5 Yoga Tips for Not a lot of people know this, but yoga is to long-distance runners what spinach is to Popeye. It can, of course, be difficult to imagine them that way because of how different running and yoga seem at first, but you’ll see why I make the comparison.
Running or jogging is a great form of physical exercise. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
It’s easy and convenient. It improves cardiovascular health. It causes a gush of endorphins in the body, giving you a natural high. It can increase leg strength and core stability. It strengthens your bones. Helps manage symptoms of anxiety and depression.
But there is only one drawback of running – stiffness. The stress from repetitive movement involved in running can overtax often troublesome areas: stabiliser muscles, hamstrings, hips and calves to name a few. To be clear, resting your heel on a wall for the time it takes to upload an Instagram story doesn’t count as post-run stretching. And not stretching your body enough, especially if you’re a runner, will only lead you to the doctor instead of keeping him away.
So, here are 5 yoga tips for runners: 1. Try doing yoga during a run. Doing yoga during a run doesn’t have to mean stopping to strike a pose mid-stride. While the strength, flexibility, and balance you gain from the physical postures are all deployed as you move, you can also use the focus and presence you develop on the mat out on the trail. Let’s take the Mountain Pose, for instance. Before you run, take a few breaths in a steady Mountain Pose. It’ll help you retain your form and prevent energy levels from crashing mid-run. 2. Try conscious breathing. Running is a time for brainstorming for a lot of people, but once in a while, you could try emptying your mind of all thoughts and worries. It feels energising and you won’t even realise when you finished running. Plus, you get to learn a lot about your body. 3. Try a few poses that act as great warm ups or wind downs, before or after a run. These poses usually target the main areas engaged while running. Targeting these areas will give you a strong foundation—which means more power, less chance of injury. Two days a week, cut your runs just a mile short to fit in this 10-minute sequence. A few recommended poses are given in the following points. 4. Saddle pose: Come into a kneeling position sitting on your heels but if there is pain in your knees, leave this one out. Lean back on your hands, creating a little arch to the lower back. If you can go further, come down onto your elbows and maybe all the way onto your back. 5. Snail pose: This targets calves, hamstrings, range of muscles that run up the back. Starting on your back, raise legs towards the ceiling while supporting your lower back with your hands. Slowly lower your feet towards the floor behind your head. You chin will rest towards your chest, knees may rest on your forehead, only release your lower back if your feet touch the floor. 6. Twisted root pose: This pose helps calm the nervous system and lengthens seams that run across the chest, back of shoulders and down the side of the torso as well as glutes. Lying on your back, draw both knees into your chest. Open your arms to the side like wings and drop the knees to one side. Lastly, remember to take it slow. Incorporating yoga into your routine should mean be a race to reach your prime state of flexibility. Your body will take time to ease into yoga poses and start showing results. Just take deep breaths and keep at it, one step at a time.
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