Can Yoga Help With Running? You Bet It Can!
Written by Michele Lyman, 500-500 RYT
Just recently a good friend told me that he started running again to keep in shape. “Awesome! Are you stretching after your runs?” I asked. The response I got? “Nope. I don’t really have time to stretch. I’m good.” My guess is that my friend’s body is incredibly sore after each run. And, without stretching or strengthening the right muscles, there’s a good chance he might experience pain or injury down the road.
If you are an avid runner, or even just go out for a run on occasion, you know how tough running can be on your body. Your leg muscles are tight and you might even struggle with tension and joint pain. And if you are training for a race or trying to improve your performance, you might find that these issues are preventing you from reaching your goals.
Although I am not a runner myself, I have helped many runners loosen tight muscles, increase mobility and prevent injury through yoga. In fact, I would argue that yoga is the perfect exercise to recover from a run. The best part is that you can do just 10 minutes of yoga after your run to feel the benefits. Here’s how to stay out of pain and improve your running experience with yoga.
Benefits of Yoga for Runners
As I mentioned above, I think yoga and running are the perfect marriage. They compliment each other extremely well to keep your body balanced and your mind steady. Let’s break down exactly how they work so well together.
Reduce Physical Stress in Your Body
Did you know that your foot will hit the pavement approximately 1,000 times during a mile run? And, that the force in which your foot “pounds the pavement” is 3-4 times your weight? Yikes! Because of the repetitive motion of running, and the jarring effect it has on the body, over time runners will experience shortness and tightness in the leg muscles and discomfort in the joints. You can push through these symptoms because you love running so much, but the imbalance you are creating in your body can cause trouble for you in the future.
Eventually your body will compensate for the tight and short muscles to avoid injury, which means your already tight muscles will start to work harder to get you through your run, which means they get tighter! And tighter means less flexibility and mobility, which can cause rigidity in the joints, leading to possible tears.
No Thank You!
Yoga specifically designed for runners will help to balance your body. The poses are held for multiple rounds of breath to encourage the muscles to relax and lengthen. Over time, your tight hamstrings and quadriceps lengthen and loosen, allowing them to soften and have some give to withstand the impact of running. The poses also focus on the movements of the joints in order to decrease stress on them and increase their flexibility. As your joints become more mobile, you can move faster and reduce your risk for injury.
Increases Endurance
One key to a “great run” is breath awareness. As a runner, you need maximum lung capacity to take in as much oxygen as possible, and you need a steady rhythmic pace so you don’t struggle to breathe and cause your nervous system to freak out.
The breathing exercises in yoga are designed to improve your lung capacity and push the blood flow more efficiently to the limbs of the body. The emphasis on the breath during yoga allows you to become acutely aware of each inhale and exhale. As you become more aware of the breath, you’ll be better able to control it as you need during your runs. And as you use the breath to stay mindful and present in the moment, your mental focus will improve as well. You’ll learn how to keep your nervous system calm, even while “stressing the body” out. You’ll be able to run longer with ease!
Finally, the focus and concentration needed during yoga increases your sense of self-awareness and your body’s ability to understand how it moves in relationship to itself and its environment. In other words, your body gets smarter and your coordination gets better, which will improve your overall running experience.
Reminds You to Rest and Recover
This increase in self-awareness can also help you determine when it’s time to push through and when it’s time to rest. As you pay more attention to your body, you start to become aware of what it may need at any given moment. If you planned to go for a run, but your body feels sore and achy, the awareness you have could lead you to do a gentle yoga or restorative practice instead so your muscles can rest and recover. If you just pushed through without paying attention to your body’s signals and went for that run anyway, you could be very uncomfortable or cause an injury.
Pausing and recovering is just as important for your body and mind as running long distances. You need both to balance all systems in your body so you don’t burn out. Yoga allows you to get quiet, turn inward and realize what you need before simply acting and sometimes that need is to rest.
Specific Poses for Runners
Below are 6 poses you can do after your run or on a daily
basis to balance your body and mind.
Downward Dog
Stretches hamstrings, calves, and arches of the feet as well as strengthens your shoulders.
Start on hands and knees. Align knees under hips and palms slightly in front of shoulders. Spread fingers and palms wide on the mat. Exhale to press hands into the mat and lengthen hips up and back. Keep the knees soft at first to find more length in the spine. Stay and breathe for 8-10 rounds of breath. As the muscles start to relax, gently press the heels toward the floor to straighten the legs more.
Low Lunge
Stretches hip flexors and quadriceps and strengthens hamstrings
Come back to hands and knees. Bring your right foot forward in between your hands, align your right knee over your right ankle and gently press your torso up. Slide your hips back and gently point your tailbone down and pull your belly in. From there, slide your hips forward keeping your pelvis neutral. Do not let your right knee go beyond your ankle (slide right foot forward or left knee back for more range). When you are ready, inhale and lift the arms overhead and stay for at least 3-5 breaths. Release and switch sides.
Reclined Hand to Big Toe
Stretches the hamstrings
Lie on your back with both legs extended. Bend your right knee and loop a yoga strap (or belt or tie or anything else that extends your arms) around the ball of your right foot. Hold both ends of the strap in your right hand and exhale your leg toward the ceiling. You may not get to a fully straight leg right away. As you breathe, your hamstring will relax and you may want to pull your leg gently toward your face. Do not strain! Play with your edge - you should feel a good stretch without any pain. Hold for 10 breaths and repeat on the other side.
Reclined Pigeon
Releases tension and tightness in the outer hips
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet hips distance apart. Cross your right ankle to your left thigh, right above the knee. Gently work your right knee away from your face. Stay here. If you want more sensation in the hips, put a block under your left foot or draw your legs in and reach around your left thigh to clasp behind the left leg. Keep your head and shoulders on the mat. Breathe for 10 breaths, release and switch sides.
Supine Twist
Stretches the glute muscles, outer hips and releases tension in the low back.
Lie on your back with your knees bent. Stretch both arms out from the shoulders, palms face up, and draw both knees into your chest. Slowly lower your knees to the left and let them rest on the ground or a prop. Keep your right shoulder and arm on the floor. The closer your knees are to your left arm, the more twist. The further away, the less twist. Turn your head to the right if you’d like. Hold for 10 breaths. Switch sides.
Legs up the wall
Relieves tension in legs, hips and back and stretches hamstrings.
Find an open wall space and sit with your hips as close to the base of the wall as is comfortable. Swing your legs up the wall and lie back. You can rest here anywhere from 10 breaths to 10 minutes. Don’t worry if you fall asleep! Enjoy the rest!
So there you have it! You now have the knowledge you need to begin a consistent yoga practice that will support your running! You’ll prevent injury, improve your lung capacity and increase your distance in no time.
We’d love to hear how you feel after incorporating yoga into your practice!
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