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Air passengers wanting to use, rather than waste, their time in airports as they wait for flights may have the answer  with the introduction of yoga studios.

Yoga rooms are being advertised by many airports around the world as an alternative way of punching in time between flights

Yoga rooms are being advertised by many airports around the world as an alternative way of punching in time between flights Image by Mike Procario / CC BY 2.0

San Francisco international airport was first into the fray three years ago when it opened its yoga room. Several other airports, including O’Hare in Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth and Burlington in Vermont have followed suit by offering dedicated yoga studios.

In the past year, the trend has taken off in Europe with Helsinki Airport creating a 24-hour space with a fully-equipped yoga station, the London Independent reports.

In Britain, a pop-up yoga studio in Heathrow’s Skyteam lounge has become such a hit that it is due be made permanent. However, unlike all the others mentioned which are free to travellers to use, the Heathrow pop-up is only open to those with lounge access, that’s unless you want to pay out £27.50 for a special pass.

Guylaine Burfield, of Skyteam said that what was once just a TV lounge had become an active yoga centre. Yoga teacher Louise Palmer-Masterton said that up to now passengers were only encouraged to sit around eating and drinking at airports while waiting to fly to their destination. The yoga option allows them to do something physically and mentally stimulating. “It’s what our bodies need most when travelling,” she stressed.

The boundaries are being pushed out. San Diego International Airport have just opened the world’s first mediation room at a cost of $200,000.