Yoga and Van Life

Photo: Morning Yoga for Suzanne outside the van.

Summer holidays and vacation time for many means getting on the road to visit family and friends, explore new places, and for Suzanne Borovcova and her photographer boyfriend Pierre Guilbaud it often means just living everyday life! Their van and life on the road brings Yoga into everyday living.

For me, Yoga means home, peace, and a safe space to grow. Only metaphorically speaking because it is life on the road and the daily change of environment that helps me truly live the Yoga philosophy on and off the mat. Through these pictures and a few words, I’ll try to pass on some of the insights from our life in the van to you.

Freedom

Since I have been traveling and road-tripping (already for some years now), I have done my Yoga practice every morning no matter where I am – sometimes I find myself by beautiful lakes, mountains, or the ocean and sometimes I wake up at a parking spot, just next to the road. The fact that Yoga can be done truly anywhere and it is only up to me to decide when my Yoga time is gives me such relief and freedom to discover the world.

Photo: Morning meditation doesn’t get better!

Stability

During traveling (or at least during our type of traveling) there is no schedule, no plans, and we rarely know where we’ll end up. I love that, but I also need a little stable point in my day. And that´s Yoga for me. It’s the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning. It’s the best medicine for my body and mind and it’s always with me whenever I am getting lost.

Simplicity

Life is simple when we know what makes us happy. In our case, it is nature, Yoga and outdoor sports. So why want more? This little home we have allows us to be close to it all the time. Simply just by opening one door.

Suzanne shares her Yoga practices with new friends.

Connection

This following scenario has happened to me already so many times: We end up in a beautiful spot to sleep and find ourselves among multiple other travelers like us. I do my sunrise morning routine alone while everyone else is still sleeping. During the day we enjoy a few conversations with our fellow travelers and the next morning instead of waking up alone there’s suddenly four of us practicing the Sun Salutations together! I love sharing my passion and creating moments like this.

Minimalism

Among other similarities between Yoga philosophy and van life is the act of non-attachment. Traveling by van, our backyard is unlimited. But, on the contrary, the space we have inside the van is very limited. One sports outfit and one city outfit are enough! Our outdoor sports gear indeed takes a little bit more space but, luckily, for Yoga nothing is needed. It’s all inside!

Explore

Photo: We love outdoor sports and Yoga!

What a wonderful world! Exploring new places out in the amazing nature everyday is possible thanks to our mobile home. Exploring new inner adventures, feelings, and the asana´s impact on me is possible daily thanks to Yoga and meditation practice. This creates the needed balance.

Sustainability

By living in a van, I´ve learnt how much water we use in our daily life. When we are at home in our house, we almost don’t realize it—until we pay the bills by the end of the month. But here in the van, if we don’t pay attention, our full tank could go away in a flash! And so we care deeply because searching for water streams every day is a bit challenging and also because we know that the water on this planet is precious and we want to leave it in nature as much as possible. And, in the end, the cold morning swims/showers in the Norwegian rivers start to have a very beautiful charm.

Van Life

To be on the road and to discover nature, people, and cultures, with all their languages and beliefs has always been my dream. I like to leave an impact everywhere I go, by sharing my passion for Yoga and conscious living. It somehow all clicked when I met my boyfriend, who is an outdoor photographer and who was already living in the van for some time. We are so grateful for our small home on wheels and for the free-lance work that allows us to be outside for most of our time, enjoying the nature that surrounds us and living our Yoga.