As part of its Tranquil Trains campaign launched last week, Heathrow Express, the 15-minute rail service between central London and Heathrow, has released seat-yoga exercises for passengers to relieve tension while travelling and streamlined its announcements for a more relaxing on-board experience.
Last Wednesday, 13 October, Heathrow Express passengers were treated to live yoga classes from yoga influencer Celest Pereira – who developed a 12-minute seat-yoga and meditation session to help travellers relax.
It’s believed to be the first time a yoga class has taken place on a moving train.
Taking the Stress out of Travel
The initiative was trialled after a study also commissioned by Heathrow Express found more than half of public transport users find travel stressful following the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the study, 72% of respondents would like operators do more to make travelling on public transport more relaxing.
The poll also revealed 39% wanted more ‘quiet carriages’, while 30% thought onboard entertainment to take your mind off things would also make a difference.
Onboard yoga classes got the thumbs up from 18%.
The Tranquil Train
Heathrow Express has also opted to reduce the volume and number of announcements as a way of helping passengers have a more relaxing journey.
Additionally, the high-tech, onboard media screens will soon feature a short recording of the seat-yoga exercises to also allow future passengers to stretch, unwind and relax.
Yoga influencer Celest Pereira said: “Travelling can get very fraught – there’s lots going on, lots of things to think about, and it’s very deadline driven – so it can be a very intense experience. But there’s no reason why travel can’t be tranquil – and often it’s about training your brain to think a little differently.
“And that’s largely what these meditation and yoga sessions are doing – they aim to help passengers clear their heads through breathing exercises and particular body stretches.”
