-space I experience less stress, my nervous system is less keyed up, I can pay attention more easily, and my energy can be pointed at the things that deserve my focus. 

Here are a couple more detailed notes on this product, which you can skip if you’re not interested in these headphones:

In the latest version of the Bose Quiet Comfort noise cancelling headphones, there are three levels of cancellation—high, low and off—so you can pick whether to cancel out most of the ambient noise, to keep the level of noise cancelling lower to be more aware of the sounds around you, or to have no noise cancelling at all. This is a nice feature, especially when I’m working in a café and I don’t want to be rude to the people around me that might talk to me, but I really don’t want to hear the blender and air conditioner.

There is a very slight “air cabin pressure” feeling in my ears when I turn the noise-cancelling function on. It’s just a bit weird at first; however, I find this an easy exchange for quieting the loud airplane drone, especially when I’m trapped with that drone for 10 hours or more. These headphones plus my Vogmask are my must-haves for experiencing zero jet lag.

Favorite product #3: lululemon vinyasa scarf

I love this thing. “You can wear it so many ways,” the lululemon educator told me, but when I first saw this scarf in the store I thought it was too fussy. I wasn’t interested in turning my scarf into a hoodie and a vest and a toboggan or whatever. I ended up buying it because I wanted a scarf and it’s a nice one, and I ignored the ‘how to style’ instructions attached to its tag.

I was wearing my scarf on a flight not long after, double-loop style, read: the laziest way to wear it. I got cold. I pulled one loop of the scarf over my head. Lo, I made a hoodie.

That was enough for me. I’ve since learned how to make my vinyasa scarf into a vest, a cravat, a shirt, a turban and several other variations. It comes with me on every flight. It isn’t fussy, as it turns out—it’s versatile.

Favorite product #4: Quay blue light filtering glasses

I’ve heard great things about these glasses combating the effects of prolonged screen time, including eye strain, headaches and fatigue. However, I did not suffer from any of these symptoms. I simply decided to try these glasses because I had a coupon.

(Drop a comment if you’ve ever done that. And tell me what you bought. Shoot, drop a comment if you’ve NEVER done that. Otherwise I’m not sure I believe that people like you exist.)

I noticed that after using these glasses for a week I felt much more energetic after my usual amounts of laptop work. My sleep quality improved noticeably, and the only thing I was doing different was using these filtering glasses. Although I didn’t think I had eyestrain, I was clearly experiencing something adverse from spending hours each day staring at my laptop and phone screens.

These glasses are in the $50–65 range, they’re really well-made, and—bonus points—they come in a bunch of different styles that all look really cute. I raise both hands for life hacks that also are cute hacks.

Favorite product #5: Aloha collection pouches 

These little guys are packing efficiency wonders. They factor heavily into my overall packing strategy, so I have an entire article in this series (Travel Like a Yogī, Part 2) dedicated to that. I’ll let you read about these pouches in that post. Suffice it to say, I have a lot of them, I use all of them, they seem a little spendy but they’re totally worth it.

Favorite product #6: Hydroflask food flask / Zojirushi insulated bottle

I wrote about why I love my Zojirushi insulated bottle in the “What’s In My Bag” article here on skkYOGA. It’s the perfect size and shape for hot or cold beverages of all kinds, and I can lock and unlock the ‘open’ button with just one hand.

For hot food, I use my Hydroflask food flask. I put freshly-cooked porridge in this flask and it stays piping hot for hours. It takes two hands to open, so it’s not convenient for use while I’m teaching, but it’s great for all other occasions. The screw-top mouth is nearly the diameter of the flask itself, so I can stick a fork, spoon or chopsticks into the wide opening, no problem. The wide mouth also makes it easy to thoroughly wash up.

Favorite product #7: USB-powered mini-humidifier by Deneve

My little Deneve gives me moist air whenever, wherever I want. This is a huge boon whether I’m stuck in a desiccating airplane cabin for a few hours or living in a dry climate for a few weeks. Every time I’ve traveled without it, I wished I’d had it.

It’s super easy to use: all I have to do is stick this tiny guy in a cup with water and plug it into the nearest USB outlet. On long-haul flights I plug it directly into the USB at my seat. I take off my Vogmask and stick my face right over the mist output and breathe deep—this keeps my skin and breathing holes hydrated, which mitigates the effects of jet lag. To maximize the moisture I’m breathing, I make a little tent over my head with my lululemon vinyasa scarf, worn hoodie style.

The humidifier comes in a little kit with a couple of spongy, straw-like refills, so you can reserve one for water and use the other one for essential oils. Important note: I never use essential oils on airplanes, and I always check with the person I’m sitting next to before I use the humidifier at all. The last thing I want is for the person I’m sitting next to for 10+ hours to feel uncomfortable, even when it’s pretty obvious that the only thing it’s misting is the water in the cup.

These seven must-haves for in-flight luxury also amount to a large part of my no-jet-lag master plan. All seven of these products fit easily together in my purse, which makes them even more travel-friendly.

Travel time can be a stressful gauntlet or a luxury adventure, depending greatly on how you’re prepared. I’d love to know which of these seven items you like best, which you’ve already used or which you’re excited to try.

As always, I wish you good travel wherever you wander.

How to Get Your Friend to Try Yoga

or, Why ‘I’m Too Inflexible’ Is Kinda Legit

When I hear someone say “I’m too inflexible to do yoga,” I take it that on some level, they are experiencing fear. Fear is not a bad thing, as long as you recognize it for what it is and treat it with compassion.

Fear is wonderful for keeping us alive and safe. Fear is why I didn’t shortcut down that dark alley in Chicago. Fear is why I didn’t hike ‘Olomana on that windy day. Fear has saved my life over and over; however, fear can be a little trigger-happy in its enthusiasm to protect me. It’s like a well-meaning guard dog, but it’s scaring off some good stuff. Like yoga.

If you’ve never experienced a yoga class before… ahem, I mean, your friend… there’s a lot to be afraid of. What if you don’t know what to do? What if you hurt yourself? What if you can’t understand what the teacher is asking? What if you can’t keep up? What if you look or move differently from everyone else? What if you fall down? What if you have to leave? The “what ifs” pile up and you might decide at that point to quit before you even start. That’s fear, barking like a nervous and very loyal dog, trying like hell to keep you in your comfort zone where no bad happens — and no change, either. Woof woof woof.

When you attend a yoga class, you’re asking your body and mind to enter a space that you’ve never visited to do an activity that you’ve never done. The unknown is scary. Change is scary. The thought that we might not be up to the task is very, very scary. Woof.

Consider the possibility that what you think of as physical inflexibility is actually mental inflexibility. There is no rule book that says you must touch your toes to practice yoga; however, you may have decided for yourself that that’s a necessary qualification. I encourage all would-be yogīs to stretch their mindsets, firstly, to imagine that yes, you can practice yoga and be just the way you are right now.

You might hear someone say in protest, “If I did yoga, I’d probably hurt myself.” When I hear statements like this, I understand that the underlying concern is physical safety. To those individuals, I offer this reassurance:

Your yoga teacher is dedicated to helping you feel good in your body. The chance to help people is why we got into this yoga teaching thing in the first place. (It’s definitely not for the money and prestige.) We want you to feel safe, strong and spacious. If you show up in class, we will do everything we know how to do to support you. If you tell us your limitations, we will work with them. If you share your fears, we will ease them. Different teachers have different approaches and personalities, but I promise that we all want the best for you. 

I’ve heard a different response to the “I’m too inflexible to do yoga” statement, and it goes like this: saying you’re too inflexible to do yoga is like saying you’re too dirty to take a shower. 

This answer is funny, but it doesn’t work for me. If you’ve never taken a shower before in your life, okay, maybe this answer fits. If a shower has ever left you feeling sore, or made you question your ability to live successfully in your body, sure. Otherwise, I find this response avoids addressing the person’s concerns and makes a joke instead, and with that I disagree.

One of the greatest lessons of the beginning yogī is the fraught journey to your first yoga class. You might feel mountains of doubt, anxiety, inadequacy and confusion, and that’s before even rolling out your yoga mat. I find the best way to ease these feelings is to connect to the deep values underneath. For example, a strong value for integrity might rise up as self-doubt. Your core values of clarity and security might activate your anxiety. 

Allowing yourself to recognize and honor these values is a compassionate way to work with uncomfortable feelings. When you give yourself the space to hear the beauty in these underlying values, you let your fear know that you’ve heard its warning and determined it’s okay to proceed. A shift occurs, a softening, an opening to new things.

Yoga practice is a safe way to look your fear in the face and say, “I see you. I honor you. I thank you. But I’m doing this for good reasons, and it’s not going to kill me.” In yoga class, with love and consistency, you send a clear message with each new movement and every breath, “You can bark all you like, I’m listening to a deeper voice.”

Seeing things from a different perspective can feel like a stretch. When you practice yogāsana, this stretch is literal. Taking a new position is not comfortable nor easy, but the understanding you gain from the effort is worth it. As you learn to approach your own edges, you get to know yourself in a way you wouldn’t otherwise. You may realize that a certain pose is not for you, at least not right now. When you experience first-hand the struggle of a new pose or a new angle, you naturally gain empathy for the struggles of others. 

I love this quote from Judith Hanson Lasater, “Yoga is not about touching your toes. It is about what you learn on the way down.” I’ve offered this very quote to my own friends who are hesitant to try their first yoga class.

And finally, here are a few words you can share from my heart to your friend’s, or even yours:

You will live in your body for your whole life. I imagine you might enjoy it more if you explore it more, fear and flexibility and all. Yoga class is a great way to do that.

Setting Goals the SMART Way

Growing up, my bedroom was full of half-baked craft projects and partially used notebooks. On weekends, the floor would end up covered with sewing detritus or magazine cut-outs or song ideas on several handfuls of loose paper. I’d spend whole days busy with various ideas, but by Sunday night I’d have no finished product to show for all that creative mess.

I’d emerge from my room in the evening, hungry, after being holed up for five straight hours.

“What did you make?” my mom would inquire.

“Well, it took forever to get the colors right, and I ran out of stick glue so I had to use white glue which dries super slow, but then while I was waiting I started writing a new character for my story…”

I would explain the mitigating factors that prevented me from actually completing anything while Mom finished cooking. After dinner, I’d put the sprawl of supplies back into their bins until the next weekend.

Back then, I thought I was an artist—and I was and still am—but as a kid I was wishing to create art instead of making artistic creation a goal.

Goals and wishes can seem very similar. Both goals and wishes express that I want something to be true that’s not currently true. Samesies. However, the important difference between a goal and a wish is whether I take action steps toward a defined outcome (that’s a goal), or not (that’s a wish).

My problem in those childhood endeavors wasn’t my work ethic, it was my lack of any focused objective. “Make cool stuff” was too vague a statement for me to accomplish. Furthermore, I had no way of knowing when I was actually done with something, so I would keep working on a project, adding and editing and rearranging, until I inevitably got bored with it. My wish to create was getting me lots of practice with nothing to show for it.

Fast forward to today. Now, I set goals weekly, and I’m the most productive I’ve ever been in my life. I’ve stopped just wishing to make cool stuff. Instead, I practice an easy goal-setting method that’s proven really effective for me. I’ve outlined it here—“S.M.A.R.T.” goals.

The acronym S.M.A.R.T. stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-based. There are variations, but this is the one that works for me.

Specific 

“Specific” means that the goal is focused and clearly defined, with explicit outcomes that determine success. No nebulous ideas allowed. To figure out if my goal is specific enough, I answer this question: how will I know when I’ve reached my goal, or in other words, what does completion look like?

For example, “write and publish blog articles” is way too vague. Instead, I might revise that goal to “spend three hours writing for my blog per week and publish one article every Wednesday.” Notice that there are two elements here: one is a number of hours and one is a simple yes/no.

Measurable

This component answers the question “how many?” or “how frequently?” or “how much?” Because these are measurable quantities, I can track my progress. In the above example, I made this explicit with “three hours per week” and “one article every Wednesday.” This is super helpful even when I don’t hit my goal, as I feel a distinct difference between “I wrote two hours instead of three this week” and “I didn’t write enough this week.”

Also, this measurable component allows me to adjust future goals based on past experiences. In our blog writing example, if I did write for three hours in a week and still did not finish an article in time to publish it on Wednesday, I can choose to either bump up the number of hours next week or to write faster.

Attainable

“Attainable” means that the goal is challenging but reasonable, taking into account my schedule and other resources. During this step of goal-setting, I troubleshoot potential roadblocks before they happen, such as travel plans interfering with my scheduled writing time, and I get real about whether I need to revise my weekly goal. Like, can I realistically expect myself to do three hours of writing during the week I’m on vacation with my family at Disneyland, or should I either revise that goal or suspend it until the next week? 

This component also reminds me to choose goals that I can personally achieve without outside circumstances determining the ultimate result. As an example, the goal “write a blog that goes viral” would depend on factors beyond my control, but the goal “publish one article per week to my blog and optimize it for search engines” is totally up to me.

Relevant

This step is a big one—I make sure that the goal is aligned with my bigger picture, my values, my life’s purpose. If the goal isn’t relevant to me I can’t justify spending my energy on it, no matter how high a priority it is for anyone else. The questions here are:

• “Would hitting this goal impact my life and/or others’ lives in a meaningful and positive way?”

• “Does this goal represent a worthwhile use of my time and efforts?”

• “Will this outcome move me forward in the direction I want to go?” and

• “Is my ‘why’ fulfilled in some way by this goal?”

For me, it’s totally fine if my answer is a simple “yes” for each of these questions. I don’t get too detailed or deep with it because I’ve learned that my initial gut reaction is excellent guidance.

Time-based

“Time-based” is the component I’m most thoughtful about. While small ongoing goals can be measured in hours or occurrences per week, larger goals require different metrics. These big, longer-term goals tend to have more defined endpoints, so I break this step into parts—weekly goals, milestone goals and the overarching goal.

I’ll use a different writing example here. An overarching goal might be “finish my book by the end of 2019 and send it to a literary agent.” It’s a biggie, so I break it down. One milestone goal might be “finish the first half by August 1.” From there, I break it down further, such as “complete the book outline by April 15” and “write the first draft of the first chapter by April 30.” With this time-based statement, I stay connected to the discipline and focus required to meet my goal.

Once I’ve gone through all five components, I write my S.M.A.R.T. goal in my planner, where I’ll see it throughout the week. I usually have about five ongoing small goals, but when it comes to big goals I limit myself to one at a time. (That’s one active goal at a time. I allow myself to put projects on pause to shift my focus when necessary, such as when I’m in rehearsal for a play.)

To put this all into practice, I ask myself what actions I need to take per week—or even per day—to make solid progress, and I consider what behaviors I need to establish or maintain in order to ensure success. Do I wake up an hour earlier? Do I give up playing Toon Blast? Do I schedule check-ins with an accountability buddy or coach? Do I make calendar appointments for my writing time? Making these decisions and executing on them is way easier when I can tie my efforts to my clearly defined goal.

When I chart my course this S.M.A.R.T. way, I feel more centered and motivated, which translates to very satisfying productivity in exactly the direction I want. And my inner kid Stephanie is super happy to finally have something to show for all her hard work.

As Yogi Berra said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll wind up someplace else.” Using this goal-setting method, I know precisely where I’m going, how I’m getting there, and what progress I’m making along the way. While this technique is popular in the business world, which is where I learned it, I find it useful in just about all areas of my life.

Have you used the S.M.A.R.T. method? I’d love to hear about it. And if you haven’t used it before, are you stoked to try it?

Or, do you have a different favorite goal-setting practice? If so, do tell. I’m always interested in how talented, smart, busy people get things done.

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P.S. This is a photo of me and my family at Disneyland, where we are totally on vacation right now. Goals, honey. Goals.

Travel Like a Yogī, Part 2: PACKING HACKS

I believe I am a miracle worker. Here’s my proof:

In one carry-on suitcase and one personal item, I packed for nine weeks in India.

This was no backpacking trip. My small suitcase contained clothing and supplies for yoga teaching, formal dinners and snowy trekking, with temperatures from 105º to 20ºF.

Notable inclusions: a silk saree and gold sandals, 15 kurtas (modest Indian-style blouses), audio recording equipment, 36 pairs of cork Sarga massage balls, hiking boots, a pair of trekking poles and two months’ worth of Four Sigmatic reishi extract.

How did I get everything to fit?

Two solutions: KonMari-style folding and Aloha Collection zipper pouches.

While not every trip is as epic as the India adventure I just described, these two simple solutions have streamlined my packing for every single trip I take.

Let’s take a look.

Here’s a photo of KonMari’d clothing in my suitcase:

With this arrangement, I maximize space in my suitcase, no matter which suitcase I’m using. Also, I can see each item as soon as I open it up, which means I don’t have to unpack everything in order to find what I’m looking for.

(Also, this way, my suitcase effectively serves as a dresser, which is super helpful when there are no drawers or shelves in my room, as is the case in many Indian ashrams.)

There is a learning curve with KonMari folding. The first time I packed this way, I folded and refolded about three shirts and three pairs of pants before I got the hang of it. After that, I could consistently do it quickly. It’s totally worth the effort.

I learned the KonMari folding method by reading Marie Kondo’s book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, which I recommend highly. If you don’t want to read the whole book – it’s an easy read, but I get it, you’re busy – there are plenty of YouTube tutorials that focus specifically on the folding method.

If you prefer to roll your items, great, but I don’t like how rolling sometimes crumples one end of my garments. It’s the KonMari folding method for me. If you’re a fan of packing cubes, great, but I don’t like them because I have to change the size of what I’m folding to match the cube. 

Boom. Next.

Here’s a photo of happy, chubby Aloha Collection zipper pouches, ready to go:

There are some things I just don’t want to fold, like panties and socks (sorry, Marie Kondo), and there are other things that need corralling that literally can’t be folded, like contact lenses and 36 pairs of massage balls. For these items, I love my Aloha Collection zipper pouches.

I use the small and mid sizes the most – their official sizes are mini, small, mid and max. The small pouches are perfect for my supplements, toiletry items and tech gear; the mid size is ideal for a one-month supply of underwear and some socks. I have a mini size for when I need to tote my tech stuff to a different recording location. This saved my ass one day when I got unexpectedly caught in the rain. My precious microphone didn’t get soaked because it was in a splash-proof pouch – phew!

Once I’m at my destination, I use the mid and small size pouches as organizers. By rolling down the sides, I make the pouches stand up and hold their shape.

Check out my hotel room drawer.

Other uses for the pouches, not pictured here:

I use a max size pouch, Aloha Collection’s largest size, as a laundry bag.

I keep a mid size in my day bag for wet/dirty clothing or a clean change of outfit, food containers that might leak, and really anything that I’d like to keep dry and/or separate from my bag’s other contents.

I’m not sponsored by either KonMari or Aloha Collection, but you can tell them that I’m totally open to that. Wink wink, nudge nudge, seriously, someone please tell them for me.

So maybe I’m not a miracle worker, strictly speaking, but I’ll take these packing hack blessings anyway.

Do you have any packing tips or favorite products to share? Which one of these hacks most speaks to you? What other travel- or packing-related stuff would you like to know?

Drop me a comment below or send me an email. I’d love to hear from you.

Travel Like a Yogī, Part 1: IN-FLIGHT TIPS

I travel a lot. I did the math for 2017, and I was away from home for 31% of the year. Most of this travel was to far-off places, involving back-to-back long-haul flights from my Hawaii home to my final destination.

All this travel means I spend a lot of time in airplanes, and I’ve made it a priority to get good at it. Read on and learn how to make 14 hours in a metal cylinder a little less shitty.

Here are my top five travel tips for long-haul flight survival (and maybe even enjoyment).

Travel tip #1: Hydrate like a mother.

Literally, I’m saying that you should drink fluids as if you’re hydrating for two. And water isn’t enough. Remember, you’re not just losing water when you’re sublimating moisture from right out your skin. You’re also losing important minerals like potassium and sodium. So drink water and have a banana and a packet of salted nuts.

Or, better yet, if you have a chance to pack some raw or lightly steamed vegetables in your carry-on, do it. The fiber will help your body hang onto the water you drink, and it’s way, way better to eat veggies than the overpriced caramel popcorn from the snack cart. My favorite grab-and-go airplane food is a box of triple-washed organic greens, some baby carrots, a tub of hummus and a half-pound of fresh ahi poke from the local supermarket.

For next-level planning ahead, try this hydration hack. Before you leave home, take two minutes in the kitchen and prep the ingredients for warm salted lemon water. Cut a lemon or two in half, then sprinkle the cut sides with a pinch of good sea salt. Bag ‘em up and throw them into your carry-on. Once you’re through airport security, squeeze half of a salted lemon into your HydroFlask and visit the nearest coffee kiosk for some hot water. This beverage is tasty and great for sipping while you’re in that desiccating airplane air.

Fun fact: I know I’m dehydrated when my bracelets/rings leave deep imprints on my skin.

Also, DRINK WATER.

Travel tip #2: Cover your mouth.

Okay, you know how you can walk through any Japan airport and count scores of people wearing those white paper surgical masks? And maybe you think, oh wow, they’re so polite about their cold symptoms or bad breath or whatever? Here’s the deal with those: the masks aren’t for you; the masks are for them.

Turns out, face masks that cover your nose and mouth are brilliant at keeping your own personal moisture in and much of the ambient nastiness out. This means no more crusty boogers or nosebleeds from dry airplane air, and less risk of airborne irritants getting all up in your breath holes. 

Also, you look super hip to the cool Asia travel ways, yo.

For extra health- and comfort-boosting effects, I put one drop of essential oil on the inside of my mask. The antimicrobial compounds in eucalyptus, the calming aroma of lavender and the stink-masking scent of lemon are all regulars in my aromatherapy applications.

If you’re going to try this tip, bear in mind that you’ll potentially have this mask on for hours and hours and hours, which means that even one single drop of straight peppermint right next to your nostrils might be a bit too brissssk, ya feel me? Like that time I used peppermint Dr. Bronner’s in the shower, undiluted, as body wash, everywhere. MMMMINTY. Don’t make the same mistakes I did.

Make sure undiluted essential oil won’t make direct contact with any sensitive skin. As another option, I sometimes make a skin-safe dilution of essential oil in a carrier oil like coconut, and then it doesn’t matter if the oil touches my skin or not. 

Pro tip: Instead of a disposable paper mask, get yourself a reusable cloth mask that filters out more pollutants, fits better to your face and is way cuter. I wear Vogmask brand, size L.

Travel tip #3: Buckle up tight.

And I mean TIGHT. Wedge your ass into that economy seat, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and then pull the end of the strap until you feel your iliac crests pressed back and your butt bones forcibly snuggled deep into the cushion.

Here’s why. Often times the reason for back pain is shear forces resulting from an unstable pelvis position, plus sub-optimal abdominal muscle engagement because your body has nothing to push against. Therefore, if you use the seatbelt to lock your pelvis in place, your spine has a nice foundation AND you’re in maximum contact with the back rest so your torso is mostly well supported, too.

For a demo and explanation by a real doctor of physical therapy, check out this video from mobility badass Dr. Kelly Starrett: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k94954VQGRA.

Travel tip #4: Pack your own food, or plan ahead.

Airplane food is weird. (Unless you’re in first class. Maybe. I wouldn’t know.) It’s often over-salted and over-sugared. The portion size in these “meals” is just enough to piss me off. I usually decline the meal service (if there even is one) and bring my own food. For a flight that’s 9+ hours, I’m bringing aboard two solid meals and several snacks.

My meals always include a heaping portion of cooked vegetables, like steamed broccoli. Remember travel tip #1? Yeah, my carry-on is mostly food.

If the airline provides a complimentary meal, I request a “special meal” at the time I book my reservation, as a kind of food insurance. I find that ordering a special meal increases the chances that I’ll receive something less awful than the standard fare. And bonus, these special meals are served before the meal service carts begin their slow procession down the aisles, so I get my hot food way earlier.

A bunch of international airlines offer extensive meal choices if you book in advance. I’ve seen vegan/vegetarian, gluten-free, lactose-free, diabetic meal, low-sodium meal, halal, kosher, the tempting and mysterious “soft and bland” selection… the list goes on. Not all carriers have these options, though, and most frequently the only choices you’ll hear are “pasta or beef?”

Moral of the food story: bring your own whenever possible because it’s somewhat controllable. Don’t leave your nutrition up to chance, especially when you have to sit in the same seat for another 8 hours while your gut deals with the consequences of whatever you put in your mouth.

Travel tip #5: Pick your airline wisely.

I am famous (in my mind) for budget shopping for my flights. I am also famous (again, in my mind) for dropping an extra couple hundred US dollars to fly with a carrier that I trust and enjoy.

Fool me once, shame on you, you crap-airline-that-shall-remain-nameless. Fool me twice, shame on me.

I will sing the praises of Hawaiian Airlines forever and always, plus their codeshare partners Emirates, Japan Airlines and JetBlue. These carriers have consistently delivered great service for me.

Also, Hawaiian Airlines has my favorite boarding music and best safety video ever. After more than two months away from my O‘ahu home, there’s nothing like the sound of Henry Kapono singing “At Home in the Islands” as I slide my duffle bag under the seat in front of me. As for the safety video, check it out here: https://youtu.be/-W93gQO6AtA 

I wish you good travel ♥︎

Now, over to you, friend. Which of these five tips are most useful to you? Do you have a favorite strategy or genius travel hack to share? Would you like me to share more of my travel tips?

Leave a comment below, and let’s travel the world together with ease, style and FUN.

Big hugs to you, fellow explorer.