I am writing this sitting on the veranda of a rented holiday cabin in Scotland. I’m looking out at trees and listening to bird chirping. It’s raining of course - it is Scotland after all! And next to me on the veranda is my yoga mat. Even before I started teaching beach yoga I loved a bit of outdoor yoga. I have enjoyed yoga in campsites, gardens and festivals. This week I am doing veranda yoga. (Side note – verandas are a revelation! You can sit and enjoy the outdoors without getting wet! Why don’t we have more of them in the UK??) But outdoor yoga is the more glamourous side of yoga on the road. I used to travel a lot for work and I have practiced yoga on some very dubious carpets crammed into the space at the side of the hotel bed. And spent the whole time trying not to think about how many other people have walked over that carpet…!

In recent years, my yoga mat has become a fairly constant travel companion. For me, yoga and travel are a perfect partnership. First of all, who hasn’t needed a good stretch after hours crammed into a train or plane seat. A bit of downward dog can sort you right out. It can help ground us and deal with the unfamiliar and perhaps unsettling aspects of going somewhere new. Keeping up some kind of regular routine helps the body deal with changing time zones or shifting sleep patterns. And yoga doesn’t need any equipment – maybe a mat or towel, but it certainly isn’t essential.

But most importantly, yoga helps me find the home wherever I am. There is a saying 'wherever you go, there you are'. It's often used in a cautionary way, meaning we can't escape who we are. But it can also be a comforting thought - wherever you go, you have what you need inside you.