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.
On 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.
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 and 72 per cent would like operators do more to make travelling on public transport more relaxing. The poll also revealed 39 per cent wanted more ‘quiet carriages’, 30 per cent thought onboard entertainment to take your mind off things would also make a difference, and onboard yoga classes got the thumbs up from 18 per cent.
The ‘Tranquil Train’ is just one way that Heathrow Express are helping to reassure and relax passengers as they return to travelling following the pandemic. Reducing the volume and number of announcements is another initiative Heathrow Express have put in place to make the journey more tranquil, following customer feedback from those with hidden disabilities. 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.”
A study of 2,000 adults also identified the most frustrating aspects of travel – including delayed departures (52 per cent) and crowds (48 per cent).
Missing flights, trains, or buses (47 per cent) also leads to aggravation, as does trying to find a seat (43 per cent) and worrying you’ve forgotten something like your passport or the tickets (40 per cent).
Other worries include getting lost (38 per cent), being separated from your luggage (33 per cent), and missing travel announcements (29 per cent).
Free snacks or refreshments (36 per cent) would also make a difference, as would reserved places for luggage (32 per cent) and onboard entertainment to take mind off things (30 per cent).
Three in 10 (30 per cent) would also like tranquil music to be played during journeys, while a quarter (24 per cent) think calming fragrances would help, according to the OnePoll.com data.
A spokesperson from Heathrow Express said: “Our dedicated and reliable service for air passengers, running every 15 minutes provides the fastest transfer between Heathrow and Central London
“But we’re only one part of the journey – many passengers have already spent hours on trains or planes before they travel on our service, by which point they can be feeling quite tense and exhausted.
“Our ‘Tranquil Train’ campaign aims to highlight how we can ease passengers’ worries and help them to relax as they get back to travelling following the COVID-19 pandemic.”
