At a race the other night, I was sharing with a friend that
running is my passion. It is just in me, I run in snowstorms, I run pregnant, I
run in stifling heat and humidity, I run in my sleep. But YOGA is truly what I
crave. While running will always be my first love, yoga is what helps me
maintain my physical and mental strength.
So how did my love for running morph into a love for yoga? Well,
after ten years of pounding the pavement, my body was feeling the adverse
effects of running’s repetitive, high-impact motion. My muscles and joints
ached and I was starting to get minor injuries. The backs of my legs were so tight
that I could hardly reach my knees when I folded forward. Trying to avoid
disaster, I turned to yoga to loosen up my muscles. What I received from a
regular yoga practice, however, not only improved my flexibility, it increased
my overall athletic performance, and made me more vital in ALL aspects of life.
Yoga offers runners a number of benefits. Whether you are a
diehard ultra-marathoner, a beginner doing a couch to 5K program, or a
recreational runner never looking to race, yoga can help you:
- · Reduce risk of injury
- · Eliminate nagging aches and pains
- · Shorten recovery times post-races
- · Increase strength and flexibility
- · Improve daily postural habits
- · Correct and strengthen muscular imbalances
- · Improve breathing patterns and increase VO2 max levels
Not a bad list for some simple stretching, right? An easy way to
integrate yoga into your current exercise routine is to perform short session
pre- or post- run. Below are my favorite poses that target the lower back,
hamstrings and hips. Try them out for yourself!
Intense Side Stretch or Pyramid
This pose is excellent for opening up tight hamstrings, the
illiotibial bands and promotes balance.
Stand in Mountain pose with your feet together. Step your left
foot back about three feet and angle the back foot out slightly. Keep both hips
facing front, squaring the hips. Draw your hands behind your back, bending the
arms and clasping the elbows. Inhale as you look up, opening the chest, exhale,
hinging from the hips, keeping your spine long as you fold forward over your
straight right leg. To modify, slightly bend the front leg, working toward
straight. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on second side.
Pigeon
This pose is probably the best hip opener in yoga, opening the
deep muscles of the hip and the hip flexors.
Start in Downward Dog. Lift your right leg up and sweep it
through to your mat, folding it and placing it on the mat. Keep your right foot
flexed to protect the knee. Your left leg is straight behind you with the toes
pointed. Keep your hips square and level, with the left hipbone pressing toward
your right foot. Inhale and press your hands into the mat, getting as much
length in the spine as possible.
Exhale as you walk your hands forward on the mat, coming out to
your edge. This might be on the elbows, with the arms extended all the way out
or right where you started. Hold this pose for one minute. Remember to breath!
Switch sides.
Seated Forward Fold
This
pose stretches everything down from the spine to the hamstrings and has the
added bonus of calming the mind.
Sit down with your legs extended out in front of you, heels
pushing outward. Extend arms overhead by your ears, inhale and life the ribcage
out of your waist drawing length in your spine.
As you exhale, begin to come forward, hinging at the hips,
keeping back straight as possible. On each inhale, extend the spine, and on
each exhale, come a bit farther into the forward bend. Keep the neck at the
natural extension of the spine and do not round the back. Take hold of the
ankles or shins, whichever you can reach.
To learn more yoga poses for runners, check out my upcoming fall
class Strike a Balance. Using my first
hand insights into the physical and emotional demands of running, I will walk
students through poses that neutralize the impact running has on the body. This class is the perfect morning
workout, offering a thirty-minute group runs followed by a thirty-minute yoga
class and is open to all abilities.
Strike a
Balance - Running and Yoga Come Together
Wednesdays,
6:15am, 9/4 – 10/23
Pool
Lobby, Westwood High School
Register
on-line today as space is limited and the class is expected to fill-up fast!!!!
E-mail laurenleonardhealth@gmail.com with questions.
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