Five quick ways to reduce tension while traveling
For waiting in an airport, on a plane, at the doctor's office, in traffic, at work...
A full inhalation: Count how long your inhalation is, then double that for the exhalation. It doesn't matter the number, just double it. It's a contrived way to reset the parasympathetic state. The inhalation is a little challenging and hence, fuller. Do this for a couple minutes, then breath normally.
A long low back: Sitting away from the back of a chair, activate the muscles and shorten the low back. Feel the weight in front of the sit bones. Now, WITHOUT MOVING THE RIBS, think of strings on both sit bones pulling them down, down, down toward the earth. Did you move your ribs? Of course you did. That creates a round spine, a slouch. You don't want that, you want a long low back. Test it again until you can articulate the pelvis underneath the ribs. Once the sit bones are down and back, feel the length of your spine to the top of the head. The head might feel slightly forward, as if the spine is straight but just a bit on a diagonal. Notice if you feel secure on your pelvis.
A soft face: Squeeze one eye shut and hold it strongly for five seconds, like you're pushing the eyeball back into the socket. Try to do it without the other side of the face getting involved. Can you only activate one side of your face? Do this three or four times and then feel your face. Do the other side.
A soft mouth: Push your lips forward like a fish, really contract them into a small, tight little bunch. Hold for five seconds and then soften. Do this at least four times and then feel your face, mouth, tongue, jaw.
A freer neck: Sit upright on the floor or chair. From the midpoint on the horizon, move your head up and your eyes down and then reverse it, taking care to move both simultaneously, not one and then the other. Smooth out the eye movement so it's less jumpy. Go slow, ten or so times. Then try it left and right, always moving the eyes and head at the same time. After that, test looking and facing the same way up, down, left right. (This is what I call a "hack," a short experiment. You will get much more freedom in the neck from doing a complete eye lesson (or five), in the Feldenkrais Treasury.)
“Anything that is learned is learned slowly, without pushing. Anything you know well is like this. Everything you learned under duress, forcing, through pain, or with effort to succeed are things you forget. You never do them with pleasure and they are worth nothing.”