As runners, many of us know there's nothing like running through the parks to get the heart rate up, tone the body, and de-stress. While running provides a great workout for the heart and lungs, the body is only taken through a limited range of motion. Also, pounding the pavement can leave many of us feeling tight and sore after the workout. Yoga is an excellent complement to a running routine, as it offers other muscles the attention they need, and it also stretches out those heavily worked by running. Although often associated with mere stretching, yoga can improve flexibility and strength, as well as help relax the mind and attain a deeper level of consciousness, thus enabling you to go further.
The Benefits of Yoga for Runners
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Striking a Balance: Yoga poses for runners correct muscle imbalances resulting from strenuous muscle training. A more balanced body can handle more stress and run without stressing the body.
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Relaxation: Asanas and Pranayama breathing fine tunes our nervous systems and provides the body with much needed relaxation after a run. Pranayama practice slows the heartbeat and reduces blood pressure, producing calm and a sense of stability.
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Self Awareness: While running, you can aim for perfect co-ordination of body, mind and breathing. This self awareness and breath control is possible through yoga. You can concentrate on a rhythm between your running, your body and your breath rather than worrying about the outcome of the race.
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Strength and Flexibility: You can start yoga even if your body is not flexible. Regular yoga practice will make your body more flexible over a period of time, and can reduce your chances of injury by improving your mental health and relaxing of muscles.
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Pranayama increases your oxygen capacity: Most of us are shallow breathers, not utilizing the full capacity of our lungs, thereby less oxygen is absorbed by our lungs in a single breath. A regular practice with pranayama can increase your breathing capacity resulting in more oxygen supply to your blood. This oxygen rich blood can boost performance and endurance for runners.
Yoga Poses
Here are some yoga poses that you can do pre- and post-run to keep your legs loose, limber and healthy:
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Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend): Most runners have tight hamstrings. This is a great way to keep them limber. This pose stretches the spine, hamstrings and shoulders, encourages the free flow of the breath and stimulates the liver and kidneys. Sit on a mat with your legs stretched straight out in front of you. Exhale and slowly bend forward as far as possible, trying to touch your feet. Do not bend your knees. Take hold of the ankles or shins, whichever you can reach. Breathe deeply for 30 seconds. Exhale, while returning to normal position.
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Trikonasana (Traingle): This pose strengthen the legs, stretches the groins, hamstrings, hips, opens the chest and shoulders. Stand with your feet around 3 feet apart. Raise both arms straight out from the shoulders parallel to the floor with the palms facing down and take a deep inhalation. Exhale slowly while turning the torso to the left, bend at the waist and place the right hand down on your shin. The left arm should be stretched vertically upward. Both legs and arms are kept straight without bending the knees and elbows. Now turn your head upward to the left and gaze up at the fingertips of the left hand. Hold for 3 breaths and return to standing position. Practice on the opposite side.
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Vrikshasana (Tree): This pose tones the leg muscles and improves the sense of balance and poise. It also improves posture and concentration, limbers the hips, strengthens the ankles, and firms and tones the muscles of the legs, back and chest. Stand with the feet together. Bend your right knee and place your right foot as high as possible on your left inner thigh. Balancing on the left foot, raise both arms over the head keeping the elbows unbent and joining the palms together in a prayer position. Hold for 3 breaths and return to the standing position with feet together. Repeat on the opposite leg.
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Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle or Cobbler's Pose): This pose works to open the hips and groin while keeping the spine long. Sit with your legs straight out in front of you. Bend your knees and pull your heels toward your pelvis. Let your knees fall to the sides and place the soles of your feet together with your feet as close to your body as possible. With your hands, hold your toes of each foot. Keeping the spine long, come into a forward bend and hold for 30 seconds. To release, straighten one leg at a time.
Yoga for runners is what builds up your body strength and helps conserving your energy while you are doing the running routine. In this way, the effects of running will be more beneficial to the general health and less dangerous in the long run. An important thing to know about yoga is that embarking on a yoga practice without proper instruction can lead to injury. Please, be careful. Take the time to find a teacher with proper credentials and training.
