I’ve done yoga before and I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not very good at it.

In a sense, it’s like dancing a polka. You need a certain amount of coordination and the wits to recall the steps.

For some, it comes naturally. For me, it comes after a lot of beer.

Practicing yoga and dancing the “Beer Barrel Polka” really aren’t that different. Just add a concertina to the New Age music, hold class in an Elk’s Lodge in Wisconsin and replace the incense with Uncle Karl’s Camel cigarettes and it’s German-style yoga minus the bratwurst and sauerkraut. Turn off the lodge’s air conditioning and you’ve got the very first bikram polka-yoga class.

Just because I’m not the best at the downward dog, I still enjoy yoga. My instructor-ironically Helga was Scandanavian, although polka king Frank Yankovic and his Yanks never made it to her CD player-was really patient with me, once she realized I had all the flexibility of a 2-by-4.

It felt good to stretch and all, but the best thing about yoga was afterward. OK, the occasional trip to Oggi’s and a couple IPAs helped too. But the relaxed, renewed, revitalized feeling that lingered after yoga for most of the next day was incredible.

Which brings me to Elaine Masters. No, she does not play the concertina. And as far as I know, cooking beer-soaked bratwurst is not her culinary trademark.

Elaine, however, is a yoga instructor who lives in Solana Beach. And realizing that the drivers of Southern California’s freeways could use a little mindful breathing while on the road, Elaine developed what’s arguably the most unique and beneficial tool for commuters since the stop light. OK, maybe since the police radar detector, but you get the idea.

Elaine is the creator of Drivetime Yoga. And honestly, who doesn’t need to mellow out when they’re on the road? Not to say we should all be slipping into a meditative state while cruising at 75 mph on the 805, but being a little more relaxed while driving is good for all of us.

Essentially, Drivetime Yoga offers tips on how to relax while driving by using yoga asanas and driving ergonomics to fight road rage, relieve commuter stress and improve driver health.

Elaine was kind enough, despite having potentially broken her foot while diving off La Jolla, to answer some questions about her site, doing yoga poses in the car and how commuters can relax on the road.

SDNN: When you look at other drivers, what tips you off that this person needs to relax?

Elaine Masters: I’ll never forget seeing a balding man hunched over his steering wheel on the Oakland Bay Bridge. What drew my attention was his license plate: STRIVE.

He was and I wonder what his health is like today (it was two decades ago!). Stressed-out drivers often tailgate, weave in and out of traffic, drive erratically, or are sitting an inch or two from the steering wheel as they over-grip and pull their neck and shoulders out of alignment.

SDNN: What is it that most stresses out drivers?

Elaine Masters: Many drivers are stressed most often from trying to do too much with too little time. We have such busy lives and often pack everything we can into getting it all done.

Then we get on the freeway and are rushed to get to the next appointment, when leaving earlier or leaving more space in our day could’ve helped relax the situation.

That and the uncertain times we live in-bills, job, family, mortgage, global warming, water shortages-so much is in play and all that anxiety comes along for the ride. It’s then easier to be triggered into road rage.

Also, for many commuters, the perceived lack of control over their driving situations takes its toll. If you have a heavy commute that is usually over an hour or more, it impacts your emotional and psychological health, according to an IBM commuter health survey.

Finding options: flex-time at work, leaving earlier or later and finding alternative routes can help.

SDNN: How long have you been doing yoga? What got you into it?

Elaine Masters: I’ve been practicing yoga for decades after being introduced to a few asanas as part of the transcendental meditation program. I haven’t always taken classes or done a full, mat practice but most days, I’m on the floor with Sun Salutations and a few favorites. I hate suffering, and even 10 to 15 minutes daily, plus little stretches throughout the day, keeps me relaxed and energized.

SDNN: OK, so Drivetime Yoga. What exactly is that?

Elaine Masters: Drivetime Yoga isn’t about legs and arms out the window! In the West we think of yoga as primarily an exercise/relaxation system, but it’s much more. Taking a yogic mindset, becoming present with yourself can feel odd with our frantic, urban lifestyles.

I always begin with conscious breathing techniques and deep listening. Then you can add a couple of simple, small and safe stretches to address whatever’s going on in your body at that moment.

For example: I carry a lot of tension in my neck and shoulders; most drivers do, and now stretch those areas with adapted yoga stretches, plus techniques I’ve come up with. I also add physical therapy/ergonomic moves from Julie Garner, the physical therapist/ergonomic consultant who contributed to the original book and CD.

SDNN: Is doing yoga while driving more physical or mental?

Elaine Masters: It comes from a yogic mindset and moves into the physical. We’re often so busy, thinking about where we’ve been, where we’re going and what we’re going to do when we get there. We use our cars as offices and do so much in them.

Drivetime Yoga is about doing less and getting more out of it; choosing road refuge instead of road rage. There are police officers, salespeople, harried parents using these techniques, and they don’t have time to fool around.

Related story: Meditation at the Self Realization Fellowship in Encinitas

SDNN: Talk a little bit about your personal commute.

Elaine Masters: My commute is less regimented now but every week I’m on the road driving to consultations, speaking engagements, health expos and classes around Southern California. I’ll be on a major road trip this fall at the Women Who RV convention in Austin, Texas, then speaking at bookstores in Arizona and New Mexico.

SDNN: Doing yoga while driving sounds a little dangerous. We can’t really do a downward dog while driving-or can we?

Elaine Masters: There’s no downward dog in Drivetime Yoga, unless you choose to do inversions at the gas station or rest stop. Safety is the first concern.

I remind drivers to only do what is comfortable for them and to stay responsible for their passengers and fellow travelers’ safety. Drivers can be distracted by the discomfort and strains on their body while driving.

Drivetime Yoga helps them ease that and become more present. Fatigue can be as dangerous as high blood alcohol content. Drivetime Yoga helps by keeping the body energized and by keeping the blood moving so travelers’ thrombosis is avoided.

Spinal fluids keep flowing with little back stretches and spinal twists at stoplights. There are short and long term health consequences from driving with poor habits and not stretching. Drivetime Yoga reduces those risks.

SDNN: What are two ways drivers can relax a little more while on the road?

Elaine Masters: 1. The easiest technique is to practice conscious breathing. Often on the road we’re tense and hunch forward over our ribs, breathing only half way or holding our breath.

Harvard’s Mind Body Institute did a study on the effects of doing deep breathing, with awareness, slowly and fully for a few inhalations-exhalations. The benefits include:

• Increased energy and mental clarity
• Lowering of blood pressure, which reduces the risk of hypertension, etc.

Many drivers pull their necks forward and hunch their shoulders, so I begin by suggesting that they:

• Tip their chins back slightly which opens up the back of their neck

• Lower their hands to the 3 and 9 o’clock position on the steering wheel, which relaxes the arms and shoulders a bit

• Sit up a bit taller in the seat

• Stop over-gripping the wheel.

The conscious breathing is a great help in opening up to grace and lowering stress. (I give out a static cling, clear sticker for drivers and computer users that triggers Conscious Breathing. It simply says: BREATHE.)

2. Another simple technique for back pain is a modified cat/cow stretch: You hunch shoulders forward, pressing the upper back into the seat, then reverse by lifting the rib cage and arching forward. This can be done for the upper, mid- and lower back, and car seats beautifully hug the spine for a mini-massage.

There are many other techniques in the book and CD, plus sections on stretches for shoulders or neck, etc. There are chapters on how to identify your driving style, how to avoid repetitive driving injuries and habits that hurt. There’s a section devoted to road rage remedies.

It all helps.

Rick Bell is senior editor for Workforce Management in Irvine and previously was managing editor of the San Diego Business Journal. He can be reached by Twitter @Rickbell123 or e-mail: rickbell(a)cox.net.

Tags: SDNN

This entry was posted on Monday, July 27th, 2009 at 11:12 am and is filed under Business, Giving’em the Business . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.