Recently I completed my first long haul journey from Auckland, NZ to Heathrow, London, all of which was over 24 hours of travelling without any stopovers. Everyone I talked with about my journey always related it back to this idea of ‘jetlag’ – a sort of exhausted, depleted and very strained state that we supposedly feel because of a mixture of the timezone changes and the huge trip. So as you can imagine, I was curious as to how I would handle this sort of experience.
Feeling exhausted after such a journey is understandable, considering how long I would have to stay in the confined space of a plane or in the busy-ness and rush of the airport. However, to my surprise, my body naturally adjusted well to it and the next day, after my arrival in London, I awoke as I would have normally, without any ‘jet lag’ or exhaustion from the previous day’s events.
How was this possible?
Firstly, I was inspired by my friend who mentioned that the body naturally adjusts to the time changes better if we live to the time in the timezone that I was currently in.
I had previously thought that perhaps the body would not adjust very well to these time changes, as travel like this is not something we tend to do. I thought I would have to ‘prepare’ my body for each timezone change and live in the rhythm of the timezone I was flying from (Auckland, NZ).
However I could soon feel how exhausting it was to view the journey and timezone changes in this way and how I was already setting myself up to feel exhausted by the end of the journey by not honouring what my body was naturally telling me.
Secondly, I ate foods that honoured my body and naturally listened to what my body was saying. If I felt I needed a walk around the plane I would honour this; generally this was very frequent – usually once every 1 or 2 hours.
I noticed on the plane how most people ate a lot of stimulating foods loaded with sugar or drank alcohol and I wondered whether this form of stimulation was truly supportive for such a trip, as it takes us away from listening to our bodies’ natural communication with us. This could be through feeling like stretching our legs or what foods the body is truly asking for to support it.
I realised from the flight just how important honouring the rhythms of our body truly is, particularly on a journey like this.
Thirdly, I gently took the approach of viewing the space on the flights as a loving time to enjoy being with me and my body: to observe life on a deeper level and appreciate how much had unfolded to support me to arrive at the moment that was before me.
I chose not to go into thinking about how I was going to fill up the time with things to do or how I was going to face the boredom of doing very little. Even my laptop’s battery could not last the whole journey and I felt this was lovely, as it offered the space to let go and just be.
It was beautiful to feel how empowering it can be to honour the body and its natural intelligence. This experience confirmed to me just how the body is always there, to support and assist us, with anything that life presents and all we have to do is to simply honour what it is telling us.
With inspiration from the living ways of fellow students of Universal Medicine.
By Joshua Campbell, 23, IT Consultant, Tauranga NZ
Further Reading:
What’s All The Fuss About Self-Care?
I’ve Found that Observing My Body Is A Great Support
The Truth about Serge Benhayon 
Joshua I do long haul flights to the UK once a year. I used to dread the flight because of the gossip people would go into, either from the family, friends or in the past, the media. I didn’t experience much jet lag going to the UK but once I was in Australia, it was bad, waking all sorts of hours etc.
My last trip was different, in that I did something similar to you, I allowed my body to be. This time, I did not eat the food served on the plane and packed my own which I ate once I was on the ground only. Drank lots of water and walked more often.
It was far from perfect, but my body felt different and this year it will be refined again as my beliefs about flying changes, my body responds.
Everybody’s bodies are capable of adjusting to another country’s time zone, it’s the ideals, beliefs we have taken on that prevents us from experimenting what is supportive and what is not, the body will signal to you, just listen and take heed. Simple…
It’s a great point that people can experience jet lag which is heavily contributed to by the food, drinks and the activities on the plane, without much attendance to the bodies actual needs. We have such a lack of true self care by responding to the body that it may be that a trip on a plane just magnifies how bad the body already feels, and conversely self care before, during, and after a flight could potentially eliminate jet lag.
Our body is continually there to support, and assist us, ‘It was beautiful to feel how empowering it can be to honour the body and its natural intelligence.’
I find that jet lag is already there when we haven’t even taken off! We get into an anxiety of what shall I pack, what shall I go without, the stress to get to the airport on time, will my luggage be over weight and the list goes on.
If we settle into our bodies, it knows exactly what is needed and what isn’t, we just need to do the most supportive thing, and that is to respond.
Jet lag or lack of sleep from poor nights due to having young children or otherwise does not have to be a terrible experience that affects us for days. I know there have been many times when I have not had a good nights sleep and yet, when I have honoured this and still gone to work the next day but with greater awareness of how gentle I need to be with myself, it is like the body has a beautiful way of responding and is totally fine. That said there are times when I have been frustrated with lack of sleep and not handled myself gently in the day and been grumpy and have let it affect me in so many ways – our approach to it is key, but not on a mental level of convincing ourselves we are fine, but more on the level of the body being looked after so that we are feeling loved up and capable.
I agree Henrietta, having experienced chronic insomnia reacting to not sleeping well puts an enormous extra strain on the body. Sometimes I have woken quite early, such as 2am, yet I have taken things so gently through the day and I have surprisingly been ok all day. At other times in similar situations and taking things gently I have still been exhausted, as I’m sure other factors were impacting me (like the day before and the reason for waking early), however staying steady and being gentle and loving is so super supportive for the body.
The body is really amazing in its capacity to handle what it goes through and adjust and/or bounce back fairly quickly, provided we treat it with as much loving care as possible.
Thank you Joshua for your sharing – jet lag is a common theme people talk about and it is great to bust some myths around how it can affect you hugely. I too have experienced that it does not have to be such a big deal and that more often it is my mind that wants to make it more of a deal than it actually is, and as you said if we work with the body it adapts pretty well.
Seems to me a lot of peoples set themselves up for jet-lag even when not flying, simply by the way they fly off the handle in situations that they have reacted to and thus leave there body open to different energy that are draining!
“It was beautiful to feel how empowering it can be to honour the body and its natural intelligence.” A long haul flight that offered a lesson on life.
It is beautiful when we honour our bodies, ‘I realised from the flight just how important honouring the rhythms of our body truly is, particularly on a journey like this.’
It’s so interesting to consider all the things that we have access to on a plane to distract us from just resting. I wonder what it would be like if there was only one or two simple meals on board (depending on the length of the flight) and just water to drink, along with resetting their timezone before taking off? A very different situation I imagine, and no doubt many more people would reach their destination feeling more refreshed and less jet lagged.
I travel extensively on long-haul flights for work, over the years I have found it invaluable to develop a self-care routine and live a strong rhythm when I am home that supports my body wherever I go.
Wow – love it Anna – this is certainly key! I too have had to do travel for work (though not long haul flights) and have found a similar thing where my rhythm at home is like my strongest ‘bounce back’ card that supports me with a work schedule that is pretty intense.
I love what you share Anna, it makes so much sense, ‘I gently took the approach of viewing the space on the flights as a loving time to enjoy being with me and my body: to observe life on a deeper level and appreciate how much had unfolded to support me to arrive at the moment that was before me.’
I have found that the more I listen and respond to my body I have been amazed by the body’s intelligence to the point that I can take it for granted. Great to read this so that I keep remembering to appreciate it and not to take it for granted.
The intelligence of the body is such that it adjusts to whatever it has to adjust. Yet, the adjustment is contingent. It adjusts to the environment, to the seasons, etc. These are natural adjustments. It also adjusts to our un-intelligent choices… to a point till start to fight back.… in our true name.
It could be said that our body is un-intelligent when it adjusts to our ill, un-intelligent choices yet that is not the case. It is, in fact, the expression of God’s unconditional love for us and it also so when it gets too much for the body it does react.
Appreciation is a great medicine for any occasion.
Our body is truly amazing, and your sharing makes me wonder how many other ways we interfere with its innate wisdom and workings. If the body is totally left to its own devices and we follow its lead, who knows what would become possible?
Yeah, what if jet lag is not unavoidable with long haul flights changing time zones? What if it is all about how we are with ourselves on the plane just like it is in life on the ground. Our choices do have an effect on us wether it is on land or in the air!
It’s a great point Lieke, we see jet lag as unavoidable, and just part of life, when it doesn’t actually have to be, like many things we accept as normal or unavoidable.
I always like it when someone exposes one of those things where I think it is just the way it is like feeling low or stressed and they show me that it is not the way it is and that there is another way of living life without that.
I’m a big fan of that also, I can see in myself I get stuck when I think this is how life is, the consciousness is so limited in what it allows me to think, but then a reflection of someone else can awaken me to realise what I thought is not it – there is actually so much more.
This is super important Joshua, when we honour our rhythm and our natural cycles we are less likely to be affected by jet lag.
When we conduct our day in alignment with the time zone we are in it is actually a reflection of being present in the moment in a practical sense.
When we allow thoughts like, “its going to be so long I am going to be so jet lagged at the end ” we are setting ourselves to actually feel this way, when in fact, as you have expressed Joshua, that when we listen and support our body it supports us back.
A long flight is an opportunity to read one of the beautiful books by Serge Benhayon.
This is super cool Joshua, my approach to flying used to be that it was a great time out from life – you can watch movies non stop, eat as much as you want, lounge about – unsurprisingly I felt terrible when I arrived and had to “check back in to life”. Now I decide to remain checked in (excuse the pun) the whole duration of the flight and I feel so much stronger and more myself when I land.
When you travel in space, time does not affect you.
I am continually awe-inspired by my deepening relationship with my body, and the wisdom of offer when we surrender ourselves to be guided by it. We are so much more that what we think we are or give ourselves credit for, and in allowing ourselves the space to explore this we discover just how amazing we already are and how much more Soulfullness there is for us to live.
We do ourselves an injustice when we think we need to be stimulated all the time or else we’ll be bored. Our mind may well be fidgety looking for things to do but our body will take the opportunity to rest if we allow it.
My feeling is that in feeling the purpose we have in our choices, it is a simple following on to care for our body innately, so that we can provide the service that is needed.
What I feel in this article is how a deep acceptance of the moment one is in provides a simplicity, that tenderly, yet purposefully prepares us for the next moment, and the grace of allowing this to be.
Our bodies have an extraordinary natural intelligence… It’s just that we are not used to listening to It… But it is always there in the moments of stillness, in the space of the silence.
A great reminder that our body knows a lot and that when we listen to our bodies we are way better of than when we are putting our minds above.. That eventually can only lead to more distance of yourself and your connection to it (your body).
Beautiful confirmation and experience, ‘It was beautiful to feel how empowering it can be to honour the body and its natural intelligence.’ It is amazing how our body is always there 24/7 with support and wisdom.
It doesn’t matter how many times you read things like this there is always room for you to hear more. With this article it makes perfect sense and I am still becoming more and more aware of how if we just allow, surrender to all that is already there then how much simpler and easier life flows. All these things are placed in our path and it is our choice if we bend down to pick them up rather then standing tall and allowing everything else to be. This article has supported me to write a comment that is around how I am feeling and also allowing me to stretch a perception I am holding.
Most people who enter the plane for a flight are wanting to be at the destination. The time in between is not used to live but to survive, to distract from what they will feel when they have to sit for such a long time. So avoiding or sabotaging any connection with the body is what they will choose. Your time in the plane is quality time, time to adjust the body to let go and make space for what is already there.
I remember in the past how much I did not want to feel my body. Now it’s all I feel and my choice I live for my body. I’m not perfect – I’m aware how much I dull myself everyday still. Honouring your body is everything you could ever imagine. The wonder now for me is why do I choose to dull down my astute awareness?
It does feel great when we honour our body, ‘the body is always there, to support and assist us, with anything that life presents and all we have to do is to simply honour what it is telling us.’
I love your sharing of your experience of long haul flying, and I agree, honouring and listening to your body all the time is so important, ‘I ate foods that honoured my body and naturally listened to what my body was saying. If I felt I needed a walk around the plane I would honour this; generally this was very frequent – usually once every 1 or 2 hours.’
Love New Zealand fyi and that aside we set ourselves up and we don’t choose to see it. Image flying for a long time and eating and drinking like is described in this article and expecting to wake up fresh at the other end. As the saying goes you get out what you put in and I know most people are tired from a simple night out drinking let alone flying in a confined space and drinking. It’s almost like we give up on ourselves in a way and think we are going to have jetlag anyway and so we may as well enjoy ourselves. But as the article is saying we need to stop and start to look at how we accept these things as being ‘normal’. As the article again presents our version of ‘normal’ is only because we walk in the same circles. You only need make a change to realise our perceived normal is actually and truly far from it.
I was on a plane journey yesterday. Even though it wasn’t a long haul flight, I know from experience that when I set my clock to the time zone I am travelling to, everything seems to flow from there and I have never experienced jet lag.
‘This experience confirmed to me just how the body is always there, to support and assist us, with anything that life presents and all we have to do is to simply honour what it is telling us.’ I agree Joshua, the body is sharing its amazing wisdom all of the time, we can choose to ignore or listen. I prefer to listen although I not always fully appreciate its messages, I know in the end my body is telling me the truth.
“Firstly, I was inspired by my friend who mentioned that the body naturally adjusts to the time changes better if we live to the time in the timezone that I was currently in.” I agree, i travel to the USA a few times a year to visit family and changing my clock when I board my flights has made a huge difference – and then eating and sleeping accordingly – lovingly caring for and nurturing my body.
That is great advice Sue and from your experience also, thank you.
An awesome sharing Joshua on how we can support our bodies on a long-haul flight – if everyone applied these simple self-care principles jet-lag would not be experienced by many at all.
This is a great share Joshua. What better purpose can there be in such a situation, than to deeply surrender to the body and care for it? Whilst I’ve not done the long haul flight you experienced, this is most certainly my approach to lengthy flight when I’ve taken them.
Allowing the body the deepest of rest and letting go, moving when needed, eating foods and drinking beverages that truly support, go an enormous way in assisting with the actual pressures placed upon our body during a flight. I also observe how much people around me go down, and down a long way, through not bringing this fundamental self-care on flights.
It is really, our choice.
The first paragraph reminded me of many other situations when people I speak to about a certain subject, recently it was a style of service in the restaurant I work in. I was getting nothing but doom and gloom stories, which was building a tension within me. But the more I followed how my body felt I could feel an ease with what was coming and during the service it was not doom and gloom but actually pretty simple. It reminds me of online reviews, we can’t go off other peoples experiences as if we will experience the exact same as ours may be completely different depending on our choices.
As we honour our body in the preparation of a flight by preparing our food, and what we may need, and listen to what best supports it during the flight, we arrive without having put our body under any undue stress and therefore it is able to function fully when we arrive at our destination.
I love this Joshua ‘Thirdly, I gently took the approach of viewing the space on the flights as a loving time to enjoy being with me and my body: to observe life on a deeper level and appreciate how much had unfolded to support me to arrive at the moment that was before me.’ I have tended to get caught up in the fact I find it hard to sleep on planes without seeing the gift I am being offered of time with me without the distractions of my everyday life.
I have experienced jet lag (that lasted many days) after a relatively short flight (7 hours) and a much easier transition after a much longer flight so it feels to me that it is also important how I prepare for the flight as well as how I look after myself on the flight itself and once I have landed. The time I had a bad experience with jet lag came during a stressful time in my life when there were other contributing factors. I feel it was also about my expectation that I would suffer from jet lag and that what I was feeling was how depleted my body was in general which was highlighted by my plane journey.
Over the past few years I have been learning how surrendering to the intelligence of the body is what allows us to be guided by the wisdom that honors our essence, the love we are within so that we can live with the optimum vitality and well-being through any situation. Thank you Joshua, for what you have shared here offers not only great practical support but also a great learning of how our bodies always know what to do, we simply have to allow ourselves to listen.
I so appreciate how the way I travel has changed so much ever since I came to be exposed to what Universal Medicine presents and the way I could honour and take care of myself. It feels so empowering to know that there is a way to build a foundation upon which we live our every day and we don’t have to become a victim of our environment.
I used to get terrible jetlag – but since attending Universal Medicine events – and learning to be with me – in my body – adjusting to the time I was going to be in at the end of my flight as soon as I got on the plane and eating simply – it hardly bothers me now. I also love reading the e-books by Serge Benhayon during flights – so supportive.
The worst jet lag I’ve ever had was flying from Australia to the UK 16 years ago but I didn’t support my body much at all on the flight. I wanted to sleep but couldn’t as I was excited and nervous of what was next, and so watched movie after movie for 20 something hours. I felt awful and took a week or more to get over. Now I do what you tried Joshua and the difference is massive.
When we honour the body and its intelligence, we can never go wrong… for it does not matter where we are or what we are faced with…. its wisdom will support us if we choose to listen.
The more I listen to my body on long haul flights – at least six a year currently – the less I feel jet lag. Attuning to the time zone I am flying to and eating nourishing foods ensures my body arrives in good shape. I love reading Serge Benhayon’s E-books on flights nowadays.
I love the time long hall flights give me, no emails, no phone calls, space just to be with me no need to catch up on the latest movies, some nutritious food made for the flight, and some extra time to look at a project or two, which also allows me plenty of time to rest and sleep as my body clock starts to adjust during the flight.
To me, flights – particularly long haul – are largely populated by people who check out. I’ve been there myself. I watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy one flight and The Godfather trilogy on the way back. Today we chat to people, bring food that supports us, games for our little one and generally have a different, less checked-out experience.
It is really a surprise that people arrive with jet lag and can’t settle if they have consumed sugar laden food and drink that overstimulates them during their flight?
My thoughts as well Suse, if we feel hungover after drinking alcohol or feel stimulated eating sugar on the ground, of course we are going to feel it even more flying and after.
Life is such a magical experience when we honour our bodies and give them the true care they need, it’s almost hard to believe that it’s the same life that was once a painful, difficult struggle and so disenchanting.
I felt on my last trip to the UK that what got me to feel unwell and even more so than the food or jetlag, was how I was affected by the videos and movies.
This is an interesting parallel to everyday life. If we fly through life dependent on stimulants, distractions and not listening to the messages from our body then we we will lag behind from living with true vitality.
Great blog Joshua, whatever we are doing, it is very supportive to listen to our body. It makes sense to honour our body because if we don’t we feel the effects of ignoring its messages and I find exhaustion is a common effect.
Joshua I have been on quite a few flights recently and have really listened to and honoured my body. Whilst I was walking up and down the aisle I became aware of the rigid shapes that the seats hold people’s bodies in. Yes, the space is confining but the seats seemed to be pinning everyone in unnecessarily. It does make me wonder if the position that the seats are angled at, make it hard for people to act freely, combine that with the dehydrated foods and alcohol and it’s no wonder that people come off long haul flights looking like sausage meat!
Joshua your blog really shows how time is something we can hold onto and that then gets draining because we have to think it all through and ignore what our body is saying. Or we can see it as a space where we are in and when you are in the space the only thing you can do is feeling what our body needs at that moment, no more no less. How amazing is that!
Even if we all simply dropped the alcohol and sugar from our diets in general the world would be a radically different planet.
That our ‘body naturally adjusts to the time changes better if we live to the time in the timezone’ of our destination sounds completely logical to me. In fact this principle of staying steady and adjusting exactly to the environment of where we are at can be applied to all that we do.
I can confirm your suggestion about the time zones as whenever I travel, as soon as I am on the plane I set my clock to the local time of my destination. I have never had jetlag so there must be something in it!
I am sitting in Gatwick airport, about to board a plane for a 12 hour journey. How supportive is this blog! Awesome, thank you.
We can get so caught up in the adventure ahead of us at the arrival of our destination that we treat long haul flights as some sort of limbo. But as you have shared Josh caring for and honouring our body during the whole flight process prepares us for our destination significantly more lovingly than if we don’t.
I used to refrain from drinking on flights because of not wanting to disturb others when I got up to use the toilet. Crazy! Now I make sure I drink enough water and stay hydrated. Also I now always travel with one of those neck cushions. I find it really helps when I need to have a snooze.
Joshua, I love reading about how you valued the time you spent on the plane. A loving time to be with you and to reflect on where you are. No wonder you were not exhausted at the end of the journey.
it is really intense when you actually clock the amount of stimulation that is actually going on in the planes on the long trips… If you sit back a little bit and just observe all the movies that people are watching, the food that they are eating, and what they are drinking, even if it’s not alcohol the odds are that it will be sugar loaded… Yes and I also wondered why I always had jetlag!
Funny that cjames how the more we allow ourselves to ‘clock’ and feel, then the more we can learn what supports us and what does not – and then comes the crunch line ie taking action with what we have felt to be supportive and not just observe that and leave it at the observation deck. There are many things I have managed to put into action and feel so much better for it, and yet there are so many more things to explore and begin to put into action….
Great to read as I will be going on a long haul flight in 3 weeks. Thank you.
The body follows our mind or… the mind follows our body? In the first case we have lots of ideas about how things are and how the body will respond in each situation. Of course, we end feeling all what we assumed was going to happen. In most of the cases we program ourselves to live the exhaustion, the anxiousness, the evasion,.. whatever we think is going to happen. BUT if we change the order in which we detect what we feel, starting from our bodies first, there aren’t preconceived ways. Our body speaks clearly if we listen to it. Our mind then, becomes a witness of how we live and may also become a great support to follow our body’s impulses.
This is such an instructive and informative blog, made all the more powerful as it is given from your lived experience. It makes absolute sense to let the body guide you through such an abnormal situation – sitting in a confined space in a pressurised container for hours on end, taunted by stimulants in the form of food, beverages and devices. Our body is our natural guide in all things. This is certainly one of those times to let our minds be well and truly in the passenger seat.
Thank You Joshua. Great advice, yes I too have noticed how little people rehydrate themselves while flying long distance or for that matter how little they even exercise their bodies, great sharing.
Lovely to read Joshua, how you really took good care of yourself during your long trip around the world. It is so important to listen to our body all the time – no matter what we are doing or where we are. In the past I fall into this trap, that I thought when I’m on holiday, I can do whatever I want and I forgot about my daily rhythm. Very soon my body was very exhausted. Today I know, even if I would go on a holiday, I would keep my daily rhythm like at home. Why should I change anything during the day. My body is the same like at home.
I have experienced too that when I am with my body all throughout my lang haul flights, there is no real jetlag. I just have finished a 29 hour trip which included two 10,5 hour flights and a transit of 7 hours in a busy airport. The wisdom your friend shared with you to live in the time zone you are in, is absolutely something that supported me. I could actually feel that the idea that I ‘should have’ a jetlag could have had a huge impact on me, yet when I simply felt my body I felt vital and joyful and was actually deeply enjoying this trip with me. This showed me that our thoughts of how things should be have a huge impact on what our lived reality is. The only way to not be fooled by ideals and beliefs is to live moment by moment with our bodies and honouring them in full.
I write this as I sit in the transit hotel half way on a trip from Australia and Vietnam. I totally agree with the exhaustion being about how we are with ourselves on the journey and whether we are truly supporting our body in the correct time zone. I was amazed that on an 8 hour flight that was from 7pm to midnight (change in time zone of three hours) that during this flight there were two meals offered. With rice, bread and salty or sugary sauces over heavy meat. Finished with cake, ice-cream, fruit or ice-cream. This was served 2 hours into the flight and 2 hours from the end of the flight, so with all of the flurry around meal delivery, eating and getting your plates cleaned up there was really only at the most 3-4 hours of time where we would be undisturbed to sleep. Instead of engaging in this I told the flight attendants I did not want any food, I ate before I got on the plane and I chose to put on my track suite, snuggle in a blanket and sleep as much as I could, with one toilet break in the middle of the night and stretch of my legs. I also organized a transit hotel room for 6 hours when I arrived at my first location, to continue to sleep if I needed it, because even though I had already slept 7 hours, it was still only midnight at my arrival destination, so I allowed myself to have another 4 hours sleep. Although I may have slept more than normal it was lovely to honour that it was night time and that my body wanted to rest deeply and prepare for more travel and a holiday at the end of the next flight. I now see how fortunate we are to have the awareness that we don’t have to do it the way the airlines do and instead we can find our own way.
This is very beautiful Danielle, a confirmation of the innate wisdom of our body
I love the simplicity of the details of exposing the idea of jet lag and it is a choice rather than a blanket rule for all…so it seems it is not the jet ‘ride’ that actually gives the ‘jet lag’ affect but how we treat our bodies on the journey!
I am actually waiting to get on a long flight right now and yesterday with packing found how I wanted to take so much with me to make sure I would be able to do everything I normally do. I became very anxious because of this, and I realised my body was actually more feeling like enjoying my travel and focussing on bringing things that support me with that. Like a warm sweater, some cream, nourishing light meals, fresh socks etc. Life has become so much about the doing that that even is continued when traveling. With your blog and my own body that knows very well what I need, I feel well prepared for my journey now.
Great to know that this Jetlag free flying is possible, thank you Joshua.
Thank you for these words Joshua. I have a long haul flight coming up in a few months and am looking forward to taking this new approach to flying.
“I realised from the flight just how important honouring the rhythms of our body truly is, particularly on a journey like this.” I so agree Joshua. I fly over to the US once or twice a year to visit family. The more I connect to me and to my eventual time zone – and honour what my body needs throughout the flight – the jet lag is now non-existent. I would never have thought this possible six years ago.
Yes Sue, I have also noticed a profound difference from the times I travelled on the plane; eating food without any thought or care, watching movies just to check out and forget I’m travelling, and just focused on how much time it is to get there. So I also was not in the moment, but out of the moment and I’m sure that contributes to confusing the body, who is abandoned.
“This experience confirmed to me just how the body is always there, to support and assist us, with anything that life presents and all we have to do is to simply honour what it is telling us”. Yes it is this simple, yet most of us do not live in this way consistently, myself included where we do what needs to be done from a connection with our bodies first and foremost.
I have come to realise since attending Universal Medicine presentations and workshops the beauty of connecting to my body. There are moments in my day where I give myself space to do this as this is setting a foundation for me to be with me and my body more consistently in my day. There are even moments where I simply adore my body, a far cry from how I have felt about my body in the past.
The consciousness of expecting jet lag when we arrive at our destination is huge; it seems as though we see this as normal and don’t even question it. I have to admit I can still feel the pull into this ideal and brings up false beliefs around how much sleep we should have, even though these days my sleep is around 6 hours. What I am finding is, it’s incredible the ideals and beliefs we take on that are not true to us and Joshua’s blog is a great example of this, breaking the illusion that we have to experience jet lag after a long haul flight.
I love the idea too of living in the time zone that you are in whilst traveling. Our body is a vehicle that just ‘is’ it does not make a big deal of what time zone it is in and I have a feeling it simple adjust to the constellation it is in regarding to the sun, moon and stars. Then in comes the mind with trying to stay in the time zone we normally live in with calculating and thinking I should sleep now or I should not sleep now. Instead of just feeling what the body needs at that moment, as you say: “the body is always there, to support and assist us, with anything that life presents and all we have to do is to simply honour what it is telling us.” Giving the body space to do its magic.
‘Jet Lag’ can come about from a variety of factors, and is a very individual experience based on each person’s body, their health and daily rhythm. Like so much in life though, we are not shown ways frequently that can truly support us through times such as this, where there is more physical demand on the body as it travels and moves through ‘ time zones’. I love what you share here Josh about the simple choices we can make that can really take care of ourselves when flying. If we carefully approach our food and drink, we can feel nourished as opposed to depleted or bloated at the end of the journey. Paying particular attention to how our body feels, and not letting the process of travel compromise it wherever we can is also key. Thank you Josh for showing another way this can be done, there is certainly more to share here to assist people to support themselves in this process.
Joshua that was a great sharing about jet lag and traveling through timezones. Your advice: “It was beautiful to feel how empowering it can be to honour the body and its natural intelligence.” is wonderful so with my next travel through timezones I will remember to stay more in contact with my body and what it needs rather than to distract myself.
One of the things that has held me back from travelling back to my country of birth, the UK, has been the flight. This recent trip has completely knocked away the fear and worry. Jet lag free and more with me across the world is the only way to travel.
Thank you so much Joshua for sharing. To be honest I’m not looking forward to my next plane trip (and it’s not very far). After reading your blog I realise that my next trip will probably go quite smoothly because I will make choices to help support me. I do this on the ground, so why not in the air !
Ha! Well said Jaderiver56 – ‘I do this on the ground, so why not in the air !’ Our support has no boundaries or limits and our body never stops communicating.
So true Brendan, the quality of our choices affects everything! And everybody else for that matter.
Thank you Joshua for your informative blog. It reinforces the fact that listening to your body and taking care of its needs brings enormous benefits in all areas of life.
This is true Rosemary. Considering and connecting with the body in itself, supports the body to live in a healthy and cared for way, which leads to vitality and a confidence to deal with what we are faced with on a daily basis, including a ‘ride’ on the plane.
What you offer is so simple. “It was beautiful to feel how empowering it can be to honour the body and its natural intelligence.” I find the more I have a go at listening to my body and honouring the reflection it provides, the deeper my ability to connect to this natural intelligence becomes. And this supports me in life far more than all the complicated ideas and theories most of which clearly do not honour me and my wellbeing at this level.
Feels like a beautifully solid foundation to take to anything in life Golnaz not just to flying. I am finding the same too and the natural intelligence of the body is just a simple wisdom that just makes sense, as opposed to theories and concepts in our minds which tend to be complex and heady
Joshua, I concur completely on your take of how to best adapt to a new time zone and fly on an airplane in a way that supports you. I have done the same thing as far as merely ‘jumping in’ to the new time zone and it really works. It’s as if by committing fully to it, you’re telling your body, ok, this is how we are going to work here, and it says “alright, no problem, as long as you listen to me when I tell you what I need” (as far as food, sleep, etc.). The same goes for flying on the airplane, as I noticed I needed to take my own food and get up to stretch and walk on a regular basis when flying from the U.S. to the UK. Also, it always amazed me to also see how many people would stay up all night long watching movies when we flew overnight. It’s almost like people felt that if they were on vacation or not at home, they could allow themselves to not take care of their body and just have fun because they had an expectation about ‘indulging’ as if they deserved to do anything to enjoy themselves based on earning this through all their hard work. I know I have done this myself on vacations in the past, and many times I would go home much more exhausted and wiped out than when I left my job to go on vacation. I would argue that one can not truly be in joy during this type of trip if their body is suffering in any way.
This is a great observation Michaelgoodhart36, the ‘holiday mode takes over and we think we can do whatever we like – not wanting to assess or feel what is happening to our bodies so we use more distraction.
Yes michaelgoodhart36, most people see a holiday as a time to indulge, a great excuse to distract from feeling the body. I used to be like this too where I would see a holiday as an opportunity to spoil myself with food and gifts totally in ignorance of how my body was feeling. When I go away now I take my own food for travel and cook most of the food I eat while I’m away and also I do not give power away to shopping. I feel so much more energised all because I am now choosing to listen to my body.
This is an inspiring read as most of us accept the idea that we will just have to have jet lag. I have experienced varying degrees of jet lag. I find it hard to sleep on planes, but as I have settled into just being with my body more, the worry of not being able to sleep has reduced. It seems like such a sensible idea to act appropriately for the time zone. If it’s 2am then TV and stimulating foods/drinks are out. The most important thing seems to be that we listen to our body.
I too find it hard to sleep on planes, now I just enjoy the rest, my body loves it too, and I find I can doze on and off for quite long periods of time. I find eating very light, or nothing at times supports me, and avoiding any stimulation. It is really supportive to listen and honour our bodies at this time.
“Listen to your body” is the message that should be headlined on all those safety videos and in flight mags.
Thank you for sharing an inspirational blog in showing us another way to travel, the self caring way.
‘Thirdly, I gently took the approach of viewing the space on the flights as a loving time to enjoy being with me…’ How often do we truly enjoy the space we have with ourselves and appreciate this. Is it not that we more often see these traveltimes as a waste of time? I love how you mention the word space Joshua, as in an airplane people feel often squeezed in. But to focuss on the space which is also there including the space of time brings a much more harmonious picture to it.
It seems it is that simple – our choices to be deeply caring, loving and purposeful in every moment or not.
Just this week I have travelled to the UK from Melbourne and was anxious about the trip because of what I had experienced in the past – exhaustion, unrest and over indulging to distract myself. I had a plan for this trip – to simply care for me every step of the way and fortunately this blog came out just before to give me some additional pointers. My journey was enjoyable, I planned when to rest and sleep and kept feeling what was needed for me. The longest leg of the flight from Singapore to London was exactly that a long rest.
That is beautiful Lee. I can feel how the space that you made to take the flight in as a space to be with you supported you greatly
Great Lee, how wonderful is it to arrive at your destination feeling rested and great, ready for the journey ahead….another factor i have found is also being present with the body during the plane trip and not focusing on time and when we will be at the destination…otherwise we actually abandon our body, busy in our heads and that can also add to feeling exhausted!
This is the key Karoline, presence in all that we do – and we are not being present lovingly bringing ourselves back to this natural state of being.
Jet lag can be used as a kind of hero status as if you have endured an enormous feat and only just survived. Really jet lag is just a hangover effect of our choices and how much we chose to ignore the body.
Absolutely Matthew Brown – responsibility is the key behind all of our choices – jet flag is yet another thing to struggle with…
Maybe there’s a travel hints blog you could post this on – endless possibilities for helping people stay connected with body and mind in the same place at the same time – no matter what the time zone!
I love the idea of jet lag free flights Joshua! There is nothing worse than jet lag as it actually feels like you have left your self behind and the struggle is to be present where your body now finds itself relocated. So what you were saying Joshua about staying with your body and listening to what it needs makes so much sense in terms of avoiding jet lag.
Great tip – should be printed on the travel brochures and websites!
I agree Jeanette Gold, but perhaps long haul flight flyers could be printed on the back of the safety cards! Or a short video when they do the inflight safety presentation! Do you think there would be much uptake?
Great idea Rachel. I think there would as everybody is a little bored on flights and something new could really ‘take off’ and ‘land’ well with passengers – pun intended.
Hey Rachel imagine if the Gentle Breath Meditation was introduced on flights. It could be available as a stewardess led activity and also have it’s own audio channel for passengers o tune into. Now I love that idea!
Thanks to the teachings of Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine and my own choice to listen to my body I have developed very strong rhythms as to when I go to bed and get up and what I eat and drink and don’t eat and drink and many other aspects of life. At least once a year I do a return journey from Australia to the UK as well as other overseas visits and for many years I have not had even one moment of jet lag. Life is so much simpler, joyful and more harmonious than I ever imagined and all these things that we take for granted such as jet lag are completely unnecessary if you know how to live honouring your body and natural rhythms. To bust a few other myths I also find that I only need about 6 hours sleep and enjoy working 7 days a week!
Love this myth busting Nicola – our bodies have a renewed purpose – there is indeed a tension when I can feel that the purpose is not being lived.
Inspiring Nicola and yes it is a very real way of living and simple…..because we can live in a way that is unsupportive to the body, we then have these ideas that it is a certain way, like ‘jet lag’…
“a loving time to enjoy being with me and my body: to observe life on a deeper level and appreciate how much had unfolded to support me to arrive at the moment that was before me.” I love that bit, “to arrive at the moment that was before me.”, I realise how much more I could do that, on a day to day basis, simply appreciating on a deeper level everything that has unfolded in order for me to arrive.
The students of Universal Medicine are great living testimonies of the truth of not needing to experience jet lag. Yesterday there were several people who had just arrived from Australia to attend presentations by Serge Benhayon and they just simply getting on with their day without ‘missing a beat’. The Way of The Livingness would make a wonderful scientific study of the truth of this way of living.
Yes, I met a few people who had also just arrived in from Australia, Stephanie, and one who was working, no jet lag – looking and feeling amazing. Maybe The Way of The Livingness is the way of the future, it certainly seems to be a way of living that makes so much sense, and one that I actually enjoy living.
Exactly Stephanie we are in charge of our bodies and how this then flows into our lives. If we are honouring every moment we constantly get the support to do what is needed regardless of time zone.
Joshua, your commitment to take care of yourself from the outset and follow through for the duration of the flight is remarkable. There are many great tips here about self care when flying but what stands out most is how present you stayed with your body as there can be a strong pull to zone out when flying, especially on long flights.
Yes, Joshua, it’s great to fly the UM way! I used to suffer badly from jetlag.
Thank you Joshua. Yes, jet lag is now a thing of the past . Incredible really, as I look back and remember how it used to feel before. As well as eating for my body, choosing to stay present and committed in every moment to what I am doing in whatever time zone I am in was a great key for me. Thank you Serge Benhayon for your great wisdom.
Agree. It’s a thing of the past. Amazing for me. Especially when, whenever I travel, I get met with so many questions and comments on how I must have awful jet lag, or be exhausted, or whatever….I genuinely hardly even think about it now….thank you to The Way of the Livingness for yet another massive benefit.
I have had the same experience too Otto. Everyone expects you to be knacked after the trip which is true in a way because you are undertaking such a big trip but it does not have to mean you arrive absolutely exhausted!
As I reflect on when my family and I went abroad this summer, going to bed and getting up the next day after the flight was no different to if I had been at home… it is indeed incredible as I look back to how uncommitted I was to myself and life at that time and how I would feel nauseous and exhausted after the flight. I absolutely agree Jenny, supporting my body too with food and drink, having a nap and staying present as much as possible is key.
What a beautifully written article, on an amazing topic. Who would have thought that one does not have to suffer jetlag – game changer…and offering a new way of being altogether, ‘honour the body and its natural intelligence.’
Yes who would have thought experiencing jet lag on long flights was avoidable. Joshua you are really offering a new way to be with travelling.
Thanks Joshua for this sharing about jet lag. I have experienced many a travel between Australia and Europe with long haul flights and some being ridiculously long with extended waiting times at each airport in between. During most of these trips I have felt a degree of jet lag and tiredness which has taken me several days to get over. I also have experienced trips where the jet lag has not been so pronounced and has not affected me so much. What you have shared here with the things that supported you, makes sense to me – eating foods that support the body rather than foods that are loaded in refined carbs, alcohol and salt. And the thing that worked for me was ensuring I drank stacks of water to stay hydrated. I have still much to learn from such long travels and not getting too affected – but I am re-inspired now to give it another go, especially hearing how it is indeed possible to travel far and wide and not feel smashed by it!
I find these trips to be very very long too and especially have found that the environment at the airports is often very stimulating and not supportive at all either. Many of them have mini malls inside them! Hence a very very loving and self honouring way of flying is called for
Absolutely – it is like a bombardment of the senses and so easy to get swept up in it too! And so it is about keeping focused and not letting these things sway us and affect us in the way that they are targeted to do. Instead, tuning into what the body’s needs are, and fulfilling them to the best of our ability – this is the honouring that is needed. Thanks Joshua.
Hear, hear Henrietta. It is very bombarding but it does not have to be something we give our power away to and even in that environment I am learning that there are still ways, evidently there, that can deeply honour and support the body to be in such an environment.
That’s a great example of not living into what is the ‘ norm’ that most describe especially for long haul flights. Choosing in every moment to honour and listen to your body, that’s testament to our body knowing how to handle situations when we listen,honour and surrender.
I fully agree Merrilee. And this does indeed not only apply to flights, but to everything that me meet in life. If we choose to let go of the concepts, let go of ideals and outcomes and instead just listen to what our body is telling us, we will be able to handle any situation.
Pre Universal Medicine presentations with Serge Benhayon, I used to really struggle and ‘suffer’ with jet lag for days. The lesson presented was to prepare my body a few days before – good quality food and rest and then re-adjust my watch to local time at every airport I arrived in and amazingly my body just re-synced itself accordingly. How magical our bodies are with their true super intelligence when left to do what it naturally does best in its harmonious rhythm.
Great Blog Joshua! What i have noticed is that flying time can be an excuse to check out and indulge … over eat, over consume more drink , (because it seems all free and on tap!) than we would normally do if we were in our usual day pattern, and then arrive at the destination exhausted bloated and feeling rather average, OR we have the choice to stay with what our body is calling for… walk around the plane, maintain hydration, do some work, take a sleep, and arrive less like we are lagging behind..
Well said Joanne – not checking out and feeling the detail of what out body is calling for.
That’s true, the experience of flying can be a chance to check out of our bodies and indulge – everything is there – from shopping, food and drinks to movies, music, magazines.
True Johanne “We have the choice to stay with what our body is calling for” or we can go totally against that which we know from experience throughout life makes us feel not so good. It is so very simple and we seem to either complicate it, or completely ignore our needs and then blame the circumstances for the impact of our choices.
Well said Jo. All about how much we choose to care for ourselves. It really is a choice.
hear hear Johanne, there is also a consciousness that since you paid such a lot of money for the big haul flights that you want to get your money’s worth so every opportunity this is presented you just go for it. I certainly was like this in the past, but now realise that it does not need to be like this. I can eat what I feel to and I don’t have to watch loads of films to make the most of it. Drinking lots of water and going for a walk really does support you
Great point Jo about people using plane trips as a time to indulge, as it’s all on tap. It is also a time when we are forced to be with ourselves – which many of us avoid! There are not our usual distractions or comforts, thus the need to use food, alcohol, movies etc to avoid feeling.
That is a interesting observation johannebrown17 and I have to admit that I did this kind of checking out and this felt not very good at all. I was not aware that I could also be more loving with myself even on a overseas flight. Since I chose to do so I am less tired and the flight is not as much draining as I it was before.
Thank you Joshua, what you have shared is very supportive and a great way to honour our bodies.
Great reminder Joshua. As I am flying today, I will take your suggestions with me.
Great article, on many levels – Thank you. What came to me through reading it was how attached we often are to ‘time’ and ‘location’ and what that means in society. For example you are on a plane, it is moving through space, you are still you regardless of where you are. So if we allow ourselves to surrender to how we feel, how it feels around us rather than hold on to what is familiar or what we have done in the past then we are able to respond to the present fully and so we will feel a natural flow not a resistance.
I love what you have so simply shared Samantha. “you are on a plane, it is moving through space, you are still you regardless of where you are.” The simplicity of all of what Joshua has shared and you have highlighted here made me smile. All that is required is for us to pay attention to our body and deeply honour what we feel.
Beautifully expressed Samantha. Ideas about how we or things should be stop us from being able to feel and respond to how things are.
Great comment davidsonSamantha, being with ourselves in the moment allows us to respond to our bodies needs and the situation regardless of circumstances, and as you say, we will then feel the flow and not resistance.
I love how this blog is genuine proof that self care and attention to detail can change the outcome of a situation. It can be as simple as feeling what and when your body needs to eat, and taking your own food as airplane food is notoriously bad for you!
With food on the plane there is a no win situation. Every time I tried different option-gluten free comes with dairy, dairy free comes with gluten, kosher sometimes ok ish but doesn’t taste or look good, vegetarian option often simply tasteless and not eatable.
Agree with you, Meg, the best way have your own food which you know what is made of or not to eat at all.
agreed, I recently did a long flight and baked my food to take with me the day before. I knew what I was eating and knew how my body would feel. I appreciated this when I got there and didnt have to take a day or so to get over the food.
Yeah – plane food is so grim! And often you have no idea what you are eating. It’s great to be prepared and take something you know will truly support and nourish your body.
I was talking with a friend yesterday about the time on a plane and often I see it as a gap in time. You are somewhat removed from time for the period of the flight. With so much going on I often want to be gifted an extra 24 hours so that I can catch up on things. Recently when I flew I had that 24 hours. I mean, I couldn’t fold the laundry or clean the shower but I could take some time with me. I was able to use my computer and so I had prepared some work I could do and I wrote a few blogs and articles that had been brewing. I could have used that time to indulge in food, movies, silly tv shows and to check out. I did start checking out from my body and thankfully a loving friend gently pointed this out. So often long haul flights are dreaded but perhaps that is because of how we use them. I actually loved it and aside from the recirculated air, I’m quite looking forward to my flight home.
Why is it that some flyers use this time to over indulge on food and alcohol and then spend the next day or more of their overseas holiday/trip recovering – crazy. This is a time we can give to ourself to really connect to the stillness within our bodies and as you say Joshua “observe life on a deeper level” a wonderful opportunity to just be.
So true Deidre, many people check out and eat and drink loads when they are flying, so it’s no wonder they struggle afterwards with jet lag as they have not been honouring of their body in anyway.
Brendan I so agree. I recently went on a short flight and realised how my unloving choices in my everyday living impact me when the environment is a little more challenging. After reading this blog, rather than just put down my sensitivity to motion as a fait accompli, I feel I can work on supporting my body way more than I do so that these environments are not so challenging.
The way we fly is such a great indicator of how we are with our bodies.If we are in a strong rhythm of self care then this will be felt and if not the discomfort of being with ourselves on a long flight will be felt instead. It all comes back to choices.
It’s lovely to feel the level of acceptance and surrender you dropped into Joshua – it’s only when we put up the resistance that things become uncomfortable. You’ve proven with this sharing of your experience how easeful long haul travel can be by just appreciating and enjoying you thus making the need for distraction redundant.
Since reading this blog I feel like I want to get on a long flight and give it a try! A great observation and practice Joshua.
flying is a completely different environment to normal – the air is drier, your movement is restricted – these things need to be considered, by drinking more water, taking little walks and making sure you’re comfortable.
Once upon a time I used to check out completely on the plane doing the long haul over to Europe, watching movies, eating all the junk food, and even having a glass of wine with dinner. Now I find that even just watching the movies makes me feel strange, and kind of wiped out at the end of the trip. Instead when I stay a lot more present and focused, by body doesn’t get so affected – it’s like it doesn’t get sucked dry and I have heaps of energy at the end of the journey.
I feel that the body is always in a state of self correction and looking to for harmony. It has an innate way of re-balancing itself and this is evident simply in the way it heals itself following an injury, cut or scratch. If I listen and feel, the next step, choice or way forward is revealed. It is when I override this that ‘issues’ develop that unbalances the natural harmony. So it’s great to hear what you say Joshua and that you have lived this in long haul flying, great confirmation.
I love your comment on how you took your time to deepen your connection with yourself Joshua. Just imagine we take all those moments that we travel, have to wait in line or are simply distorted as moments to reconnect, appreciate, deepen our connection or simply just be with and feel ourselves. A lovely inspiration thank you.
Yes Carolien this shows us that there is a huge amount of space to connect with ourselves and keep bringing that to every moment.
Joshua what you describe in your blog is how big a difference it makes when we learn to work with our body instead of against it. I used to drink and smoke on long flights and I would arrive on the other end feeling absolutely wrecked. These days I travel across the world and have no to very little jet leg. I too have found that eating light, drinking plenty of water, resting and doing little gentle exercises for a couple of minutes supports my body greatly.
This is such a timely blog. I am very soon going on a very long flight actually to see this amazing man in NZ! I have been on a little less long flight before (12 hours) and found it quite intense and watched lots of movies to let the time go by. With your very simple tips I feel now much more prepared for this flight already. It is just about staying with myself and being aware of what is going on with everyone on the flight. Thank you for sharing Joshua.
And such a timely comment! I am very much looking forward to having this amazing woman in NZ! With all that self love and care that you take to your trip Lieke, it will sure be a beautiful supportive space to enjoy being with you
Thanks Joshua. Great tips for when I next fly overseas! This blog in the back pockets of each seat for everyone to read would be a great eye opener for most and offer an opportunity to be more aware of the impact of their choices to their bodies.
Reading your blog has allowed me to appreciate just how much my approach to flying has changed. No more last minute packing and can’t find my passport moments rather a gentle, spacious few days or more preparing for the trip. It really supports my whole experience of being away.
That’s great Jane, so many people start there journey exhausted as they rush around at the last minute, impacting on their health and well-being when they go on a long trip.
Joshua I have often travelled for long distances and have felt the same. The support of great food that nourishes the body was great and taking the time to connect with other people on the flight sitting beside me or whilst stretching my legs along the isles. The time did literally fly past and the time zones don’t enter my mind.
Josh, I love what you are sharing here; so many people travel these days, and for long distances, so I’m sure many can benefit from your experience. Walking and meeting people is fun to do in the plane. I love how you chose to listen to your body and just go with it, without worrying about all that you have heard.
One of the myths that you expose on this Joshua is the need to eat and drink to give us energy to keep us going. I have in fact found the opposite as you would have done on your flight. I occasionally now work night duty and I use to have this belief, but have found the last few times I have worked nights the less I eat the easier it is to work the nights and the more stable my energy levels. If I struggle then I look at how I have lived that day. The times are more stressful on the body, as is flying, but all these times offer us is an opportunity to deepen our self-care rather then the excuse to eat and drink so much more caffeine and sugar as a ‘reward’.
Another beautiful example of it’s not always what we do that exhausts us but how we are when we go about doing what we do. Thank you Joshua.
Yes, succinctly put Jennifer. I know I can exhaust myself at the mere thought of something I believe will be taxing before I’ve even embarked on the matter at hand. This is something Joshua beautifully exposes: that if we listen to our bodies and come from that truth, then we cannot but respond to what our body requires.
What is possible is in direct correlation to the body and because we listen and respond accordingly may differ greatly to what is possible when we respond to a mental belief that doesn’t heed what the body needs. I know when I used to do super long shifts, that when I stayed with my body and what was needed in the moment I was far less stressed and exhausted than when I always looked ahead to home time.
Well said Jennifer. This a a convent illusion we have on what it means to be exhausted.
Taking care of yourself and listening to your body on the plane was a huge part for me in having limited (or virtually no) jet lag. Previously I have stayed up watching movies and overeating. This time I did none of that. At one point I really wanted to stretch my legs but felt guilty as I had the window seat and it meant asking the two next to me to move again. But my body had to. Listening to the body was key for me and I was even sick with a cold which can be very challenging with recirculated air.
It’s very timely I read this as I have just travelled from Australia to the UK. The time difference between the UK and Australia is 11 hours, yet on my first morning I woke at 4 am which is a usual time for me to wake up. The night before I went to bed at 6pm, I had arrived a few hours prior and my body could no longer stay awake. That day was just like any normal day for me and my energy levels were constant. The following day I woke again at 5am feeling refreshed. If I think about it, it seems not possible that I could change time zones with very little effect. Yet it’s true. And I agree with Joshua in that self care make this possible.
So Simple Joshua, and for me it shows how much we can easily exhaust ourselves by avoiding taking time out and stopping and connecting. Sometimes we really struggle to just sit still and have no where to go, nothing to do, a moment to stop and just enjoy where we are and be with ourselves. We think, fidget, drink, eat, pace, get anxious, worry , talk too much, watch TV or a movie all too much to avoid just being still. Talk about exhausting!
Our expectations around jet lag can really tied to create the picture we hold in my experience. Dropping these expectations and being with ourselves is very powerful. Thank you for this Joshua.
This is brilliant. Trying to ‘work out’ how to manage travelling across the world, calculating time zones and talking about the time at the place we have come from when we have arrived at our destination, are all just mental musings and theories that bear no relationship with how our individual bodies respond. So we stay in our heads trying to theorise about how best to cope with the challenge of travel (or anything else for that matter), all the while interfering with our ability to listen to our bodies which have an innate and natural wisdom to guide us on how to move, eat, rest in the optimum way to avoid adverse consequences. What Joshua experienced is so simple and so inspiring. By putting aside the ‘rule book’ and listening to his body he showed that we can deal with ‘challenges’ and ‘adverse conditions’ without there being an adverse knock on effect. As I said…brilliant.
It has always amazed me why more people do not get up and stretch their legs on long haul or even short haul flights. my mother always encouraged us to walk around the flight and stretch our legs whilst drinking plenty of water and it makes a huge difference to how you feel on arrival.
I always use the area around the emergency exits for my exercise routine. The emergency hatch is the perfect height for calve stretches! If I stand parallel with the kitchen areas I can do full arm extension stretches. On the double decker jets, I walk up and down the stairs to get the heart going a wee bit. Walking up and down the aisles is great too – and actually the movement of the plane is an added bonus because it requires a little extra presence to ensure you don’t lean on anyone. As a friend once said – “for a workout all you need is a tiny bit of space and gravity”.
This amazed me too fionacohran01. Although there is not a lot of leg room in the planes generally to move around much and I found it to be an experience of really connecting and being with others on the plane as we all had to cooperate to let each other move around. Not a lot of people connect on the plane especially when they are busy watching movies or playing games
So inspirational Joshua.
We are always ‘travelling’ in a vehicle and that vehicle is our body. If we take care of it with great care than it will get us where we need to go with joy and ease…. not matter how far the distance 🙂
The body and its natural intelligence and loving support is always there for us, and the first abuse we allow to ourselves is to choose not to be in awareness of this wisdom.
Exactly, Adele. Our body naturally knows what is needed for every situation we will meet. It is up to us to listen to this and not override it because of ideals or predefined rhythms.
Beautifully said Adele. Not listening to our bodies is indeed abuse.
This blog has been very inspiring to read over my journey thus far. It has reminded of the need to come back to my body at various points, and that I have been able to deepen my connection with myself as a result. I am learning constantly on this journey, and appreciating also all that I have learned about connecting to my body, and not overriding its signals. This is a constant ‘fine-tuning’ process, and one I am enjoying learning from.
Great to hear Amelia how you’re able to put into practice straight away what Josh has shared. Enjoy being with you on this long trip!
Thank you so much Josh, this blog is perfectly timed, of course. I am currently flying from Brisbane to Singapore on my way to London and had been facing similar quandaries about how I was going to go with the ‘long haul’ journey. It has been 7 years since I have done a similar trip and remember feeling like the plane ride would never end! I did not want this feeling again and so have been somewhat apprehensive. I knew this apprehension was not needed, but your statements here have really solidified it. When we come back to our body, and the knowing our body has, we can then support it in every way. I look forward to re-imprinting this journey with all I have learned about my body, time, and allowing space for what needs to be to be.
Hello Joshua Campbell and your blog has a super simple message. Stop, connect, listen to what is there and then do that next. Seems like a very simple plan and in that simplicity as you are saying it seems like everything else is taken care of. Not rocket science and not even difficult really. Thanks for the tips on flying and living Joshua, they will come in very handy.
This article did feel like it was full of ‘top tips’ very simply and authoritatively (as in actually lived and experienced) shared; all so relatable to life not just flying around the world!
Hello Matilda Bathurst and yes, “actually lived and experienced”. It makes a huge difference to read words or see things that come this way. You could say there is no other way as this is how we truly inspire others.
It is indeed that simple. When we “stop, connect and listen to what is there and then do that next” miracle can indeed happen. Time zones become irrelevant.
Hello nikkimckee and everything becomes ‘irrelevant’ with respect as everything equally becomes more relevant. When there is a dedication to feeling your way through life, moment by moment then practically what’s in front of you will change but how you are with ‘that’ will be the same. A deep connection to how you feel will hold you constantly and you won’t be a ‘victim’ of what’s going on in front of you. These simple steps have brought me steadily back into the world more and more. Thank you Nikki.
That is beautiful Ray and so well said.
An absolute joy to share Raymond Karam especially as you don’t often hear simple tips and facts like this anywhere these days.
Thanks Joshua and you are spot on, why I wonder? When so many people have completely turned their lives around from these ‘simple tips’ http://www.universalmedicine.net/before–after.html
This is great Raymond, no one can deny from these photos alone the quality of lives the people are now living
Totally agree Joshua, we are more likely to see things when they are presented like this rather then in word form. These pictures from people of all different walks of life with differing stories all with one thing in common, a deep connection to feeling the world from within and not chasing it outside, ‘The Way Of The Livingness’.http://www.unimedliving.com/voice/about-the-audio-presentations/the-way-of-the-livingness-presentation.html
Rather than surrounding to the business of air travel and the consumption of stimulants you chose to remain with yourself and listen to your body during the long flight. With this honouring of yourself and your body Joshua, you disprove the popular assumption that jet lag is inevitable.
That is so interesting Joshua, as I have flown by airplane to Australia before, I could feel how I did experience a jetlag, but I was not honoring myself at all, so that makes sense! It is inspirational to hear that it is possible to fly and not have any jetleg at all. This tells us how extremely important it is to stay connecting to your body all of the time and that by virtue of listening we are supporting ourselves to be with time.
One of the things I do whilst travelling on a plane is to walk around the aircraft in an anticlockwise direction, primarily to imprint the walkways but also to stretch my legs. I try and cover the whole aircraft in a complete circle and on the way catching the eyes of other passengers, just a little bit of fun as we fly through the skies.
Until recently, internet was not available on airplanes, but some are starting to offer it. I remember the days when flights were much simpler. There was one or two films that was shown on one screen at the front. No internet. No laptops or other mobile devices. Then again there was a smoking section which was horrible. Showing my age now.
I remember travelling to Europe as a kid as an unaccompanied minor and there being a smoking section down the back and waiting for the movie to come on the big screen. I have recently flown from Australia to the UK and I really did appreciate being able to charge my laptop during flight. It meant I could still do what I needed to do. I worked as I felt to , rested as I felt to. I arrived in the UK still in rhythm, with no back log to catch up on and ready to continue with the next step.
Yes, I remember when there was a small selection of films that showed at specific times. If I remember correctly I remember there being just one film showing and feeling a sense of community as the plane all watched it together, or not. There wasn’t the choice to watch different movies or even have internet (that’s so new to me).
It seems giving people the choice to distract themselves with all that is available keeps people more enclosed in their world and more disconnected from their fellow passenger because there is less of a shared experience with which to start from.
When I recently walked a plane for a long haul flight, the feeling of disconnection was massive. Everything was about you and your seat. You can sit down and that’s it – check out and see you at your destination. There was a feeling of connection when everyone had to watch the same movie and there seemed to be more of a community feeling on the plane.
This took me by surprise too Jinya Mizuno. I had one flight where the internet was available and it felt rather surreal being in mid air above the Arctic/Russian region browsing the internet as if i was at home in NZ! I found this rather sad though in many ways as it shows just how much our society cannot even do with out the Internet or Technological stimulation even for a 12 hour flight.
The internet is a necessity yet now even air travel has the availability. What I observed on a recent flight was that everyone instantly wanted to not feel what they were actually sitting with – so the movies food internet are mere distractions from truly feeling ourselves and not wanting to take responsibility. I feel that this is a massive insight into how we all live in society – and that is truly sad.
You are right Lee, it is not the fact of the Internets availability that is the concern here but rather how we use it
Agreed Joshua we are well versed in creating things that we can abuse – alcohol, drugs, music etc and now the internet allows us to bring this abuse to its source more widely. The image of all of us wielding seemingly innocuous force through the internet sounds ridiculous but isn’t this exactly what is occurring every single minute of every day. Swearing, bullying, abusing – we are so arrogant we think we are getting away with it – yet it feeds the energy we live in to keep on circling thus the abuser eventually becomes the abused – it cycles for ever.
This cycle of abuse is just like a prison that we choose to be entrapped in by our own choices to remain ignorant to it. Its pretty huge when considered like this!
I have found that lots of water, walking around, resting, eating only the food my body chooses and not watching computer games or stimulating movies all support the regular long haul flights I take. I do get tired from being squished up in an aeroplane seat but not jet lagged, usually.
I have to say I wonder how tall people manage on those flights if they are in economy – the limited leg room would actually be illegal for an animal ( Fact – I have flown dogs before and know the RSPCA requirements) – but not so for a human being! User friendly seating design and space on aircraft would definitely be supportive and caring of people.
Good point Coleen, I normally choose the aisle seats, so I have a bit more room for my legs, and it’s easier to get up and walk around. As I don’t go to the movies much, I have been known to get sucked in to watching a bit too much movies or TV shows – but I also enjoyed the space to do some writing, after my attempt to log in to the advertised internet (and paying $15 American for the pleasure) lasted just long enough to log in…… It’s special to enjoy the time without the internet for this limited time.
I was wondering the same, especially with the reality of having to sleep in them!
Yes – sleep was not a priority when those seats were designed. I actually wonder what WAS the priority in the design process?
Yes if it was not sleep or the true care of others then it must be for money and efficiency.
I agree, Joshua, the body’s unfailing messages always offer the deepest level of support if we choose to listen to them. It can be truly beautiful, the human body.
Absolutely coleen24 – we can often deem the body as a nuisance or pain when it doesn’t comply with what we think we need to do. It is truly wonderful to learn to honour and listen to what the body is so clearly showing us instead of treating it like the enemy for being mortal!
For many of us having time offered to us with nothing to do is a challenging and daunting prospect. We are so used to filling our time with doing things that when opportunities like this arise in which we can simply enjoy being with ourselves, we want to run a mile! I love that you show there is a way for us all to simply enjoy being with ourselves. ‘It was beautiful to feel how empowering it can be to honour the body and its natural intelligence.’
Beautiful Josh and very inspiring as you completely surrendered to just being with yourself during this 24 hour flight. Many people cannot sit still for minutes let alone hours and hence why I imagine so many people resort to stimulating foods and whatever entertainment they can view while confined to a plane. I haven’t got any long flights planned for the future but your tips and living example will be with me when I do.
“I ate foods that honoured my body and naturally listened to what my body was saying. If I felt I needed a walk around the plane I would honour this; generally this was very frequent – usually once every 1 or 2 hours.” Listening to our bodies – be it on a long-haul flight or every day in one time zone – is the way to go.
I have found that preparing well and supporting my body on a long journey really helps me to not get jet lagged. I never eat the plane food, and always walk around a lot. If I feel tired and can’t sleep, I make sure I just rest my eyes and body, and don’t try to do anything distracting or stimulating like reading or watching a movie, as this seems to make me feel worse. I actually now enjoy journeys like this and see them as an opportunity to focus on supporting myself.
Thank you for sharing your learnings and experience with plane trips Laura, this is a simple and effective approach.
Hi Laura Hoy, I concur with your experiences too on the plane especially related to not doing anything stimulating. It is rather indicative of how much we seek stimulation when there is so many screens, iPads, computers and every other device imaginable under the sun on the plane these days.
Awesome Joshua, your blog is pure Gold and should be in all inflight magazines for us all to read whilst onboard of the plane. What you say about food used for stimulation is so true and only makes the after effects of the whole journey a whole lot worse.
Yes I agree Samantha. All in-flight magazines and travel guides. This is such a useful and powerful blog for its simplicity and wisdom.
Exactly I loved this wisdom and simplicity 🙂 it is so easy to grasp and totally should be a worldwide read in every Magazine!
Love this. Imagine reading an article like this in your Inflight Magazine. It would be a total show stopper as people were invited to consider their perceptions and approach to flying and their bodies.
Love the idea of having articles like this in the in-flight magazines. Go for it Joshua.
Love what you said in your earlier comment ottobathurst, about purpose.”If I am committed to the purpose, then I am committed to supporting that purpose.” I totally agree with purpose self- care just naturally follows.
This is crucial to me. Without an intention, without playing the bigger picture, I find that self-care can just be a to-do thing on my daily list – which then can easily fall off that list! By playing much bigger, then it becomes an essential.
Having just returned recently from overseas with a one 14 hr block in the plane- 21 hrs total, I found that following the current time zone helped, eating light and what my body felt, getting up regularly to stretch my legs, wearing the eye pillow when trying to sleep or rest, wearing comfy clothes and warm socks, keeping warm, using a neck pillow in a seated position, and we purchased noise reducing headphones which when working reduced the engine noise. Most of all I was constantly checking in with my body, firstly making sure I was in my body- in the past I would zone out literally, and suffered bad air sickness. This is the first long overseas trip where I didn’t get air sickness, felt tired from the long length of travel but was great the next day, instead of 3 days.
Your story of the absence of jet lag was very confirming for what’s possible for the body when we listen to it and honour it with the choices we make.
I agree it’s a great story to avoid jet lag and I am sure most of us will try it out for ourself. As no one likes to suffer the bad jet lag that happens with long flights.
Good one Joshua, I am sure there would be many people who would appreciate a few tips on how to come out of an arduous journey unscathed.
Hello Bernard Cincotta and I agree. These aren’t hard or difficult tips either, almost commonsensical really. Apply them to flying or to life, either way they support. We often set ourselves up in these situations and don’t listen to what is right under our noses. Joshua brings this clearer for us all and shows that if you do listen, even the most “arduous journey” can be smooth. Thanks Bernard.
Yes. These tips are not just for flying. They are for life, for any ‘unusually intense’ time or journey. And it is when things get intense that it becomes ever more important to take the upmost care for ourselves.
Hello ottobathurst great point and when you build a consistent “upmost care” in little moments then “when things get intense” you will have that consistency there to catch you. We should take care of ourselves, why wouldn’t you we are worth it. Nice flying with you Otto.
Well said Bernard and Raymond; the way I travel these days has definitely become simpler; less food, plenty of water and moving my body when it feels it needs to be moved, resting when I feel to. I still do get a bit jet lagged, and it takes me a couple of days to fully adjust to the time difference, but compared to in the past, that’s nothing. Until I learned to be more considerate of my body, I used to have alcohol and heavy foods on the plane – and then most times ending up having to contend with a cold or flue at the desired destination…. When you only have 3 weeks or so away, it’s a real killer to be sick and under par for 7 to 10 days…. Many people also used to say that you can’t help catching the flue on the plane. But I don’t agree. If our bodies are rested and honoured, they don’t need to get the flu just because of an aeroplane trip.
Thank you Esther, being in touch with how your body is in any moment is very supportive. Why we don’t listen consistently is another story but as we are discussing, there are huge benefits to how you feel long term from taking real care of yourself.
Great point Raymond Karam. If we consider the flying like a journey through life then it opens up a whole new way of looking at human life. How many of us are living for retirement or holidays a bit like getting to our destination rather than simply enjoying the journey
It’s true Raymond. Is a flight any different from any other moment of our lives and is Jet Lag any different from any other symptom of insufficient self care? This blog and all these comments are ace. But, as you say, many of us don’t apply this level of self care at every moment of every day. I don’t. Although it is getting more consistent and actually that is the best way to deal with Jet Lag – make it just another day of love and purpose.
Hello ottobathurst, yes no more Monday’s, Friday’s or Sunday’s “just another day of love and purpose” I can live with that.
Actually. Adding to that. What I have said at the end needs more. Much of this discussion has been about techniques and tips for self care. But above all of that is purpose. If I am on a flight (or in any day) and am connecting and committing to the purpose of what I am doing and what I am bringing, then that is the very best support – and, as a Brucey Bonus, that automatically induces the self care. It has to, by definition. If I am committed to the purpose, then I am committed to supporting that purpose. Bingo.
I love that you have bought this through – Just another day in Love and Purpose. This is the baseline marker for all days.
This is great Joshua. Adjusting to the new timezone asap is key – I once arrived in the UK at 6am on a flight from Australia and had a great day, went to bed at the normal time and awoke the next morning as if I hadn’t travelled. Supportive foods, clothing, blankets, eye masks, etc. all help during the flight. Our bodies are amazing Joshua, the innate wisdom inside us will lovingly show us what is the best support.
Thanks Joshua, very interesting especially the statement about the body adjusting better if you live the timezone you are in. It used to do my head in to try and live the time zone where I would end up and never seemed to help.
When I travel long haul flights that’s what I find works best for me to ‘live to the time in the timezone that I was currently in.’ Allowing my body plenty of rest, hydration and either not eating or keeping it very light, with no stimulation, is all really supportive in my experience.
“However I could soon feel how exhausting it was to view the journey and timezone changes in this way and how I was already setting myself up to feel exhausted by the end of the journey by not honouring what my body was naturally telling me.” There’s a lot in this; if we’re setting-up a certain feeling in advance, of course we’ll fulfil this. By knowing there’s another much more supportive way to travel and abiding by the body’s signals, a completely different result in the body is possible for sure.
Great point Oliver – it is often what we ‘think it will be like’ that has set the wheels in motion and by the time we ‘arrive’ we are fulfilling what we wanted – good or bad – it to be like.
That’s so true Lee and Oliver, yet this can be our experience in any area of life when we have a preconceived idea of how things will be – good or bad – our planning of, or dreading of what’s ahead will often fulfil itself, rather than allowing life to unfold and doing what’s necessary in the moment.
Thank you Rosemary for the reminder again that life unfolds and my job is purely and simply to walk through life observing and bringing what is needed in each and every moment.
Joshua, this is very well said: “It was beautiful to feel how empowering it can be to honour the body and its natural intelligence.” It certainly has a natural intelligence that we’re able to respond to.
I love that we are talking about the body’s ‘natural intelligence’. Cuts to the truth and there is no denying it! It is a conversation that is growing and can become a natural part of how we talk about the impact of our choices and how life is ‘sold’ to us on so many levels.
It certainly does cut through anything that is not truth and leaves you feeling expanded and confirmed when we honour our ‘natural intelligence’.
I agree Bernadette. Just hearing or using the phrase ‘the body’s natural intelligence’ is such a delight and such a blessing. And that’s even before I dive deeper in to what it actually means and is offering! When I hear that expression, I can feel my body saying “hallelujah, at last you’re listening…here I am…give me the reins….i got it covered…”
Yes Otto, it is truly incredulous just how ‘missing’ the support for and education about this obvious intelligence has been! Once we connect with it, consulting our bodies becomes the home of truth. What a gift now to pass on to our children and their children’s children!
I love that Bernadette and Otto, the great thing about it being natural is that it is not something we need to do anything for other then learning not to ignore it.
Imagine if we learnt about how bodies natural intelligence at school. Wow, it would not longer feel that the answers to life are in our heads but in our hearts
I agree Bernadette. But as well as passing it on to our children, it is a gift that we must also grab ourselves, with both hands!!
Yes Oliver we just have to get our selves out of the way and allow the inner wisdom or natural intelligence have its way with us… They have our back!
Great example of how honouring ourselves and our bodies is the key to living vital and healthy as opposed to leaving ourselves exhausted when we live by our minds or perhaps what other people tell us. This example of flying makes complete sense and it is deemed normal that everyone experiences jet-lag; however Joshua you have shown us there is another, absolutely possible way. Thank you.
So true Cherise, it’s like all areas of life isn’t it? Like flying is a concentrated version of how we are living our lives and the consequences are condensed and quickly noticed. I had not thought of flying this way but it offers us a chance to really look at the momentums we have been living in as there is nowhere to go, nowhere to run away from our choices, we must remain in this space until we reach our destination.
It’s so amazing how our bodies function when we let them. They just innately know how to opporate to produce a state of harmony (without interference via ourselves of course) no matter where we are. It’s awesome to hear how you listened to your body Josh and what came about from it.
Love this Emily – our bodies ‘innately know how to opporate to produce a state of harmony (without interference via ourselves of course)’. Sometimes I do not think we realise just how much interference we introduce to our bodies.
I love that line too Sally, it’s amazing how harmonious things can be when we get ourselves out of the way!
Joshua’s blog is a lovely description of how staying , and being in harmony with our bodies makes life flow so much more easily. On a long journey we can often get distracted by thoughts of what those we left behind are doing and what we are going to do when we arrive, leaving the body making the journey disconnected. Joshua’s way is so much better.
Sally that’s a great way of putting it ” Sometimes I don’t think we realise just how much interference we introduce to our bodies” that’s so true, we invest so much energy entertaining and distracting ourselves we forget we can just be still.
Absolutely Emily – our bodies are designed to function in a harmonious way, and when there is disorder, it does everything to restore its natural balance. The more we listen, the more we can work with the messages the body is always giving us.
It is fascinating how much our bodies really do know. I am finding it a wise move to listen to it
What really stands out in your blog Joshua, is your level of presence with what is actually happening at any time and listening to your body. Maybe the lag part of jet-lag comes from the filling up of our time (or checking-out) with entertainment, stimulating foods and drinks rather than being totally with ourselves and then the body has to try and catch up later when we arrive at our destination.
I feel jetlag is also a reflection of our livingness. If we are doing well generally, jetlag seems to be hitting us much less. I just flew from Australia to Europe – 34 hours door to door. I was tired on the day I arrived but work up normally the next day. I was only at 85% the next day but by day 3 everything was normal. I agree with Joshua’s remedies. If I ate the airline provided food – the quantities, the sugar, the starch, the alcohol, I would probably have massive jetlag.
It is interesting isn’t it that we can get very practical with the issue of jetlag. If we take away the heavy food, alcohol, anxiousness and stimulation then perhaps the ‘lag’ would be greatly reduced.
Yup. I drink loads on flights. Loads and loads. The added bonus being that you have to keep on going to the toilet – which then exercises your body! A win, win!
I was on a short flight recently and it was crazy to see how people were eating so much food and drink (including alcohol early in the morning). I have done this too where I eat out of boredom or because I do not want to sit, feel and just be present with me. However, as I am re-connecting more to me and my body this is starting to change and I am reaching less and less for food and drink to be stimulated. I love what Joshua expressed here ‘Thirdly, I gently took the approach of viewing the space on the flights as a loving time to enjoy being with me and my body: to observe life on a deeper level and appreciate how much had unfolded to support me to arrive at the moment that was before me.’ It says it all, it is a choice to be with us and honour our body, appreciate ourselves and the moments we are in.
These in themselves are very practical tips Susan and Otto that are easy to implement and ones that everyone can do. I guess the key question is do we value ourselves enough to implement them?
Yes that is a great tip of drinking enough. It is interesting what you share Vicky, see people eating lots on even short flights. I have done that too, I can feel it was a bit to fill the time as when you are sitting in an airplane there is not much space to do things and not to feel the uncomfortableness of that as well. Plus maybe people being afraid of flying, I know I always feel better when I have my two feet back on solid ground!
I’ve always found it quite odd that even on a short 2 hour flight people will still buy food and drinks and snacks, like we cannot go 2 hours without numbing or racing ourselves with food. And it surprised me how quickly the carts come around, hasn’t everyone been sitting in the airport already eating food? I know I was 😉 But yes, there seems to be a real frenzy on flights to check out, I myself have been into too, even taking sleeping tablets to help with anxiety, which I now understand why. From the sugary foods or coffee I was having before a flight and not allowing myself to be present with what my body needed which caused high levels of discomfort and nervousness. Looking forward to my next flight now, as presence is the aim of the game.
Great points Susan and Otto. I remember finding that the flight attendants do not pass water often enough and with all the other drinks available, it is very easy to overlook the fact that we may be very dehydrated
That is a great point – what if jet lag is more about our conduct and choices on the plane than the time difference?
I agree Susan, I tend to make sure I have plenty of water on a flight.
I would say you are bang on. And we are doing this more on a flight like this one than we would normally do in real life so hence the excessive tiredness and exhaustion. Interesting that we are in a plane, in a space with nothing to do than just to be and we spend more time escaping than ever!
It seems also to be able to surrender and accept ones predicament or task at hand also makes a huge different not to mention not loading the body with artificial ,heavy junk type foods and alcohol which also leads to more dehydration and body stress.
I have always wanted to go to the UK, but the thought of the plane trip and the consequences has turned me off the idea. Thank you for sharing your experience Josh – there is another way to travel and the only consequence is that of not listening to the body and honouring what it needs to support us in situations.
When I fly these days I make sure I eat supportively and very simply, dress comfortably, I get a good rest on the plane and prepare my body to be settled with a small folded blanket to sit on- an eye pillow to keep light out and at times supportive calming music in my ears- I dress warmly so I feel cosy to rest- take my shoes off and rest my feet on a pillow on the floor. These small things are all supportive and allow me to use the time to rest and rejuvenate rather than to load myself with sugar, alcohol, salt and distracting and stimulating entertainment just for the sake of passing time.
A fabulous blog Joshua. Thank you.
I can confirm that our choices in the time we are on the plane are part of the ‘jet lag’ problem. I know for myself if I do not move when my body needs to, if I do not put my body to rest and if I eat poorly then I will have a jet lag feeling whether or not I step onto a plane or not. This is simply my body trying to process the damage I may have done to it. Then when we add time difference to poor choices it is a double whammy on the body.
Great point Johanna – adding ‘time difference to poor choices’ makes sense in life not just to plane travel.
Great tips that you have shared Joshua. I have only done 5 hour flights since coming to the work of Universal Medicine but have stayed with my body during these flights and have found that if I move my body in the ways that it wants to then this helps immensely in staying connected to myself and in feeling great when I get off the plan. My body has lead me to walking consciously up and down the aisles, reading whilst standing up and standing in the small space at the back of the plane and doing some gentle movements with my legs and hips, all of which have felt glorious.
Your article got me thinking about all the long haul flights I’ve taken with young children and how completely depleted I felt on the flight, let alone afterwards! I was always in a state of anxiousness making sure they were all ok, trying to minimise their levels of agitation at being restrained for so long, not liking the food, not being able to sleep ….. now I’m questioning how much they were also feeding off my anxiety and my need for them to behave in a certain way so they weren’t disturbing others around them.
You’ve raised a really important point here, Alison. Travelling with young children is seen by some to be the absolute nightmare of nightmares when it comes to plane trips. I suspect many passengers who are placed near families think they are not going to have a good trip because of the presence of children.
In my travels I have been able to observe several approaches to parenting. There was the family where dad left everything to mum to deal with with their four children, including a baby. It appeared there was a degree of anxiousness experienced by the mum who, was kept busy for the entire trip – to me demonstrating how lovingly and calmly parenting as a team can be so supportive, as it supports all concerned (including fellow passengers!). It is a delight to see most parents gently responding to the needs of their children and each other so journeys go well for all concerned. These parenting choices decided the quality of their flight and I feel would likely have impacted on the degree of jet lag they experienced on arrival at their destination.
‘I chose not to go into thinking about how I was going to fill up the time with things to do or how I was going to face the boredom of doing very little. Even my laptop’s battery could not last the whole journey and I felt this was lovely, as it offered the space to let go and just be.’ Love what you share here, Joshua, the way you are accepting of your space on the plane and choosing to enjoy the time with you. Staying present with yourself and honouring how your body feels. Just gorgeous. I feel so often long haul flights are seen with some trepidation, people accept that they won’t sleep well, they will be uncomfortable in the lack of space and look forward to possibly having some good movies to help wile away the time and after that, yes, there will be a sense of total exhaustion in the body. As you share, it does’t have to be that way if we ‘honour the body and its natural intelligence’.
It struck me how when on a plane we are faced with being with ourselves because the usual distractions of daily life are limited so we can surrender to ‘being with ourselves’ more legitimately. What this has shown me Joshua is that I can make a myriad of excuses to be distracted from myself every moment of the day! I don’t need an impending long plane trip to as an invitation to stop and deeply connect with me!
Classic, this one resounds with me! Maybe today I’ll take myself on a long plane play date and see if I can lay to rest some of those excuses, and instead spend some quality time with me.
Haha, I love it Bernadette Glass and Jenny Hayes! Lets make every day “a long plane play date” with ourselves… certainly a great way forward for me.
‘..long plane play date..’, I love it Jenny! We can then fly anywhere we want to with the express purpose of developing our relation-ship with ourselves! Remember the Love Boat?!
Returning from the UK to Australia is usually when the fatigue catches up with you, from my experience, wanting to sleep not long after I arrived home at 10 o’clock in the morning. Next time I take this trip, I will more consciously rest deeply during the flight and also resist unnecessary emotion which can be there when leaving loved ones and a great time away and see if this makes a difference to being able to stay up until the evening before sleeping.
Joshua, your three comments are like a tool box of how to lovingly support ourselves to travel long distances. Adjusting to where we are going to, rather than we have come from; eating lightly and food that truly supports the body; and taking time to be, rather than finding things to do or occupy our attention during the journey. All of which allow the body to rest deeply and not have any unnecessary stimulation, supporting it to gently adjust.
Beautiful Joshua, I have some handy hints from your blog for my next long trip, and of course the golden rule to always remember our body knows if we only listen, appreciate and honor.
Yes and this is actually very profound, when we listen and if we listen to our own bodies natural rhythm it actually speaks very loudly, clearly and precise. Clearing the path for this to be a normal and consistent experience for ourselves isn’t always easy as we use a lot of different things to dull, numb or race up our bodies to override its communication. But the appreciation to note is that the body never ever stops communicating and this we can rely on for every moment in our lives.
Great blog Joshua – all three points are key to adapting to a new time-zone including living completely to the new times once you land. I used to travel a lot and felt the effects of jet lag up to a week later, so this new way of travelling will be much more supportive. The food you are fed on planes especially made a lot of sense!
This would make a brilliant feature article in an in-flight magazine.
I totally agree!
Absolutely, some of these blogs would make great in flight reading.There’s so much more the airlines could do to support people, for example by not serving alcohol, ( then there’d be none of the alcohol induced arguments or disagreements) serving simple very light meals and lots of water, or doing chair based exercises. They could encourage everyone to change their watches and adapt to the new time zones on the plane, you are correct Joshua, it makes a huge difference to jet lag.
Awesome idea Carola, many people don’t even think there is any way around jet-lag and exhaustion with many of those that I work with opting for the alcohol or medication options, but what Joshua has experienced here is timely for everyone to read and know about, perhaps even experiment with for themselves!
Plane journeys are a bit tricky I have found over the years – and yet I am inspired by the many writings on this article – as I am about to travel to the UK tomorrow I can practice what I have read.
This is gorgeous Josh. Such a powerful testimony of the magnificence of our bodies’ natural intelligence. And how harmoniously we can live when we tune in to the delicateness of this intelligence that is always communicating and guiding us.
I haven’t done a long air flight since coming to the Way of the Livingness but I have always found that not eating too much avoiding alcohol and generally embracing the whole experience minimised any jet lag for me. I love travel and I’m sure that with the respect I have for my body now and a whole new appreciation for just being with me, I would find the effects of jet lag further reduced.
Not drinking alcohol and not eating those salty or very sugary snacks has made a huge difference to me and how I feel during and after travelling.
Imagine how different the whole plane would feel if everyone took the responsibility for supporting themselves during the flight. Perhaps the ‘jet lag’ myth would dissipate as people would discover it is about how we are with ourselves during the journey.
So true Gabriele, in the past I have used sugary and salty snacks as a way to not be present with the trip as I find them very stimulating.
It doesn’t make sense (now that I’ve read Joshua’s experience) to load our bodies with copious amount of sugar and salt and watch stimulating movies when one is confined in such a small place! No wonder people, myself included, have panic attacks or dislike the thought of flying – being buzzed up on stimulation with no where to go. Really silly.
Great blog Josh and a great support for all who embark on long haul flights. The opportunity to try something different in being present with yourself and listening to your body allowed you to know exactly what was needed in each moment leading to your natural rhythm all trip. Imagine if this was presented by airlines for staff and passengers alike!
“It was beautiful to feel how empowering it can be to honour the body and its natural intelligence.” Absolutely, Joshua, that obviously was key to the fact that you did that long haul trip with no problems with jet lag. This is the way to go in all our activities in our lives. Thank you for sharing.
Yes I agree Beverley, Joshua has given us a great example of what can be achieved when we truly honour ourselves and pay attention to the body’s innate intelligence. And the more we apply this simple science to our everyday activities, the stronger a foundation of health we build that will support us even more when it comes to activities like long haul flights.
This is an inspiring sharing here, Joshua, most people dread the long haul trip that precedes their big trip to Europe etc. You have shown that there is a way to handle how to avoid the problems of jet lag. A great way to go about it, listening to your own body to see what was needed, and choosing to eat what was right for the body. That all makes such sense to me. And I would imagine you were completely relaxed about it all, in making the trip about truly connecting to you and enjoying that. So of course you will do the same on your return journey. Wonderful.
I have to confess I have not mastered long-haul air travel at all, and find the small seats very uncomfortable! I feel encouraged to keep working on it though, taking a body-first approach. I like that you walked frequently. That makes sense somehow.
It does make so much sense Victoria. It’s been a while since I have done a long haul flight, but I would often override the need my body had to move and resist walking. Now I know how much my body loves walking that doing that now would be actually very difficult to spend nearly a whole flight sitting. So not good for our body.
Thank you Joshua for sharing your experience, what a great way to travel, especially on long haul flights, spending time with you and honouring what your body was telling you, made all the difference, usually long flights are so exhausting, but you have found the key.
Flying WITHOUT Jetlag! This is a story to be shared. I’ve never experienced it myself but it’s been many many years since I’ve flown. The choices you made Joshua as to how you’d approach your journey and not go with the status quo, clearly had a significant impact, due to the way that you felt the next morning!
I always love flying. I still find it mystical to fathom that I am getting on a plane in one place or country and then within hours I am somewhere completely different. I still find this amazing and marvel at the technology that we have today. A great article Joshua that will benefit many who fly.
Flying can be such a stressful time for some people, because even the movies or their computers are not enough distraction from the concentrated time period where they are just with themselves – no phone calls, internet, no cleaning, nothing but a space in which you can either embrace being with you, or use every possible means to escape, and end the journey feeling exhausted.
Ah wow! Rebecca, I’ve never thought of traveling in this way before. It makes so much sense, there is no busy-ness to override of detract us from feeling ourselves on a plane. So in us trying to escape ourselves we wind up exhausted. It’s like a concentrated version of life really.
It does make a lot of sense hey Rachael. You’ve said it so well “So in us trying to escape ourselves we wind up exhausted. It’s like a concentrated version of life really.”
Well said Rachael, it is very concentrated – everything about flying asks us to take more care of ourselves, from the drying air-conditioning, the concentrated time on the plane etc.
That is a great point Rebecca. Being on a plane means you can’t actually do anything. There is not much to keep the momentum that people are living in going apart from movies / laptops etc. if one does not like how they are feeling and how their body is feeling then they will use any means necessary to numb out what they don’t want to look at.
I agree, so it is no surprise that the entertainment on planes in increasing, because heaven forbid that for a few hours you be asked to stop and rest.
That´s what I enjoy most about a longer flight – absolute time of being with myself, my rhythm, my rituals, my order.
Exactly Alex – its a great opportunity to prepare yourself to do nothing, something we often never find time to do
A great blog and what a fantastic subject Joshua to talk about. What you are saying here blows out all the beliefs about Jetlag. I got some great tips from Serge Benhayon who literally steps off a plane from Australia to London and works the same day.
Well guess what it is possible as I have done the same and I have done it quite a few times and it works always.
Once my ticket is booked and I know when I am flying I prepare and by that I mean I pay close attention to my body and check how long the flight is and stop over time etc.,
Taking my healing eye mask and food that is light (as lets get real not much moving going on) and something to read helps to support me. Making sure at least a week or two before there are super early nights taking place for deeper support. Bingo job done.
When we had the volcanic ash thing going on my plane was diverted. It was over 40 hours before I got to London. I got through as I felt to take a little extra food for the journey and YES I had a hot bath and good sleep on my return to my yummy bed but nothing more. Business as usual next day and zero ‘jet lag’. This word does not exist in my life and never will – thanks to Serge Benhayon.
“I gently took the approach of viewing the space on the flights as a loving time to enjoy being with me and my body: to observe life on a deeper level and appreciate how much had unfolded to support me to arrive at the moment that was before me.” This is gorgeous Joshua. I do a few long haul flights every year these days and jet lag is so nearly a thing of the past. If I get it I know I wasn’t staying with myself during the flight.
Another good insight, thank you sueq2012! There’s something about long-haul air travel I’ve always reacted to with a mixture of excitement (it’s great to be going purposefully somewhere) and dread (at the impending long journey in a cramped environment with the prospect of little sleep). More to look at here…
Joshua I fly this flight as well and that is exactly what it can be like, and what I can’t get over is the amount of food you are served, it feels like you are getting a meal to just fill up time. The exercising thing is really supportive and when you have the transit for the short while all I do is walk around and stretch my body – it feels great. When slipping into the time zone you arrive at It really does feel natural to jump straight in there and being living your rhythm in that space. It all constellates so easily.
I love how you viewed the long time spent on plane as an opportunity “…let go and just be”, rather than filling it with distractions such as movies or games.
Me too. I agree with all Joshua has said and can attest for allowing our rhythm to support our journey.
Sometimes I do watch a film on the plane but only if it is one I have felt to watch and only if I already feel rested and my body is supported with my seating, food choices, have done some gentle walking and stretching etc. watching the movie is not an excuse to forget about caring for my body during the flight.
International flights indulge the passengers with food, alcohol and entertainment, all massive distractions that will throw anyone’s rhythm out. I’m glad that the flight industry banned smoking on aircraft, that was toxic travel.
Yes, I remember sitting behind someone who was smoking a cigar once – fortunately it wasn’t a very long flight but it was pretty horrible just the same.
Wow, cigars on a plane, that’s an imposition if ever there were one.
It certainly is highlighted how we can impact others by our choices, such as drinking alcohol or smoking when you are confined in a small steel tube at 30,000 feet and no where to go and breathing the same re-circulated air.
You are right Matthew, the main features of flights these days are food, alcohol and entertainment, these distractions would throw anyone out of rhythm.
I have seen people suffering from a jet lag days and days, sitting up at night and being very tired and sleepy during the day, they also suffered being for so many hours in an aeroplane. You have made it a very joyful experience in the way you have treated yourself and your body.’I gently took the approach of viewing the space on the flights as a loving time to enjoy being with me and my body: to observe life on a deeper level and appreciate how much had unfolded to support me to arrive at the moment that was before me.’ I love this Joshua.
What a great approach, not only for jetlag, but anything we are doing and which gives us the opportunity to feel “how empowering it can be to honour the body and its natural intelligence.”
Great point Angela. This is a recipe for life, living from the point of view of the body first, well before the mind.
Love that line Angela. We innately know how to be to support our rythyms. To honor this is a grand thing and life is more simple and has an ease to it.
The body´s natural intelligence is for sure in sync with the rhythms and cycles of life, a form of intelligence beyond the mind´s capacities.
I had to fly to NZ three times in one year after not having made that journey for 7 years previously. I had pretty much vowed I would only make the trip again if it was to live in NZ, due to how difficult the flight was. This time though I was totally fine, no jet lag either way and could feel how supportive my way of living has impacted on this being possible.
I fly quite a lot and find that since bringing more attention to how I am in my day to day, I am more aware of not losing that just because I am getting on a long haul flight. I have to pay attention to be aware of not getting sucked in to the set up of pre planned events which might not suit my rhythm…such as eating at 10pm when my body just wants to go to sleep.
Gorgeous Josh and some great observations in this! Jet lag probably isn’t caused by changing time zones, but rather people’s lack of attention to the rhythms of their body and all of the garbage that we put into our body. Supporting our body through travel times like this makes sense and in truth it makes sense to do it all of the time. Thanks for sharing Josh
I love it Joshua how you are prepared to try something different that does not fit the mould and how you question the norm and therefor derive to the truth, which often it seems is quite the opposite to what is accepted as normal.
Yes true Judith, often we go with the crowd – even though it’s evident that the crowd isn’t working.
… in the illusion we would be on the safe side, haha. Trusting oneself without being supported by the crowd can feel uncomfortable but our choices to be confirmed by how we feel is the best proof to more often listen to our body and inner knowing until we one day do nothing but that anymore.
Yes I agree Alex, it is a lot more comfortable to stay with what everybody else thinks than to offer a different point of view.
I know in the past though, staying with what everyone else thinks has not done any good, and lead me virtually no where…
Life can be magical when we take the time to stop and appreciate where we have been, where we are at now, and what opportunities are there for us to move forward with.
I love this Joshua, when I used to fly to far away countries, I was always jetlagged for at least two days. I was already busy and anxious about it before I left…In a way I used the jetlag as a form of comfort, as an excuse as well, to not be present.Next time I am on a long flight, I will think of you and your blog.
I haven’t done much travelling myself Joshua, but hope to in the future, and look froward to trying it out on my next overseas journey.
A beautiful expose of ‘jet lag’ as a symptom of our choices rather than an inevitable.
Jetlag and the side affects of travel seem to offer us a reflection of how we are living on a regular day to day basis. If you honour your body, make space for you to connect and be in rhythm with the body, choosing nuturing exercise, food and rest then it responds and supports you to be anywhere and in any situation without compromising you and your vitality. Amazing sharing on the possible misnomer of jetlag. Thanks Joshua.
I too can travel without jet lag, the more precious and tender with myself I am, the more energised I am too. My son who is 14 recently flew and we spoke about his rhythm before he went. It was interesting that he too did not struggle with jet lag. Having a rhythm of your own and an awareness of our body serves us and supports us always.
It seems that honouring the inner rhythms supports to be in sync with the outer ones.
Thanks for the tips Joshua, I haven’t done a log trip like the one you describe but one day will.
Joshua,
This is a lovely supportive sharing. Thank you for writing about your travel experience and how honouring what your body needed was such a simple thing to do, even when on an airplane. This is very revealing, as it also opens up awareness in many aspects of our lives where exhaustion can grab us and offers a way to prepare for these events in advance and how to be with ourselves as we walk through them, and maybe finding as you did that we feel lovely and vital after them.
Hi Joshua, what an extraordinary blog you share with all those who fly long distances, and I notice that one of the commenters referenced how inspirational your experience was to share with the young – I would just like to add, that your expression is for the not so young as well. My last long trip, travelling, including the flying to Fort Lauderdale USA, with stopovers etc. and finally arriving the hotel room was about 34 hours and my experience was a physical nightmare for my body as I managed to not sleep at all the night before nor during the trip or the next night. With a longer trip ahead next year looming, I will heartfully recall your words of wisdom.
I agree Joshua, it is very empowering to know and accept the fact that the body has a true intelligence and that it can tell us how to be with ourselves so that we do not exhaust ourselves. It is my experience that by living in a way that honours my body I am able to do shift work, travel overseas etc and not get affected by it. The key is in how I live everyday.
In dispelling the jetlag myth, Joshua, you have opened the view that there is more about life than just the things we can see with our eyes. There is the quality and rythm we are with ourselves in our daily life which support us to live beyond jetlags.
The mind can understand the effect of changing time zones on our body but doesn´t know of the other rhythms and cycles that are constantly at play and well known by the body.
The moment we listen to the body we get to know about it all and can act in that sense.
I have experienced this too Joshua. The more care I take in listening to what my body needs the more it can support me in situations that would otherwise be challenging.
Yes, because the body simply knows moment to moment what is needed to adjust to any situation in a self-supportive way, something the mind is quite limited in doing appropriately.
I’m still amazed that we can get in a huge object made of metal that flies and you can go around the world. I can’t say I have mastered not having jet lag, but I have learnt to travel and take greater care of myself by packing my own food and cosy socks etc. It does make a big difference to the whole experience.
Definitely agree Jinya, I too have learned to take greater care of myself when traveling – there is nothing worse than being cold or uncomfortable on a long trip – it only adds unnecessary stress and tension.
Yes I still marvel at the fact something so big can not only get off the ground but fly at all – jumbos seem to be the antithesis of the lightness we see in birds and butterflies and kites. It all points to the miracle of physics and rather than attempt to wrap my head around it, I’ll continue to trust in the divine intelligence that guides such matters and the humans who know how to work with it : ))
I know right? That huge heavy object flying across the skies for 24 hours carrying all that ‘precious cargo’.
It’s amazing what man has achieved and YET we still have conflict and wars.
I agree Jinya, we can easily forget how special it is that we fly and ignore the fact that it is a bit of a strain on the body. As is often the case, preparing well will make a big difference. I love preparing my flight with light food, warm clots, a neck pillow, special noise cancelling headphones and an eye mask. It is everything I need to be as comfortable as possible. Now if only I could bring my own chair 🙂
Awesome sharing Joshua and it goes to show how when you simply listen to and adhere to what your body is telling you it is far from exhausting. I have experienced all sorts of travelling frequently taking long haul trips and sometimes have watched movie after movie on 2 connecting flights and felt exhausted afterwards when I felt quite good before! It is crazy what we do to distract ourselves from simply sitting and being with ourselves!
I have not done movie marathons but I have been in a momentum of haste in the lead-up to flights which cannot help matters in the slightest.
I agree Victoria, the way we prepare for flights is huge. How we pack whether it is in a last minute rush, followed by the anxious drive to the airport and constantly wondering will I make it is exhausting son to a great start. I now like Joshua does like to prepare a meal or 2 depending on how long I am travelling, I take some track suit bottoms to change into and generally look after myself. Just because I am going somewhere or on holiday does not mean I should let go of the way I live and look after myself.
Looking at a movie screen for long periods of time during a long flight is really exhausting and makes my eyes super dry – I have just stopped doing it and the difference it has made is huge.
I found the same Gabriele, the difference is huge. The flight for me is now a time to rest and do a bit of work rather than simply wanting to get from a to b constantly checking the clock wanting the time to pass as quickly as possible.
Thank you Joshua for demonstrating if we have the willingness to listen to our body it will clearly show us how best to support it and therefore avoid jet-lag. This is so inspiring for me because I have always struggled to get any sleep on flights and therefore set off with the expectation that I will arrive exhausted but I can now let this belief go and look forward to my next long-haul flight and the opportunity to spend time with me.
A long haul flight does require some adjustment from the body and I have found that my allowing it this by eating very little and/or by preparing some food in advance for myself as well as taking care to walk around the plane and exercise at the back if I feel to, by drinking lots of water, by adjusting my clock at the beginning as you suggest and letting my body rest without unnecessary stimulation the jet lag thing does not feature. A great sharing, I am sure lots could benefit from your blog and begin to find travel much more enjoyable.
It is interesting that when we tell ourselves we will be tired and we will have trouble adjusting, then we do. When we don’t go into the mind but follow the guide of the body then things turn out so much better. The guide for the body is there. It seems so logical.
It’s great to make jet lag a thing of the past,as I have been a frequent long haul flyer over the last twenty years or so and I tried many things to beat, it stop it,or cure it, but nothing worked apart from the natural way you have explained in your blog and of course drinking lots of water. The body never ceases to amaze me what it is capable of if we are willing to listen.
Seems like your sensible approach to jet lag and also the getting up and walking every hour or two would have helped Joshua. Many years ago I did a similar thing on a trip to England and I don’t remember a jetlag issue.
Thank you Josh, listening to the wisdom inside our bodies that is naturally there is a beautiful way to live and is connected and part of our flow in the universe and where ever we are is know and can be lived in harmony if we so choose.
We are so controlled by the ideals and beliefs we got taught, that we often do not consider simply listening to our bodies, which always clearly tell us which choice will be supportive and which choice will not be.
“This experience confirmed to me just how the body is always there, to support and assist us, with anything that life presents and all we have to do is to simply honour what it is telling us.” I love this quote Joshua, it is an excellent reminder that we are never given more than what we can deal with and that all we have to do is trust and listen to our body.
Love your depth here Joshua, to fly without jet lag through applying the level of care feels refreshing and alert. You bring new meaning to flying by making it all about the ‘aircraft’ of the body.
Our body is our friend, not our enemy – when we work with it and nurture it, it rewards us with a delicious feeling as well as copious amounts of wisdom that our head hasn’t a clue about.
One of the key factors is the food. I will always prepare my own food and bring it with me – or sometimes just don’t eat at all – even on long hauls. What is fascinating is the shock of the hostesses – they can’t believe that I don’t want any food. I am very sure that this is a huge part of not getting jet-lagged in that by keeping the body light it enables it to re-adjust so much more smoothly and rapidly. Weigh it down with rubbish air-plane food and it is bound to grumble!
A spot-on blog Joshua. I do a lot of long distance flights. Sometimes only spending 24 hours in each time zone and am in absolute agreement with everything you write. Because of all that you say, I am able to step off the plane and continue to live, work, relate as normal. Absolutely I am attentive to where I am at, and definitely go gently and make plenty of supportive choices to ensure that I am giving my body the chance to ‘catch up’. But I never, ever feel the multiple of complaints and problems that I hear fellow travellers complain about. A powerful testament to super simple self-care.
A great discussion here Josh, about jet lag, Super insightful tips and awareness about time travelling, and listening to your body!
“It was beautiful to feel how empowering it can be to honour the body and its natural intelligence.” I love that we have an inbuilt health and wellbeing practitioner already within us and can help guide us to living a loving life, juts by honouring how our bodies feel. That’s true living wisdom. Thank you Josh
I get so confused with the times and changes it does my head in, so I sometimes take my watch off and when I get there I’m there just listening to myself and not to mention the airport announcements !!
Our bodies are amazing indeed Joshua. You showed me that the ‘jet lag’ idea is just a creation of the mind and has no ground in our bodies at all.
Well written Josh, just listen to the body it will let us know what we need
Having flown overseas many times, I can relate to everything you are saying. Flying long haul flights is an opportunity to develop a self-care rhythm that extends to when you return home. By that I mean hydrating regularly (given the air conditioning on the flight is so dehydrating), avoiding alcohol for the same reason, eating lightly as my body is not doing much so really doesn’t need much food, and taking the space away from phones and laptops to have time to myself (even though I am surrounded by many other people)! These principles are all needed at home too, and the absence of jet lag tells me how well they work.
Super supportive points you’ve shared on self-care here Heather, they totally make sense and are equally applicable to life at home as they are to traveling.
Joshua, I too love travelling long distances in this way, it is so simple yet profound. I recently flew 20+ hours and didn’t have any jetlag as such when I landed, but what I did find was how tired I was from all the lead up organizing, packing, finishing work, making it a big deal and getting excited etc. before my flight. I find when I see travel as working out the details of what needs to be organised etc. but treat it like just another week then I’m fine, and my energy levels remain the same.
Great observation Aimee thanks for sharing. It’s amazing how we have times where we get excited in lead up to things and can sometimes make things complex when it is a really rather simple (and awesome) thing, like getting on a plane and sitting while someone flys it to where we are going. When there is an evenness in our lives I have found I enjoy simple things like this so much!
How true is it that the body is always there, to support and assist us. Often it’s thought the body is to be used and discarded when it’s wasted, and of course there is an element of wear and tear as we all get to old age, but on the way there, if we love it, it loves us back like a true friend 🙂
I love the way in which you have gently dispelled the ‘jetlag’ myth Joshua also the way you used this flying experience to just be with yourself. Next time I fly I will remember you wise words;
“It was beautiful to feel how empowering it can be to honour the body and its natural intelligence. This experience confirmed to me just how the body is always there, to support and assist us, with anything that life presents and all we have to do is to simply honour what it is telling us”.
Joshua is right Shirl, there is a ‘jetlag’ myth and most of the world has bought into it. There really is a way to do travel without the ‘jetlag factor’ … it may sound impossible to some people, but it’s true!
Agree Dean, when i travel by plane, i immediately alter my watch …. and live in the journey of destination to – live the future now, which allows for vitality of being as opposed to living in the past, with exhaustion.
I love it Zofia. ‘live the future now’… true in practicality when flying on a plane overseas and true metaphorically when embracing the joy of life.
Yes Dean, we have all bought into the jet lag myth and assume this is just what happens, but not by the fact we create it by the way we choose to be during our travel.
Dean what you raise here and that which Shirl raised is of key importance, how many things do we accept as normal yet are not. We have all heard about “JetLag” and how it takes many days to get over – yet what if that was the un-normal? It would be great for Joshua to share his story on some travel websites as it exposes not only the myth of JetLag but also the possibility that there are many other Myths we are living under.
Great to see a popular myth is dispelled, as it makes me think about how many other myths are likewise held up as fact, yet the reality is it has more to do we HOW we do things that what we are doing.
For sure Joel, it makes me think about that too – how often do we just accept something as inevitable when as you say it really is about the way we do things and not a foregone conclusion.
There are so many part of my life fiona, that I would have sworn, black and blue, were not possible but have since found a whole new way to experience then through the way of the livingness. hours of sleep, eating less but feeling more vital, being more sensitive but feeling stronger…many are seeming contradictions but make absolute sense when lived.
Yes. These are wise words. Now on many flights you can get wi-fi – such is our insatiable demand for distraction!
I agree Shirl, I loved this quote from the blog. Life is not complicated, and the messages from our body are very simple. If we choose to become aware, then follow the impulses one by one of what our body says, we can become masters of honouring our bodies. This mastery is a living, walking vitality that serves for all.
Joshua, as Jeanette already noted, I love how you explored this trip almost like a science experiment, and worked with your body along the way. Definitely the way to go and just shows that we have this beacon with us always showing us how we are, it’s our body.
Indeed Monica our bodies are so communicating to us to what is happening in any moment, if only we are to listen and responding lovingly to it.
Joshua your blog makes perfect sense, if we listen to the body it is all there.
Totally Victoria – as it makes sense to live in the time of where we are.
Absolutely Abby, even if we are not flying, living out of time to where we are – either dwelling in the past or worrying about the future – has a similar, draining effect to jetlag.
… and we are very much with and in time when we are present with our bodies.
Such wisdom Joshua. You are an example to young people and all who have suffered jet lag. I agree that keeping to the time zone you are in helps the body adjust. I was told by a pilot that it takes an hour for every hour’s difference to get back on track but you seem to have blown that one out of the water!
Agreed Lorraine, such wisdom. This comes from deeply trusting what is felt in the body, the body then supports us as we support it.
It’s so true Lorraine, there are these things said by people like ‘it takes an hour for every hours difference to get back on track’, we hear these things by people in authority and take on the belief that it is true, it is lovely Joshua how you have shown another way and that if we look after our body and listen to what our body needs that we do not need to suffer from outer influences, but can stay steady in ourselves and not suffer from things such as jetlag.
I’m sure there are so many beliefs and ideas around this topic – it is really time to throw all theses images out of the window and just listen to our body.
What a difference it makes if choosing connection with ourselves is the basis. Our body can cope with so much. But if we choose to check out than the body has to work very very hard and for example flying to a different time zone has a exhausting effect. But is it really the time zones, the flight or how we are with ourselves during this period of time? Joshua, you’re example is so profound and if read wisely, there’s so much Wisdom shared. Interesting that you’re body asked for moving every 2 hours. When I work on the computer I can still see that I overwrite the feeling that I have to stretch. Let’s finish this, or this is also important, I’m gonna walk first. All different thoughts to ignore my body’s message. Thank you!
I have never considered this about jet lag, but looking back jet lag has never really been an issue for me, and thinking about it, I have always done exactly what you suggested – i.e. I lived according to the time of the zone I was in.
Me too, jet lag hasn’t really played out much for me either and I have done many long haul trips. I think because I thoroughly enjoy having the space to just be, boredom just isn’t a possibility as I could do nothing all day long and love it! The view from up there is also so stunning, I never tire of looking out the window.
I love your playfulness and acceptance that you have with flying Suzanne, as if there is nothing that we ever have to do but be lovingingly present with ourselves.
Lovely blog Joshua, as I work as a travel agent, I look forward to sharing this with lots of travellers. As I was reading it I wondered, is jetleg or the feeling that you are going to be jetlagged similar to the feeling that you are going to be tired if you don’t get your 8 hours sleep. Is it really true or just an ideal or belief that we have taken on but never really questioned for ourselves.
Good point Rosie. I do shift work and a lot of my colleagues hate the morning shifts because they are fearful of not being able to get to sleep early, therefore being woken up without their full number of hours sleep. I think it is the fear of being tired that prevents being able to fall asleep in the first instance, the ideal that they will need ‘8 hours’ regardless.
I agree Rosie it is an interesting point to wonder about, I have a feeling our thoughts about something contribute greatly to the reality, that how we think about it will impact more than the actual lack of sleep etc but what we think the impact will be. It is great to be free of such constraints and to actually enjoy long haul flights as a time to deeply rest and be without all the technological impacts of our daily life.
That is my feeling as well – thoughts are very powerful and when I think I will be tired on the next day, when I don’t get enough sleep, I have already programmed myself. There are no coincidences. We always get, what we have asked for.
So often we can take on the opinions and views of others who have had the experiences of what we’re yet to as fact, and in so doing automatically assume the same way of experiencing it without first allowing our body to have the say on how it feels about it. I love that you made that distinction Joshua, allowing your body the space to communicate what was needed, and therefore the experience was entirely different and your own.
I love how you are not only living proof that jet lag can be avoided should you choose to listen to and support your body according to what it feels for such a long journey, but that you use the time to deeply appreciate yourself and enjoy being with you, which is far from the norm and yet a gorgeous way to confirm how amazing you are and that you are worth honouring in this way.
Thank you Joshua, your experience well and truly defies the Jet Lag misnomer, demonstrating that when we truly look after our bodies while we are travelling, we can all undertake long journeys with little impact on our energy and health. It is interesting to observe how we are offered very sugary foods and beverages that actively stimulate the body in conditions that require our bodies to rest and be still. No wonder we don’t feel well at the end of it! I too have experienced a similar result by preparing well for the journey with nourishing foods, resting and gently exercising on the plane and slotting into the time zone of the country I was flying into. It is quite remarkable how easily our bodies do adapt to what is quite a radical shift if given the correct support and nurturing.
I agree with you Rowenakstewart, as there is a definite quality to the trip when we plan our own meals, don’t over do the movie watching, rest, get up and move around when needed. When we have a stop over we book ourselves into a room for how ever long we have to wait and have a shower and a lie down – it beats waiting around the airport which can be quite uncomfortable.
Thanks Joshua, so simple and makes perfect sense… I have put this in place before on shorter trips and it works so look forward to trying it out on a longer trip early next year.
It makes a huge difference to my wellbeing as well to listen to my body and allow it to guide me with the choices that I make and the way I look after myself.
I loved the bit where you describe the shelf-life of your laptop battery being incompatible with the length of your long-haul journey. Seems we’re not supposed to like that, but isn’t it truthfully a glee-full moment when you get to realise that you’re finally just with you, free to reflect and appreciate you for being you? Thanks for the 3 jetlag avoidance tips – particularly the one on time zone management.
Its very interesting that you are able to challenge what is an assumed effect of long haul flight, with a different approach, and a different way of living that you held through the flight. I know from past experiences how easy it is to go into ‘airplane mode’, check out, eat, drink and sleep badly and then no wonder I’m wrecked at the other end!
Very true Simon.. and don’t forget about all the free movies, games and entertainment.. If I spent a day at home in a small confined space drinking, watching movies, playing games, sleeping in awkward positions and eating whatever was served to me because it is free I doubt I would feel fantastic the next day.
Joshua I love how you have turned an experience that is commonly felt as torturous into one that is positively enriching. Fascinating to see how one person can loathe being crammed into a small space for 24 hours and another can see it as an opportunity to expand.
Beautiful point Alexis – an experience can either be torture or an opportunity to expand, it simply depends on our approach and how we support ourselves through the experience.
I love what you share here Joshua it shows what is possible when we live in such a way that truly honours and lovingly listens to our body. It is always a choice and as you have shared by living to the time zone you are in, you do not set your body up to be exhausted, instead you support it by treating it with true love and care. Awesome article!
it is a lot more empowering to listen and honour our bodies instead of going along with what is seen as normal but not loving.
Joshua, thank you for sharing your great article ‘Flying Without The Jetlag’, when we take responsibility for our body and how it feels, we make different choices to support it. In the past I would have been one of those that indulged in the free alcohol and the carb and sugar rich foods. Now I take responsibility for how my body wants to be supported, and my choices are now very different.
This is very inspiring Josh!!! Planes are places where either you hold yourself or where the ‘sea wave’ just swallows you. You are confronted with yourself big time and the usual tricks are more explicit. Planes are great places to learn about life, particularly your own one.
Thanks Joshua – there are many people of all ages who couldn’t contemplate doing such a long trip on the basis that you have. The thought of giving up the alcohol, sugary drinks, snacks and meals offered would cause some people to have a melt down as they consider it part and parcel of the trip. Then, when jet lag hits, they shrug their shoulders and see it as normal. Yet what you have shown Joshua is that this is not necessarily the case and that there are other options. Thank you.
Allowing the intelligence of the body to naturally adjust to a time zone was introduced to me by Serge Benhayon – and I remember digesting the information and then putting it into practice. So true, my rhythm didn’t change, and I may have felt physically tired after travelling but my sleep time was the same as at home. Amazing really.
Aboslutely Jo, to be physically tired after a long journey is very different to being exhausted and completely out of rhythm.
My favourite part of this blog is when Joshua makes the decision of how he is going to approach the whole entire journey, which laid the foundation for the quality of the whole trip and his awareness towards it. This is not unlike the start of each day, how we can determine its quality by our intentions.
Yes, there is some loving planning going on isn’t there Shami? I felt it brought the intention of the potential for the day or trip right to the fore.
Yes Shami – I found that particularly beautiful too. It shows the simplicity in which a day can unfold no matter what tasks are in front of us, the key is self awareness.
I loved reading this blog Joshua. What you share is so confirming as to the benefits of living a life that is based on truly honouring the body and what you feel. It actually shows how simple it really is – listen to our bodies and honour what they tell us! This blog could actually be written as a feature piece in the in-flight magazine – even though it was clearly your steady daily rhythm that set you up for a great experience – some information such as you have shared would be very beneficial for people to read. It might slow down the sales of all the rubbish the airlines sell on board, but there also might just be a few less ‘jet-lagged’ customers at the end of the flight!
I too would like to see Joshua’s article in the in-flight magazine, some people could put it into practice, at least as much as they were able at the time, not having had the preparation time, and background of how Joshua now lives. But what a chance to share this with the world.
Exactly Beverley, and the reader may not be able to immediately put some of it into practise but the imprint would be there for all their future travel should they choose it. And it might just encourage them to put down that glass of wine, drink some water and contemplate having a sleep!
Jo, that’s a great idea – this article would stand out in any inflight magazine. People need to know that there can be a different way, to not only travel long hauls, but in our day to day living.
How amazing is the body that it can support us if we listen to what supports and nourishes it. This blog really shows how important our relationship to our body is 🙂 Thank you Joshua for the sharing.
Joshua, I also experience flying without jetlag so can support what you’ve said here as not just being a one-off. I’m very similar in how I listen to what my body needs during the trip, and make sure going into it, I’m also well-rested and haven’t left any arrangements to the last minute…much like any other day really. It is so lovely to wake up in a new time zone having travelled for 24+ hours and feel completely ‘normal’. It just shows how amazing and adaptable our bodies are when we treat them with care and love.
I really enjoyed the article, it will be very valuable for those that are frequent flyers especially.
Hello fellow readers and Joshua,
Just wondering if anyone can clear up what this statement means, as I am having difficulties understanding it.
“Firstly, I was inspired by my friend who mentioned that the body naturally adjusts to the time changes better if we live to the time in the timezone that I was currently in.”
Just cant grasp it, if someone knows how to explain it differently that would be amazing. Thank you.
Hi Sarah, I understood that sentence to mean that if we go to England for example and arrive in the morning and feel exhausted then it’s better not to go to sleep then but to wait until it’s night time in England. Basically when you get to a new country start living to the times that they do rather than staying in the times of the country you just left. Which I hasten to add can be pretty hard when you lay down on your hotel bed at 10am and your body thinks it’s 10pm and starts pulling you madly into sleep!
Thanks Alexis, That does sound hard but it also makes sense. I have not done much travelling, I went on around the world trip when I was 23, we went to England for 2 days but we flew from America so it was a shorter trip and was easier to adjust.
Hi Sarahraynebaldwin, I understand it means once you arrive in a new timezone, adjust everything to that time, regardless of the timezone you’ve left at your previous destination.
Particularly relevant when going to the other side of the world where night is our day.
The usual thing is to try adjusting by keeping one foot in the previous timezone for a while… the common way is to think ‘well for my body it’s only 1pm, so I can’t possibly go to sleep, even though it’s 10pm where I am now’.
In my limited experience, you can’t leave any lingering thoughts of the previous timezone, just swap to the new one completely as though there has been nothing different before.
Furthermore, my sense is you need to be present with the current moment, complete it and move onto the next. So definitely going back to what the previous timezone and what I would normally be doing is so confusing for the body.
Exactly jennym… no different really to doing one thing, but thinking about something else ahead of time or from the past. Either puts the body into a state where it doesn’t know which it’s to respond to… the past, the future, or what is in front of it. The thing is it knows how to respond to what’s in front of it, because it IS right there. That’s why changing time zones works if you go with exactly where you are.
Great tip Jenny, I will defiantly use this tip one day when I travel to a new time zone, thank you for the detail, it is very appreciated as I was not aware of the “standard” approach to avoiding jet lag as I am not a well seasoned traveller.
How I understand it sarahraynebaldwin is when traveling to a new time zone adjusting your patterns to that new time, for instance sleeping at the time it is natural to sleep in for the time zone you’re in. Make sense?
Totally makes sense now Giselle, I really appreciate the response.I have not done much travelling so it just took me a little time to understand.
Hi Sarah, you may receive many responses here, but it simply means as we change our clocks to suit the timezone we have moved into …and let the body naturally adjust. Say it is 9am here in Australia and we fly to Singapore and it is 6am there… we now we live as if it is 6am. Magic we gained 3 hours 🙂
Haha Victoria, I love your magic, so next time we need some extra time all we need to do is travel West! If we were able to travel in the same speed as Earth moves around the sun we would be in a timeless zone, it would stay 6am the whole day.
hmmm, got me thinking now…maybe it isn’t more time we need but a surrender to the spaciousness.
Thanks Victoria, I totally get it now, thank you for this clear response. Amazing, makes sense.
I too heard this advice and have followed it on flights between different continents and time zones. I change my watch to suit the timezone I’m in – which means I live what normally happens at that time of day. This means I stay alert if it is daytime in the country the plane is currently flying over and sleep when it is night time in the timezone the plane is travelling through. Like Joshua, I too have found my body adjusts to this and so I don’t feel jet-lagged and out of sorts when I arrive at my destination, which, for example, could be early morning when it’s still evening back where my flight started from or the reverse, when I am flying around the world in the opposite direction.
I hardly ever choose to watch movies on long haul flights, as the physical setup just doesn’t seem to suit me or my body, especially my eyes. What I take pleasure in is checking the flight path map every now and then and seeing which country or area of the world the plane is flying over. Realising I was flying over the Himalayan Mountains was one highlight I can remember. Another was flying over the Arctic Circle. It helped bring all those school geography lessons to life.
Another part of watching the flight route display that never fails to catch my attention is watching the band that moves across the world showing where it is day and where it changes to night. I find it such a super way to understand timezones in the world because it shows that when the plane is flying ahead of the sun there are more hours of darkness, hence it is time to sleep on the plane. Conversely, the plane can be flying behind the sun’s path showing where sunrise is happening so the plane is continuously flying in daylight. That’s when I enjoy my own company and anyone else’s when the opportunity presents. I love chatting while I’m waiting in line to use the facilities and have met people from the four corners of the world this way.
Thank you Judith, for the extra information you have shared, I will take note of the band that shows when it is day and when it changes to night next time I fly long distance. I too tend to check the flight path, it can be great knowing where we are when we are going over interesting areas, not just over water. I have found Joshua’s sharing very helpful for a future long trip.
What I realised on my last trip – there can be many distractions during the flight, especially when every person has its own screen in front of him – so many different screens and each person watches a different movie. I decided not to watch movies as well. Like Joshua I prefered to enjoy me and my body and to listen, what my body needs in every moment.
Hi Sarah. I have travelled for a while but I have worked night duty, which feels very similar to jet lag. One of the things that I do when I am finishing nights and returning to my regular sleep rhythm is to sleep for a while when I get home, say until lunch time and then enjoy the afternoon and go to bed at my usual time. I know people that make themselves stay up all day and then go to bed in the evening. This never made sense to me as I would naturally feel tired after a night of work. So really it’s all about how the body is feeling rather than making ourselves adjust to a timezone. There is a lot we can do that supports our bodies during these times of increased stress on the body.
Thanks Jennifer, what you have added here is very important, as you are reminding us that there is no rules per-say but if we listen and feel what the body is asking for it may be tailor made response that takes everything in to consideration. It makes sense to want to have a rest after working all night but for some it may mean that they cant sleep that night if they have that rest, its very personal to the individual. Thank you Jennifer.
Well said Jennifer – honouring our bodies at any given time and not fall for the trap of comparing with others, we need to remember we all have our own individual rhythm to look after.
Oh and preparation is also super important. We can prepare our bodies for long flights say for the week before hand, being super caring and supportive of ourselves, drinking plenty of water, getting great quality exercise etc.
One other thing, Joshua, you are 23. WOW. I want to say how amazing it is that you have this awareness at such a young age, but the truth is, age has nothing to do with it, because we all have it from birth, we just simply choose to ignore it. So from this point of you, you are standing out and going against the grain, which turns out is actually going with the grain in it’s most natural direction. A real inspiration for all around you.
How awesome Joshua that you chose to do a bit of a experimenting. You’ve basically done the study for all of us. I can’t imagine the result not being the same for everyone who chose to listen to their body and not fill up on the anxiety of ‘what might happen’. I’m really great at predicting how I might feel, and not so great at just allowing myself to be. But you’ve illustrated how simple and actually how rewarding it is, to let go. Thank you.
Such a strong testimony to how listening to ones body supports us through events that can tax our bodies greatly. I’ve no doubt you listening to your body prior to travelling creates a strong platform that such a flight didn’t affect you as you continued to listen. Very inspiring.
It really is Karin it is pretty awesome how we can buck the trends of what is considered normal,
Joshua thank you for sharing your experience. I am about to go on a long flight and was concerned I would not be in great shape by the end of it.
What you have presented makes perfect sense as the wisdom of the body is amazing. I will look forward to embracing this wisdom in 2 weeks time!
Joshua, as I read your blog I remembered my own recent experiences of flying from Australia to London and back again. A journey I used to dread with heaps of jet-lag to boot. The last couple of times I’ve done this journey though what I can remember is the grace. I prepared foods that I knew would support my body, refrained from stimulation in the way of enticing movies that would just keep me awake while my body wanted to rest, and rest I did, deeply in my squishy little seat while I listened to some audios from Universal Medicine on my headphones that lulled me into a gorgeous sleep. By the time I got to London I felt refreshed and revitalised! And very quickly my body adjusted to the rhythm there. When we honour our bodies, our bodies get stronger and stronger and respond back very quickly to timezone changes. Amazing difference to what so many of us are used to.
On long haul flights I have found that to deeply honor my body and listen to what it needs in any given moments, and not give my power away, by going with schedule or rhythm of staff on the plane. For example, just because its meal time, I feel whether its going to be supportive for me in that moment to eat and if its not, as I have found frequently, I simply choose not to eat, this feels deeply honoring and amazing, sitting on a plane surrounded by a few hundred people all eating, allowing myself to choose not to.
The level of love, care and awareness you gave yourself on your flight Joshua is truly an example we can all follow, especially at such a young age, where its normal for people to drink lots of alcohol and check out and distract themselves on long flights, I find it unintelligent that alcohol is allowed to be served on flights as it’s a well known fact that it dehydrates you and so does flying, which is not a good combination for ones body.
Very good point Thomas Scott, pretty crazy really that we’d drink alcohol while being on a long haul flight that dehydrates our bodies anyway! You’ve got to question our so-called intelligence to do these kind of things…
I agree Thomas, it makes no sense to me at all. Same goes for alcohol at sporting events that are so amped up on emotions, but that’s another story.
Great point Thomas mixing alcohol with long haul flights makes no sense at all, leading only to exhaustion and dehydration. Joshua’s approach shows that honouring your body and supporting it with quality food, movement and living to the time zone you are in makes so much more sense.
I completely agree Thomas Scott – alcohol should be banned on airplanes, first and foremost for health reasons but also out of consideration for fellow passangers who are often being harassed by a drunk person sitting next to them.
Being present with ourselves every moment through the journey is absolutely key to arriving with ourselves. It makes so much sense. When we get on long flights thoughts can run rampant…worrying about everything that had to be ‘done’ leading up to the flight and then thinking about what is ahead. No wonder we are exhausted. Yet it’s easy to label it ‘jet lag’ due to time change otherwise we would have to be responsible for our thoughts and general irresponsibility of caring for our bodies in the first place.
Beautifully put in practice the Ageless Wisdom.
Your blog Joshua reminded me of how I chose to travel last time I was flying to England. I watched movies pretty much the whole time that I was awake. I ate all the food that was offered to me on the flight and drank some sugary drinks too as I wouldn’t normally do if I was at home. I felt it was an opportunity to distract and numb myself with whatever was available so I didn’t have to feel bored. This was ten years ago, so I am taking notes from your experience Joshua to prepare me for my next trip across the other side of the world to be more present, to honour and be more loving to myself by listening to my body.
Its interesting reading this Chan Ly… its a list that you could equally apply to the way many of us approach the whole of a holiday. No wonder we do don’t get the full rejuvenation from it, and it can so often take a week to get over the week away!
Very true Simon – a lot of people see holiday as an opportunity to get away from the daily routines and their own ‘diciplines’. Same same.
It is awesome to read your blog Joshua, reminding me to listen and honour my body even more. I am planning a trip for next year, very similar to yours and it would be interesting for me to observe how I will cope with it as it has been almost ten years since I last travelled to England from Australia. I remember it took me days to recover from my last ‘jetlag’ experience. Now, I have been learning to listen and honouring my body with regards to food, rest and work for the past 4 years and the changes I feel on a daily basis have been astronomical. I look forward to observing the changes for my trip next year and I have no doubt that I would feel completely different to my last experience.
Beautiful Joshua and inspiring. I love your natural playfulness in your exploration around flying. That too, I’m sure contributed to your body adjusting so well.
Yes I loved this about what Joshua shared too Donna, the lightness and playfulness of his approach and his ability to explore another way is truly inspiring. It is definitely an article that I am sure many with benefit from reading.
I used to watch as many movies as possible on such long flights to not get bored. It didn’t even consider enjoying being with myself and wasn’t connected to how my body felt. Without connection I didn’t take care of my body in the way you described with walking and stretching. Great to change all this, take my body as the reference point and travel in honor of it.
I can relate Monika R, I used to get really excited at the prospect of sitting there and watching movie after movie until eventually my eyes would bulge and I’d feel sick at the idea of watching any more movies — and then I’d zone out exhausted and uncomfortable until the flight and ordeal was over. Not what I do these days — if it’s a nighttime flight i won’t be watching a movie on the plane. Instead I’ll lie back, shut my eyes and let my body rest and enjoy being with myself. And the flight is no longer an ordeal, it’s a time I can be with myself and enjoy listening to my body and responding to what I can feel it needs.
Your comment brought back memories of similar feelings of first excitement of being able to watch so many movies and then of just wanting to be at the destination and enduring the rest of the travel. In both cases I was simplY checking out and not being present, no wonder I would be exhausted with very painful eyes on arriving.
This is a great blog Joshua, thank you, very helpful to anyone flying long distances. I have made similar experiences like you, it does help a lot to go for little rounds on the plane and stretch the body every now an then after all it is a long sitting situation we normally would not freely choose to be in. So to be super careful how our body feels and what it needs is vitally important.
A great practical example Joshua of taking the time to consider what will support us in situations that are not part of our normal daily rhythm and making the choice to honour that and our body.
Thank you Joshua. I fly a fair bit too, and as I stay with my body to feel what it needs whether stretching or eating, or drinking water- you’re right, it is and can be pretty simple. As a result I have found travelling across time zones not draining and no jet lag. Also, contrary to what I have done in the past to make myself busy to ‘fill time’ or be productive, I love how you ” gently took the approach of viewing the space on the flights as a loving time to enjoy being with me and my body: to observe life on a deeper level ” and particularly ” appreciate how much had unfolded to support me to arrive at the moment that was before me.” That is so beautiful. I will take that ‘on board’ with me next time. 🙂
This is a wonderful confirmation of the bodies ability to adjust to such situations, if we support it with a rhythm that listens to and honours its wisdom.
Definitely Peter our bodies adjust so easily it’s the mind trying to take over, the body is much wiser then we have given it credit.
I too experience no jet lag each time I fly from Australia to England and I am 57 years old. Like you I listen to my body and sleep when I feel to sleep, work when I feel to work, rest if I feel to rest, I do not watch any Movies to TV shows, I eat very little, (certainly not plane food,I bring my own) drink loads of water and align to the time zone I am in.
It was not always like this, what supports me to do all this travelling and arrive at my destination feeling ready and fresh for whatever lays ahead of me, with no jet lag and be able to settle immediately into my normal work and sleep pattern is my rhythm.
The other thing that has supported me to not get jet lag is that knowing that I have a long plane trip ahead, I will take extra care of myself in the days leading up to travelling, this includes my sleep rhythm as well as what I eat, particularly the day I am flying. Over the years I have refined this detail of care; I pack so as to not leave anything to the last moment, and I consider this a week in advance so it is not all crammed at the last minute and there is no last minute stress which then impacts the way you feel on your journey.
Mary-Louise, this is something I have learnt to do as well – to prepare for the journey well ahead no matter how long the flight is, is something that supports greatly and for me has also completely cleared the ‘travel nerves’ I used to have.
Our body is this absolutely amazing vehicle if we decide to listen to it and live by it and not off it in constant abuse. A loved body does not get exhausted, tired yes, but will always be there in absolute joy to express what is communicated.
I find this blog very interesting as I have never experienced flying to a different time zone and have quite often wondered how my body would deal with such an event.
I am the same Toni, never having travelled such a distance I too wondered how this would be. What Joshua shares shows that it is possible to travel with true care. I also loved how he used this time to connect to and appreciate himself, to see it as a time to connect to the stillness of him. It sounds an absolutely beautiful way to travel and I can see how easily we could adopt this approach no matter how far we travel. It is simply choosing to listen to and honour our bodies.
We do indeed set ourselves up to fall in a heap at the end of a long journey, with over eating, over drinking and movie after movie. For me, less is more on these long trips.
Well said Matthew. Less is absolutely more in this case.
I loved how you shared about the moments you were able to have to appreciate what was ahead of you and the appreciation of how you were able to be on this journey in the first place. I love connecting to this deep appreciation every time I have travelled on a plane – how life and our living choices have constellated to provide the opportunities.
I love this time on planes too. No internet, no jobs to do around the house so it is the perfect opportunity to sit and reflect and appreciate. The other thing that I really love doing on planes is getting to the know the person next to me… changing the fact that they are a stranger into being a friend. You never know who you are sitting next to, and I have met some very interesting people this way.
me too Rosie, meeting new people is my favourite thing about travelling.
I love this opportunity too Rosie, getting to know others on the plane and I’ve also got to meet some amazing people waiting for connecting flights. Observing people in the airport is also a favourite.
‘No internet, no jobs to do around the house so it is the perfect opportunity to sit and reflect and appreciate’ – I agree Rosie. Plane trips are an awesome way to connect with ourselves and take a few hours to reflect on how life, work, relationships, family, school and study is all going! Interesting how there are SO many distractions set up on planes to prevent this though – all the best films on demand, alcohol, games, junk food to munch on etc. all to keep us from really feeling our bodies and taking this time to appreciate/reflect.
I love this too Rosie a wonderful opportunity to meet and spend quality time with someone I have never met before, and as you say – ‘changing the fact that they are a stranger into being a friend.’
As I read this great sharing, the stillness airline travel offers us is what came through. Your connection to yourself and the stillness it brought would have been powerful for not only you but all those around you.
Yes Gina, it is not only the stillness that was offered to Joshua here, but his beautiful reflection was offered to every other person on the plane.
I like this Gina… how rather than a negative, flying actually offers us a different state of being if we want to take the opportunity. I have experienced that stillness, albeit sharing it with over 500 other people!
I love this Joshua, this totally shows that it is not the long flights that cause the jet lag but the choices that we make of how to care for ourselves during the long flight. Now that changes everything.
The body certainly does know best as it lives in line with the natural cycles and rhythms of the universe. It is us who think we know better that gets in the way of this natural intelligence. This is a great blog that shows how simple life can be when we listen to our bodies, and honour them, and how the body doesn’t get taxed from this even when changing timezones.
Absolutely Robyn. The false sense of intelligence that we invest in though our minds only complicates the true and natural intelligence of our body. And when we simply connect to our inner-heart the truth of this intelligence of Love is known and reflected through our entire body.
Well said Carola.
I truly love the way this is showcasing Love, Self Respect, Self Honour, and Self-Worth. To really support yourself and your rhythms is one of the most supportive things we can do for ourselves.
It would be amazing to surrender into the beauty of the flight as well. With minimal distractions.
There is such wisdom in our body if only we would listen to it. Every moment of every day it is trying to tell us something and when we listen to it we are always supported, as you were Joshua on your flight.
I agree Elizabeth. The wisdom held in the body is ‘transportable’ – changing circumstances, environments or state of physical health need not separate us from our connection to the body – the choice is always ‘our’ choice.
“Thirdly, I gently took the approach of viewing the space on the flights as a loving time to enjoy being with me and my body: to observe life on a deeper level and appreciate how much had unfolded to support me to arrive at the moment that was before me.” I love this Joshua – using the flight as an opportunity to connect deeper with yourself rather than remain disconnected by making use of the many distractions provided in flight as often that amount of time with oneself is more than most people can handle which is very sad. Indeed, much to appreciate with your choices.
Just loved reading this Joshua. I have found that getting up out of my seat and moving regularly supports me very well on long flights, along with your other points, you also get to meet and talk with other people and there is much fun and connection to be appreciated in that.
I also enjoyed your natural curiosity, thinking about and feeling things that most don’t even consider. Practical application of science in your experience and observations.
I love what you are pointing out here Jeanette, when we observe and stay honest we can learn a lot about how things are and what truly works for us and what not. As in fact everything in life is part of science and has a cause and effect.
Me too Jeanette and I so appreciate Joshua’s sharing of his lived science which we can all benefit from.
Yes Jeannette, we can each be scientists in everyday life. How often do we truly experiment or challenge what has been presented to us as what we should eat or drink? An interesting example to observe has been in-flight meals. Just because something is served, does it mean it is the most supportive thing for us at that time, or in what it is made from? I have learned to constantly observe how my body is feeling, and honour this more and more. The more we honour what our body is telling us, the more other people can feel it as a possibility for themselves too.
I agree Jeanette – it is rare that someone are thinking ‘out of the box’ like this and follow their own natural curiosity and within that competely honouring their own bodies.
Wouldnt it Marika, I’m sure it would be well used. As long as people didn’t end up congregating down one end of the plane so it ended up dragging its tail haha.
Yes Jeanette, I too love moving around and have a walk and stretch on long flights. I met lovely people on my last trip and spent quite some time talking with them as we stood at the back of the plane. For those 14 hours or however long it is per flight, I see the whole plane as one big travelling family, and it’s lovely to connect with some of them.
Joshua, what you’ve shared here is a great confirmation for you of how strong your daily rhythmn is to be able to travel as you have and not feel the tiredness that is often associated with long distrance travel. It shows very clearly how listening to our body pays dividends.
I agree Sandra, it is almost unheard of to not suffer from jetlag after such a long journey. This also shows how Joshua didn’t allow the changes around him affect his natural rhythm and he truly listened and honoured his body in an incredible way. Very inspiring.
Yes Chan and Sandra – it is actually incredible that when we are present in each moment, we are ready for the next. But when we are not present in the current moment, we can feel not ready for the next. There is clearly two cycles, flows and choices here. I related very much to a similar experience of going into fear, raciness, anxiety before flying, and tried to plan it all out, putting a jarring effect on my body – as I was trying to live in two places at once (exhaustion followed). It makes so much sense that honouring our natural cycles is so normal and the way to go to adjust to new environments!! This is Awesome to understand and begin to live more and more – Congratulations Joshua, and have fun overseas 🙂
Well said Sandra and Chan Ly. Josh had clearly shown the power of being in connection with our bodies, listening to and honoring the truth it shares as it guides to make choices that are truly supportive for us. Yes very inspiring indeed.
So true Sandra, Joshua has obviously built a truly loving rhythm with himself that has supported him so much in his recent travels. It is beautiful to feel how we can all make such choices in life simply by listening to and honouring our body.
Yes Jade, and not getting pulled out of our rhythm by all the outside factors, and there are many when travelling – bright lights on the plane, movies on tap, food and drink that stimulates and doesn’t nourish or support our body, sitting in a small space, etc, etc. But what Joshua has shared, and I’ve experienced this myself, it is possible to stay connected to our own rhythm and to be prepared by taking what we need to support us on a long journey, and it is super simple to put into practice.
Best advice and sharing ever!…
I have always dreaded flying not because of the heights or turbulence but because I always felt sick during the flight.
Thank you again
Truly listen to your bodies and honour what it is telling us supports us to live a joyous and loving life after and during a long flight and during our everyday living in any situation.
Sitting on a plane allows you to stop and be with you. To feel your stillness. As most people don’t do this on a daily basis they can find this very confronting when sitting in a plane. So they opt to check out by eating, drinking, watching movies or even taking sleeping tablets because they don’t know how to just be with themselves and sit in their amazingness.
That is quite incredible Joshua. Listening to the body over the mind has its benefits.
Joshua, what you have shared just goes to show that it is all about listening to your body and not selling out to the ideals and beliefs that we have, such as that we will always get jet lag on a long haul flight. What a great opportunity on a flight like this to just be with yourself and listening to communication from within.
Yes Anne, what a difference it makes when we don’t sell out to any ideals and beliefs about travel, like it should be like this or that, I’m going to sleep this long, or watch this many movies etc.
This is a huge blog Joshua, considering when there seems to be this whole perception that long haul flights (or even short two hour flights) are to be a time when we solely numb out and check out on endless films, TV shows and foods. I used to feel so drained and heavy watching movie after movie but in the plane it appears that that is the only thing to do because ‘everyone else is doing it’. But you’ve shown here that that is not the case and that we can care for ourselves in these situations deeply so and feel the benefits of doing such.
Exactly Leigh – we like to think there are ‘pockets’ where we can let go of our responsibility because ‘everyone else does’ and in the case of a flight things are even designed for us to indulge and loose ourselves – Joshuas blog is a great reminder that there are no excuses for not being self-responsible and self-honouring no matter where we are or what we are doing.
Imagine if everyone on flights actually honoured their bodies the way you have just described Joshua. They would have to design planes completely differently to cater for all those walkers!!
Andrew, I love that idea!
How supportive Mary. That is what these blogs are all about, inspiring others and spreading the awareness of making loving choices.
A few years ago travelling from Melbourne to the Gold Coast which is a 2 hour flight felt like 5 hours simply because of the way I set myself up for the journey. I would purchase a magazine to entertain myself for an hour and once I had finished with the magazine I was ready to get off the plane but of course we were only half way through the flight. I didn’t know what to do with myself as I was already planning what I was to do when we landed. These days I don’t buy magazines to entertain myself, as I have me. I now view the flight as 2 hours to rest and be with me before I land on the Gold Coast and continue on with my journey. I eat my meal that I prepared for myself and if I need to I will take a nap. I no longer arrive anxious or flustered. I arrive with me ready to continue on with the rest of my day.
Great sharing Joshua, long haul flights are no longer something I dread and have no fear of jetlag, simply because I prepare myself, within firstly, bring my own food and change my watch to match the time zone I’m entering. I love what you say about settling on the plane and using the space to enjoy the experience and ‘just be’. Beautiful.
Great Joshua. I love when you write “I gently took the approach of viewing the space on the flights as a loving time to enjoy being with me and my body” this is key for me. Appreciating that in every moment there is a choice to be made as to even how we perceive what is happening around us, and therefore how we choose to be in it. Seeing every moment as an opportunity allows us to go places we might otherwise not go. Beauty-full.
Such a good point you make. That life is about something that happens to us, but it is about what we create for ourselves. With every choice in life there is a loving way to be with the body. The problem lies in the fact that many do not honour this therefore things like jetlag, become the norm, as this is the outcome of the masses making loveless choices and normalising something.
When we honour a loving rhythm for our body it is amazing what it is capable of.
Our bodies are so adaptable to change. It’s our mind that makes us think other wise and doubt these true feelings.
That is an interesting comment you make about the laptop, Joshua. Before laptops and mobiles we spent many hours being in places of waiting without anything to do. Maybe some would take a book with them, but often were caught out without one. In those situations we just had to be. This gave more space for observation of ourselves and everyone else, or the surroundings. This is so much more restful and connecting than being busy on the computer and filling up the time. It also allows us to communicate with those around us more easily. To choose those moments of “being with ourselves in the time and place we are in” is very healing.
I have always suffered from jetlag so reading about a starkly different experience is inspiring for me. It’s been over 5 years since I completed a long haul flight and your experience allows me to appreciate that things could be very different the next time I fly internationally. I love reading about all the things you do to support yourself and I can feel that the way you were on the flight was a result of the way you live day in, day out. Thank you Joshua.
Great blog Joshua on sharing how we take care of our body and listen to it makes all the difference to how it responds or reacts to jet lag. Perhaps you could add ‘Jet Lag Consultant’ to your profile :)).
Love this Joshua. I’ve always really looked forward to flights – especially the long ones where you can really settle on the plane. Of course when I was younger a 14 hour flight was the perfect opportunity to watch loads of films, eat ‘exciting’ and different aeroplane food and play games with my sister etc., but recently I’ve been finding that a plane trip can be equally enjoyable without all of this! The way I travel has changed hugely; cooking and bringing my own food as I prefer to keep my rhythm as normal as possible to avoid jetlag/feel awful or tired afterwards, and not watching TV but instead trying to get as much sleep as possible and catching up with any reading or work I need to because again that corresponds with my usual day. After doing this, similarly to you I don’t feel very jetlagged when it comes to the end of the flight – instead quite productive and ahead of the game!
Love this Susie, how you honour your natural rhythm. Could it be that part of the jet lag so many experience is actually being so far out of their normal routine? I mean yes travelling is different, but are we everyday sitting in a chair for 20+ hours watching TV, not getting up and stretching, eating every hour to 2 hours, and drinking alcohol morning, day and night? The body then shows the choices very clearly when back on the ground. I mean there is such arrogance in thinking we can do all of that to the body and then expect it to jump up and getting going the next day.
Wise and true words Susie Williams.
Susie, I love how you describe this, just your normal day, but on a plane, rather than disrupt your rhythm you adapt it slightly but effectively you’re you living your day on a plane. And feeling that it makes sense you have no jet-lag – you’re not out of rhythm. Beautiful.
Ariana, I had to laugh out loud when I read your comment – I used to travel like that in the past, and sadly a lot of people do. I used to work in this business for many years (mind you not drinking alcohol while working…) Today I have the same experience you and Joshua share, that it is very possible to travel without jetlag – all it takes is being aware of what is of true support for our bodies during the flight. Particularly look out for the food and the alcohol, because the fact is that airplane food has huge amounts of extra salt in it for several reasons and another fact is that our brain and body is a lot more sensitive to alcohol.
I made my first of many long-haul flights from New York to London when I was about 13 years old. It was common for me to feel pretty horrible for the first couple of days when I arrived as I adjusted to not only the new timezone, but recovered from the journey itself. It was not until recently, nearly thirty years after my first long haul trip that I noticed how hard airlines work at keeping the passengers distracted.
There is the infinite choice of entertainment in the screen situated about 18 inches from your face, combined with the frequent trips of the flight staff up and down the aisle providing food and snacks, or offering duty-free goods. This does not allow us to feel where we are in our bodies and to adjust appropriately to the experience of travel.
Supporting myself on my last long plane trip by just bringing my own food and just reconnecting with my body, made a huge difference to the way I felt when I landed. I was still tired, but the feeling that I had had previously from other trips of deep exhaustion was simply not there.
The uncomfortable truth is that for many of us, the things we seem to fear most is being still and sitting with ourselves. This is very tangible on plane flights where it is clear we will do anything we can to fill the space. Yet when we embrace ourselves and the simplicity within, these moments become a thing to treasure, joyful, tender and precious, just as you are Joshua.
Great comment Joseph. Having to sit still for a long period of time certainly can reveal the restlessness that we exist with and the distractions we become dependent on. But as you beautifully say here ‘Yet when we embrace ourselves and the simplicity within, these moments become a thing to treasure, joyful, tender and precious’ – an opportunity to connect deeper to our majesty within and within all.
Hi Joshua. Thank you for sharing this experience. The wisdom of the body is amazing and to hear of the way it has supported you through this long trip does not surprise me. Our rhythm including the way we move, eat, prepare for sleep etc is a living way and something if held to everyday brings harmony and stillness. This also brings up lots of questions around beliefs around flying long distances, and how this plays out in a person’s experience.
This is great, Honouring our body will naturally help us adjust to that what is needed.
‘Thirdly, I gently took the approach of viewing the space on the flights as a loving time to enjoy being with me and my body: to observe life on a deeper level and appreciate how much had unfolded to support me to arrive at the moment that was before me.’ – This is gorgeous and such a huge contrast to the way I know a lot of people to approach long haul flights, that it is a ‘waste of time’ or ‘an opportunity to check out in comfort eating and entertainment’.
I have tried to enjoy the space on the flight from Brisbane to Melbourne. At times it was hard and I felt bored and checked out and other times I could feel what Josh experienced and enjoyed the space the flight enabled me to have with just sitting with myself and feeling my body and taking in life as it was without any distraction. Living this way is much more harmonious than harming the body with salty and sugary foods, alcohol and entertainment.
I agree with you Eva. People view the flight as a waste of time. It’s cutting in to their holiday time. They board the plane with the mind set of being stuck in a small space possibly next to someone they don’t know and they wont get any sleep. So they choose to eat, drink and watch movies. They sit in their contraction as they are sitting next to a stranger and everyone is conscious of not invading the other person’s space. So of course they are going to land feeling absolutely exhausted. Is it possible then that the different time zones don’t actually affect us? Is it possible it is the way we are living on the flight that makes us exhausted?
That’s exactly it lindellparlour – and we conveniently label it ‘jet lag’.
Another form of lack of responsibility Eva. When are we going to stop blaming other things for our choices.
I have done many long haul journeys and I love the opportunities they offer to simply be with myself. I view them as a gorgeous time simply to hang out with myself enjoying my own company and checking in with my body. At these times self appreciation is very easy making the whole thing an opportunity to evolve more deeply in my own relationship with me.
What amazes me is how responsive our bodies are when we honour them. “This experience confirmed to me just how the body is always there, to support and assist us, with anything that life presents and all we have to do is to simply honour what it is telling us.”
It really is quite simple to honour the body but it feels as though because so many are choosing to live in disregard that it is hard to break that momentum. I have found it at times hard to live in a way that goes against what so many are choosing. Even with all the awareness I have around honouring my body I can still find it hard to not get hooked into distractions and poor food choices. The outcome of how the body feels with making loving choices is amazing and sets up the next amazing moment. This blog shows us that when we honour our body it can handle so much more than we think.
Joshua this is gorgeous. I love your gentleness with yourself and your inquisitive nature in exploring something new and listening to your body along the way. Just lovely.
The concept of boredom, especially on journeys such as long haul flights is fascinating. What I notice when I am bored is that I am missing just how lovely I am and seeking stimulation from outside of me. Boredom also means I have lost all sense of purpose and a sense of the importance and preciousness of life. Using a long haul flight to reflect on your life and how far you have come is an AWESOME way to spend 24 hours.
Meg this is a great realisation to have around boredom as well as a great reminder for us all – thank you for these clear points!
Boredom = missing how lovely we are, no sense of purpose or of the importance and preciousness of life and the quick fix to avoid feeling these things in seeking external stimulation.
I like this Meg Nicholson – that perhaps boredom is as much of a myth as jet lag? Does boredom actually need to exist? Not if we are connected to our own lovely essence and the purpose of the moment. We then need nothing for we are already everything.
I like it! I actually don’t think boredom does exist, but like you say, when we say we are ‘bored’ we are describing a feeling of being away from the magic we know inside us, because when we’re connected to that magic the most simple task is delightful.
There is so much service needed on this planet…to ‘be bored’ is just an other term for ‘I avoid responsibility’. So I agree – boredom does not exist, it is a creation, a trying to avoid something that does exist: Accountability.
When we are bored we are not connected anymore, because in connection we are always aware of our awesomeness and there is always the call for a lovely expression, be it self-care, an eye contact or an inner celebration.
‘In connection we are always aware of our awesomeness and there is always the call for a lovely expression, be it self-care, an eye contact or an inner celebration’ – that’s beautiful, it’s true, every moment and movement has a special quality to it.
Joshua, I love your account on ‘how to fly without jetlag’ – it is an important point you make when you say that most people seem to have an idea around jetlag, as if this is some sort of illness that is contageous and that we are all doomed to have it if we are flying the long hauls. It is truly beautiful how you are breaking this consciousness by offering the simple reflection of self-responsibility and self-care – letting yourself just be but at the same time honouring every signal from your body.
‘I noticed on the plane how most people ate a lot of stimulating foods loaded with sugar or drank alcohol and I wondered whether this form of stimulation was truly supportive for such a trip, as it takes us away from listening to our bodies’ natural communication with us’ very true and in the same vein on recent long haul trip I noticed that not only can you watch endless movies and TV programs but music video and even console games. All ways to check out and not feel our bodies in this time.
Imagine the steps taken once off the plane when one has been connected to their body for a long flight, it would feel amazing for self and others. Contrast that with feeling tired and exhausted for several days. Humans really do take a long time to learn from their loveless choices. We are given opportunities all the time to connect to our body yet there are so many tools of distraction around and it makes it hard not to get hooked into these.
“I noticed on the plane how most people ate a lot of stimulating foods loaded with sugar or drank alcohol and I wondered whether this form of stimulation was truly supportive for such a trip, as it takes us away from listening to our bodies’ natural communication with us. This could be through feeling like stretching our legs or what foods the body is truly asking for to support it.” As we build greater awareness and consideration for our bodies, observing how a cross section of people on a long haul flight choose to look after themselves can be pretty alarming. Its very apparent how checked out & switched off people have become from their choices and the ongoing impacts on their wellbeing.
Beautiful to feel how lovingly you supported yourself and your body by honouring what it needed throughout your journey Joshua. When we follow the wisdom of our body and its natural rhythms, life naturally unfolds before us – there is no struggle and no exhaustion.
In the past I saw flying as a ‘must do’ to go where I wanted to go and so I have to bring it behind me. Now I see it as ‘me-time’ and appreciate the technology that makes it able to travel like that but also respect the effort it is for the body. To not overwrite how I feel is key here, to be able to support me in the best way.
It’s the little changes we can make that can transform how our body will be feeling after such an event as a plane trip. I have a flight next Wednesday so I will try to apply what Josh has said and see how different I feel when I get off the plane. If we choose to support the body, the body supports us.
Thanks, Joshua, your experience is confirmation of what I am learning – Jet Lag is not natural but a result of our attitude and behaviour when flying long distance. I rarely sleep on planes and instead of getting anxious about that, I rest, read, do computer stuff and walk. I drink plenty of water and I’m careful what I eat. I avoid the salty nuts and I’m learning that eating apples, although a healthy snack, the sugar in them just gets me feeling fidgety and I don’t rest. When I time my flight so that I arrive at each destination in time to sleep, I can wake feeling pretty good the next day.
Super inspiring Josh to hear how you simply supported yourself, your body to travel for long hours through time zones and turned “jet lag” on its head.
Hey Joshua, I made the same experience recently, when I was flying from Germany to Australia for the first time. I was a bit anxious before, because I never had such a long trip, but like you, almost no change was felt, when I arrived. Of course your body is tired but I wasn´t in a so called jetlag.I did the same like you, adjusted to the timezones and really rested deeply during the flight. Very simple with such a huge positive effect.
It does seem quite simple doesn’t it Steffihenn, yet many of us don’t want to sit and feel our body and this is why we look for distractions and food that numbs us. It is inspiring to see people like you and Josh making more loving choices for your bodies and writing blogs to support others.
That’s cool as normally its not so much the flying that I get affected by but not having ‘your space’ to come back too and just being exposed to everything for an extended period so your sharing is great as it supports me to consider more deeply what happens when I am around others.
That´s a very good point you are making here. To have my own space in the airplane is something I am alway anxious before and every time it goes well. Either I have enough space or it is no problem to “survive”it 😉 It teaches me every time, that I am equipped to handle everything and that I can be open to any reflection life offers me.
This is great Joshua, sometimes I experience ‘jet lag’ and sometimes I don’t, I can feel how this depends on how I have taken care of myself and if I have listened to my body before during and after the flight and honoured what is needed, whether it be sleep, certain foods and drinks, putting on creams etc. What you have written shows that it is a false belief that we have to feel really tired and ‘jet lagged’ after a flight.
I agree Joshua, when we honour what our body is telling us it makes all the difference. I wonder why we have felt it should be any other way, as everything that you have said in your blog makes sense to me – and many others too. It sometimes feels as though we have been set up to fight our body rather than feel the wisdom that is forever with us when we choose to live life that way.
So true Susan: It does feel that we have been programmed to live in opposition to the natural flow and rhythms of our body and then of course life becomes a struggle as it feels as if we are continually trying to swim upstream. Conversely if we learn to appreciate our body’s innate wisdom and rhythms, life becomes so much more harmonious and flows so easily and effortlessly.
Great sharing Joshua, if we honour the body and listen, not putting stimulating foods into it, it automatically adjust to the times zones. Our body is very clever, it knows exactly what to do, we just need to nourish it and honour it so we can listen to the messages it gives us. Just by being and allowing the messages are clear.
Thanks Joshua, ‘Thirdly, I gently took the approach of viewing the space on the flights as a loving time to enjoy being with me and my body: to observe life on a deeper level and appreciate how much had unfolded to support me to arrive at the moment that was before me.’ Reading your third point I wondered if for many of us, knowing we have time in front of us simply to be is a daunting process because we are so used to being in the doing of life and to stop the momentum of this is quite a challenge. I can feel how much I have changed over the past few years and am much more welcoming, appreciative and embracing of the moments.
A great sharing Joshua of how supportive we can be for ourselves by listening to the natural rhythms of our body. (and friends who have also travelled great distances)
The body’s natural intelligence is awe inspiring Joshua. That it can adapt naturally to a shift in timescale of almost 12 hours (the opposite side of the day) with absolute ease is amazing. But what is needed for this as you show, is for us to support our bodies so they can get on and do what is naturally amazing. I have had the same experience as you Joshua and found that when I have been living in a way that respects my body and then take that same care and respect onto the plane, with the food, drink and what I choose to do during the flight, I can land the next day without the jetlag and not having to spend the next week adjusting. It was quite a revelation the first time it was like this for me, but that simply confirmed that the way we feel is most definitely due to the choices we make.
This is beautiful Joshua and so supportive and true for all travellers. What if we treasured our travel time as time to be with ourselves and our bodies and honoured their natural knowing and adjustments and treated them lovingly? Well i also can vouch for all you share and have found the same. By taking care preparing and sitting gently without too much distraction ,food and any alcohol ,resting and being with myself the long haul journeys and short ones become a time of rest and reconciliation with myself. A simple way of being that really supports the body and allows for a lessening of jet lag and creates presence in the new time zones we are in.What we consume on long flights is also supportive or not and a big part of this as we place a large toll on the body to clear it other wise. Eat light to be light is a great learning also, and our bodies really do have a natural intelligence.
Joshua with a similar long haul trip coming up its a lovely reminder of the deep care you took with your travels and the resulting natural way your body responded to the time zones. It shows an incredible wisdom and ability of the body to adjust as needed provided we don’t overload it. Although whole industries that are built around jet lag would crumble if they read this blog.
Josh – the way you flew on such a long journey in particular says a lot about how we travel. I have always gown up with the view that planes and the whole idea of travel is an indulgence; we are off somewhere new, everything is exciting, we can eat and drink whatever we want and watch movies for hours. So of course jet lag was a natural part of that process. But I had always blamed jet lag on the timezone and not the huge difference in how I was treating my body. As you share here, there is certainly a way to honour our bodies when we travel and adjusting our timezones and eating foods that support us are huge factors in this.
This year I did a series of long trips, and I didn’t eat what I desired but rather just what I felt too – and I noticed a huge difference in my energy levels and adjustment time to the timezone i was flying too. A new way forward for travel.
In early days of travel I too saw travel similar to you Hanna and would drink and eat as much free alcohol and food that they gave me on the plane and then I would wonder why I did not feel good after the flight and put it down to jet lag. !!! Pretty obvious to me now that if I abuse my body like that what can I expect??
Thank you hvmorden for honestly exposing the way in which we often view flights, as a time of indulgence, and the idea that its alright to eat and drink things that won’t support us, this is what people expect when they fly, the coffee to pick them up, instead of honoring their body and sleeping, and constant movies to distract people from the amazing opportunity to be with their body’s and simply connect and feel all that is there to be felt. It is us that demand these sugary treats and rewards on flights, and so they are supplied.
There also seems to be a pattern here when we go on road trips or train trips – and the food on the way is usually unhealthy and set up for us to indulge and seek comfort in not being in our home environment. Even the cookies a hotel offers you – it is all set up to make us use food as comfort and not nourishment. But to break this norm and honour our bodies means travel does not have to be a big deal of affect us in the way it does. What an opportunity we have to redefine travel.
I have had the same experience as you Joshua. Flying to the other side of the world, travelling for many hours but experiencing no signs of jetlag. Your observation that you supporting your body is crucial in this, really feels very logical.
“This experience confirmed to me just how the body is always there, to support and assist us, with anything that life presents and all we have to do is to simply honour what it is telling us.” This is what I experience too, my body is always there to support and assist me, into detail I can’t even begin to understand but am allowing myself to feel more and more.
Thank you Joshua for sharing how honouring our body’s natural intelligence allows for there to be a harmonious flow to life.
Amazing Joshua. A long haul flight without jet lag and no drugs required!! This shows how simple life can be when we connect with what we feel and trust our body.
Thank you Joshua for sharing how to make a 24 hour non-stop flight to be a very positive experience and not something to dread. If we treat a long flight as we would any other day with taking care with what we eat to support us in what we are doing then the exhaustion of the time zones does not have to be the problem it is often perceived to be
“It was beautiful to feel how empowering it can be to honour the body and its natural intelligence.” So true Joshua the more I listen to my body’s natural intelligence the more aware I am of everything around me and so that when something such as the possibility of jet lag comes up I will honour and listen to my body rather than what I think I should be doing such as eating too much or watching too many films.
Appreciating and valuing ourselves is the basis, from there we will be able to truly spend time with ourselves to repose and reflect, which is the basis for constantly deepening and expanding, for living more of who we truly are.
I too have done many a long haul flight without the usual effects and it is all down to rhythm and food and drinks. I remember the old days flying, when you could smoke and drink the whole way and you would get to the other end barely being able to walk or speak. Jet lag and a massive hangover took a few days to get over, oh how joyous that makes me that that is all in the past.
I cant imagine how awful it would be, to be trapped on a plane full of smoke as I did not begin to fly until smoking on aircraft was eradicated.Today the endless smoking has been replaced by non stop food, drink and movie marathon. We do a combo of theses things to avoid spending a minute being still, as the stillness asks us to feel. It can be a painful experience if the way you have been living up until that point has been deliberately avoiding feeling most things.
Joshua I will certainly follow your lead if ever I have the opportunity to visit Europe from Australia. The idea of the long haul in the confines of a plane has made me think twice about undertaking a long journey, but what you have shared makes perfect sense – the body knows how to adjust to these things, we just have to play ball with it.
Joshua I have also started to listen more carefully to what my body needs when I am on long haul flights and I have found the jet lag syndrome to be very much reduced. On my return from Australia to the UK very recently I actually experienced no jet lag what so ever. I took care to not over eat and to honour moving when I felt to as well.
When we truly listen to what our body is telling us, we cannot but live of joy and love. All contrary to our mind, our body will never ask us to do anything that will not be supportive or will even be harming ourselves.
Thank you Joshua some great tips for travelling long distances and eliminating jet lag. I remember I used to eat too much on the plane out of boredom and would get bloated and feel uncomfortable for most of the journey which would then take a few days to recover from. Keeping my watch to the time zone I am in I find really important too so that I am not pulling my body in different directions.
Your trip seems to explain to me also how we can live our lives. Either numbing oneself in the angst that one cannot cope with what is awaiting us on our way. Or as you did it, being open, playful and listening to your body in any given moment. We are equipped to master more than we think – just by following our natural impulses.
Since I heard Serge Benhayon talking about preparing and making adjustment according to the time of the destination when getting on a plane, I have been experimenting with this, too, and I am finding it very supportive. I have just done a 12 hour flight and feeling very supported by my daily choice of how I take care of my body which naturally gives me a strong foundation of self-nurturing whether I am at home or travelling.
I no longer drink alcohol, but back when I used to I quickly discovered that drinking alcohol on a plane made my journeys very unpleasant. I used to feel very dehydrated and my ankles would swell. When I stopped drinking these symptoms went away. You are so right Joshua when you say that honouring what your body needs to support you is very important. Once I stopped the drinking I then realised the in-flight food did not feel so good either, as I would often feel and be sick. I started to bring my own lighter meals on flights and again my experience changed for the better. I now really enjoy flying because of these simple changes I’ve made.
Hi Joshua, I have made a lot of long-haul flights like the one you describe in my life. Although I am older now I find that my body adjusts very easily, and more easily than it did when I was younger. I put this down to the rhythms I live in at home and then on the plane I really take care of myself. I don’t eat much but what I do I bring with me, I drink a lot and move when my body needs to. I choose not to go into too much stimulation. I also find that if I leave home with plenty of sleep before I leave with no last minute rush then that too contributes to how I get off the plane at the end.
Our preconceived ideas about how something is going to be can set us up. Because we are told something, we automatically expect that thing to happen. You have shown Joshua that by staying open, and honouring what your body needed to support you, your experience was totally different.
Yes I can feel this would have an influence Debra, if we go into a situation expecting a certain outcome it makes that outcome more likely to surface. In the case of jet lag there are so many things that could be done to support a smooth transition from time zones on long haul flights. But the current normal is to overeat and drink alcohol, watch lots of entertainment and distract ourselves to pass the time, therefore the normal we currently have is a feeling of depletion and exhaustion. But without those indulgences and with great care for body, long haul travel need not be what it currently is. Thanks Josh.
Very true Debra, when we are told or have a picture of how an experience is going to be for us, like feeling jet lagged for example, we dearly hang on to that picture or expectation, and find every bit of evidence to keep that picture and expectation, to make it real, and thus validate what we thought to be true. In this way we are not open to experiencing things to be different to our picture or expectation.
Lots of gems in this blog Joshua, and a super support for regular flyers who make long haul flights. I have found it to be life changing when we honour our bodies and its natural intelligence.
Thank you Joshua, I agree, before Universal Medicine traveling for me would cause jet lag. The simple loving approach you state actually works, even though I can not sleep on the aircraft.
You do so much flying Greg that is pretty amazing that you end up so great after a flight with out sleeping much. I don’t think I could survive with so little sleep, I get on a plane and put my pillow that I bring with me against the window and sleep for easily 6 or 7 hours. Then again on the second leg I get loads of sleep usually unless I need to work.
And I would love to see this as an article in an inflight magazine. It would be a breath of fresh air in the stale cabin air!
Well said Liane – and on all travel agents itineraries – how to self-care on a long-haul flight.
Yes very much so sarahflenley, the only stories you usually hear are the jet lag ones and it is very needed to have another way for people to consider.
I very much agree Liane and Sarah, sitting on a plane is the perfect place to be presented with how to survive a super long journey with truly helpful tips and stories instead of the usual food, drinks and entertainment that does not support us at all to meet our new destination refreshed and vital at the other end.
It certainly would Liane. It would change the face of flying completely.
I agree Liane, we need to expose that their is actually no need to have jet lag if you listen to your body, take true care of yourself and adhere to your rhythm. For most they do not want to take this level of responsibility and prefer to get on the plane and check out.
What a great idea to share this with all the travellers!
Hear, hear well said Liane there is so much support and inspiration offered in your observations and self care Joshua, that is absolutely worthy of being published in an in-flight magazine, or imagine a short in flight video on self care: Tips to enjoy ones journey and arrived refreshed, it would be of particular interest to business people going to important meetings, where they need to arrive alert and switched on.
Good idea, an in flight magazine is certainly where this article belongs.
Absolutely Sarah, maybe even an inflight movie.
This is great and simple wisdom that you share Joshua, thankyou. I have never been a ‘good flyer’ as I have always felt quite overwhelmed by the whole experience – the poor food, the cramped space, the confined environment, the smells, the noise, the people, the everything. It has been awhile since I have been on a long haul flight but reading your words it is very clear that the only ‘plan’ we need to have is to continue to honour our body, its innate rhythms and those greater rhythms that we are a part of, as night goes into day, day into night and the environment changes. This brings me to the awareness that no matter what the outer terrain, we are the masters of our inner landscape. If we hold true to this, we cannot wobble.
‘Masters of our inner landscape’ – awesome and well said. It’s as if I’ve understood that flying long distances comes with the jet lag and general discomfort – there’s no avoiding it. But have I really tried connecting and listening to what I feel? Probably not.
Thank you Joshua for sharing how to make a 24 hour non-stop flight to be a very positive experience and not something to dread. If we treat a long flight as we would any other day with taking care with what we eat to support us in what we are doing then the exhaustion of the time zones does not have to be the problem it is often perceived to be.
Joshua,
This piece of writing is beautiful. I have only made one long distance flight in my life during my mid-20s and I certainly did not bring the care that you speak of to my travels at the time. I recall arriving exhausted from Australia in West Africa, drinking a lot of a local ‘malt’ drink during my two month stay to keep me stimulated, and towards the end of my trip compromised food hygiene in an ill-prepared and shared communal hand fed (ie no utensils) large single bowl meal with poorly washed hands – the latter in an unnecessary effort to fit in and please, and be recognised as ‘just like one of the locals’. Oh dear!! This led me to have severe stomach pain and diarrhoea for the return flight home which was incredibly unpleasant and got me up and walking every 30-45 mins for a completely different reason!
I know now with the awareness supported by Universal Medicine that I will never submit to this level of disregard ever again and look forward to embracing a deeper level of care as you describe when I may make a long distance journey again in the future.
Meanwhile everything you have presented here equally applies to my daily work in an office environment and at home. It feels that living like this in our daily lives every day allows it to be super natural for us when we are in other environments too. Very beautiful indeed.
Thanks for sharing this Joshua, because my entire life I had a big respect regarding long trips and jet lag. When I read your experiences of your last trip, I realize that most of my concerns are really just in the head. It can be so simple as you describe – to listen to my body and to give my body what it needs at any given time, even during the flight – which could mean, going for a walk. Very inspiring.