Vancouver International Airport provides free yoga for travellers

The Hinduization of Trudeaupia (aka Canada) continues, as reported by Wanyee Li in Metro, July 12, 2016:

Travellers will have no trouble remembering which city they are in when they walk past a free yoga space at Vancouver’s YVR International Airport this summer.

The airport’s yoga program, the first of its kind in Canada, will be available to travellers heading out on domestic flights starting this Friday, July 15, and every Friday until the end of August as part of its Take-Off Friday series.

It’s an opportunity to relax the mind and body during what is usually a busy activity, said one yogi.

“It calms the mind, body and soul and it allows people to stretch their muscles before taking seat at a flight,” said Carey Dillen, president at Yyoga, the company hosting the program.

People can also participate if they are between connecting flights. Even stretching exercises are helpful after a long flight, said Dillen.

“Sitting in one spot for a really long flight on an airplane…stretching allows them to work out those kinks.”

On Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., there will be a Yyoga instructor and yoga mats at the site to guide people through poses and answer questions. The yoga space, big enough to fit 12 mats, is located after security at domestic terminal C-Pier, across from Gate 46.

The yoga program is one of many activities offered at YVR’s annual summer festivities, called Take-Off Fridays which include live entertainment and lunch specials throughout the airport.

“It’s a nice alternative for some of the other activities we have in the area,” said Kim Halowski, manager of sales and services at YVR airport.

The Yyoga program officially starts this Friday but people have already expressed interest in it, said Dillen.

“When we were there setting up, we had so much interest from people walking by that we opened up the space for people to practice.”

Looking for an easy pose to do that is beneficial for travellers? Try downward dog, said Dillen.

“The one that I have a tendency to do is downward dog because you’re sitting for a long period of time so that will nicely stretch out your ham strings and your lower back and your shoulders.”