Well, whaddya know? This airport yoga thing is really taking flight! Haaa.
Following the lead of San Francisco and the surprise efforts of Dallas/Fort Worth, Burlington International Airport in Vermont is the next to join in on the passenger friendly yoga room. Perhaps more shocking than Vermont having an international airport (!), a free yoga room offering a peaceful haven for travelers wanting to stretch, rest or chillax is not a common amenity, but that is slowly changing.
“We find that traveling can be stressful so we try to take a little bit of that out,” said Eugene Richards, interim director of the Burlington International Airport.
“We solicited a couple of people, we started talking to customers and it was something that we very much needed and wanted,” he said.
Inside the small-ish room (the photo above shows a class outside the space because they couldn’t all fit) there are pillows, mats and instructions for newbs. The room is open to all passengers and airport employees as well.
Setting themselves apart from the rest, and maybe setting a precedent, this VT yoga room is sponsored by local studio Evolution Yoga in Burlington, and was helped along with donations from area businesses, resulting in no cost to the airport. A nice thing, but really, how much does a small open space at an airport cost? Those of you who answered three cranky babies, one cramped coach seat and a couple of pre-flight drinks at the bar know it’s truly priceless.
Airports bending over backwards to make you comfortable? Ha! Not exactly, but it’s a start. Let’s play a game…guess which airport is next!
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Earlier…
- San Francisco Airport Unveils First of Its Kind ‘Yoga Room’
- American Airlines Flight Attendant Turns Spiritual Guru on PA System
- DFW Opens Yoga Studio in Bid to Become Healthiest Airport
- Study Says Yoga Reduces Depression in Pregnant Moms
- Smithsonian Ready to Debut First Visual History of Yoga Exhibit
i’d like to see this trend coupled with a mother’s room at airports so traveling lactating moms dont have to use the nasty bathrooms to pump or nurse.
good thought, terri. it seems as if the yoga room might be substituting for at least a calm, quiet space according to the AP article which quoted a mom saying “You saved the day for our 7-month old baby,” in a log of visitors to the new room.
I’m one to believe in public nursing myself, though a family room with clean changing stations sounds like a good idea, because that + yoga in one room might not end up being the best combo 🙂
I wonder if the trend will ever cross the Atlantic to mainland Europe… would be great if it did. Also, it would give me a good reason to travel in yoga pants instead of having to wear jeans.
That sounds awesome. Only thing is that you might miss your flight if you forget about time in Savasana. =)
I go to school at Champlain in Burlington (and have taken a few classes at Evolution a few years back) so I was really excited to hear about this! I know while I travel I often get bored and either spend lots of money on the “fake” healthy food, junk food, or stacks of mind numbing magazines; I luck out if there’s a sushi bar! How wonderful would it be to fly into a place and during your 2 hour layover squeeze in some inversions instead of browsing a Hudson News or the ubiquitous Brookestone shops? Heck, I’d purposefully plan my trip to allow for a long layover.
Too bad these aren’t in more larger airports, though, since Burlington International is more of a commuter place and not a bustling hub of angry travelers and high stress levels.
Caption should read: Those Utthita Trikonasanas are horrible! Go into the yoga room and fix them.