Pilates Thoughtful Tuesday: Travel is a Battlefield

A crowded cabin mid-flight—where sneezes spark reactions and patience becomes your superpower

Travel is a battlefield.

Not one with swords and shields but the kind where your patience, sense of humour, and inner calm are tested at every turn. Airports, security queues, cramped seats, delays, and then there are the people.

On a flight returning from Lithuania to Scotland on Sunday, I sneezed. Just once. Out of nowhere. The woman across the aisle turned to me and snapped, “STOP.” No bless you, no concern, just a command as if sneezing was some kind of midair offence. I was not sure whether to laugh or apologise for being human.

Moments like this remind me why we practise Pilates. Not just for the strength and mobility but for the breath, the control, and the awareness. Travel and life will always present challenges. It is how we respond that makes the difference.

We cannot always control what gets thrown at us but we can control our reaction to it.

With summer approaching and plans being made, retreats, holidays, or just a weekend away, remember this. Prepare for the journey, not just the destination. And if someone barks at you for sneezing, breathe in, breathe out, and carry on. Not everything deserves a reaction.

Keep grounded even at thirty thousand feet.