I went to Google and typed in Yoga for Runners and received a myriad of hits. Runners World has an entire section dedicated to the subject and about.com also has extensive coverage.
Yoga and running are like opposites, but you know what they say about opposites attracting! During a mile, your foot will strike down 1000 times or more. This can lead to bad backs, cruddy knees, knotted up hamstrings and crying feet.
Running creates an imbalance in the body and yoga helps to correct this imbalance by creating opposing movements to the ones done repeatedly in running. If your muscles are tight in the back of your body, the front of your body tries to compensate which just creates more of an issue by further tightening the already tight muscles!
Runners can utilize the poses of yoga to balance strength and increase the range of motion. Another bonus of yoga is that it helps you to "center" or become more knowledgeable about how the body feels, what is working and what is not working, and when to stop or change what you are doing. You will have a deeper understanding of how the body works from the poses of yoga. These poses help you to focus on a particular part of your body, noting how it feels to work in a certain way.
A common thing between yoga and running is the sense of peace and calm that you receive from both activities. This feeling is brought about by the breath. Breathwork provided in many yoga classes can help to increase your VO2 Max, your aerobic capacity, helping you to improve your endurance over the long run. Literally, you can get a runner's high or a yoga high...I have found both to be equally gratifying!
Yoga can help you get back from an injury sooner, and help you to not get injured in the first place! By stretching muscles in a certain way, the elimination of pain can be handled without medication. A main problem with taking a pain killer in order to run is that you will not realize that you are causing further injury to your body! When the pain reliever wears off, you will know, but then it is too late. Why not try to counteract the pain and injury with a weekly yoga class and some daily poses (asanas) at home?
There are a variety of poses that can be used as a pre-run warmup and a post-run cooldown. For examples of some, please go to runnersworld.com/article/printer/1,7124,s6-238-409--12426-0,00.html runnersworld.com/article/printer/1,7124,s6-238-409--12426-0,00.html. This article gives written and visual instructions for three yoga poses that are helpful for the pre-run.
I suggest finding a qualified yoga teacher, one with at least 200 hours of training, where you can take classes and learn the basics of the poses in order to practice yoga in the safest and most beneficial way for your body. I also want to mention that if you try a class and it doesn't seem right for you, don't give up on yoga, just try a different teacher or a different style. There are a myriad of yoga styles and you will need to find one that suits you best. I personally enjoy a powerful, strength-building class, but also relish a more meditative relaxed class. I have attended many classes and trainings, and can tell you that not all yoga is created equal! What one person really enjoys may not be the class for you!
If you are in the Winona, MN area, please visit yogafitnesswellness.com yogafitnesswellness.com to see what classes are scheduled, or send me an email at
No comments:
Post a Comment