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By Hanne
Many of us like to sweat and do just about any of our favorite exercises, but we often face challenges with mobility. The challenge is poor mobility, the complete lack of mobility exercise in our weekly schedule or even the monthly program. In this post, I will tell you a few reasons why runners should do yoga.
WHY RUNNERS SHOULD DO YOGA?​
Why is mobility important for a runner? What are the challenges runners are facing? The challenges of the runner’s body are often naturally focused on the legs, which are the most stressed and with a tremendous force. Did you know that the pressure on your feet during a run is three times your weight? Is it any wonder that foot pain of all kinds can often be precisely the trouble runners are battling.
Running stiffens the legs and pelvic area. I know legs are a bit broadly addressing the issue. I have managed to get my quads beyond tight by running. Back then, my masseuse said my quadriceps are like a footpath. Often, however, the tension troubles the hamstrings and calves. Anyhow, I dare to claim that there is no such runner in the world who manages to keep the body open and in good running formation without doing any mobility exercises whatsoever.
A rigid body puts any body into a test, and as a result, it does not function optimally. The result can be pain, and when talking about the runner’s body, tensions can change the running posture, thus further affecting the body and causing tightness and pains.
Try it Out and Find which Yoga is best for You
Debate on what kind of stretching one should do is, in my opinion, maybe endless. Still, luckily yoga can increase mobility in many ways depending on what kind of yoga is included in the exercise schedule. And it really depends on your body which is the best for you.
Vinyasa yoga, where you move from one yoga posture to another at the breathing pace, is an outstanding style of yoga to increase mobility through dynamic movement. For the runner nature, this can also be a more meaningful and satisfactory style of mobility exercise. So perhaps what the runner would need the most is pausing and practicing the yin yoga type of yoga. The poses aim to affect connective tissues, tendons, fascia, and ligaments and increase circulation in the joints and improve flexibility.Â
The best type of yoga will be discovered by experimenting, and I would recommend adding yoga to the exercise program as versatile as possible.
Why Yoga?
Practicing yoga helps you find and practice new muscles. For example, the small muscles of the soles of the feet get to be activated in different balancing postures (=asanas) or when uniquely targeting the soles in yin yoga poses. And, among other things, exercising and minding for these muscles is especially important for runners.
Yoga also allows you to affect the area of the spine and open the chest. Which in turn enables better, higher quality, and deeper breathing. Of course, yoga practice alone will train your breathing. With the help of yoga, body control and support improve. And e.g., yoga practice strengthens the body’s core area in many different ways, thus affecting your corset, your weight lifting belt. 😉
When your chest is open, your middle body support is strong, and your lower body is free from tension, your running posture is more optimal; thus, your running is more efficient.
How and where to begin?
How to start the yoga practice? The good news is you can start right away! For example, for Yin Yoga, you don’t even need a yoga mat, as a soft mat works great as a yoga mat. In Yin yoga, we use aids such as yoga bricks (= blocks) and tube pillows (=bolsters), BUT you can do the exercise without these as well if you only got a blanket or blankets and pillows. See, there really is no room for excuses left. 😉
And where to start? As said, you can start a yoga practice at home. Indeed, it is always good to have someone guide you hand in hand at the beginning, but if this is not possible, don’t let it stop you. For example, there are many yoga videos on my Youtube channel, and most of them are Yin Yoga videos. How lucky? 🙂
So if you still wondering why yoga, then I need to ask you, why not yoga? And like I said, you can start yoga right away; below, you can find a yoga exercise created especially for you.Â
Here you can find a 30-minute Yin yoga practice designed for runners. Enjoy!
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Hanne Nousiainen
Yoga teacher • Personal Trainer
Hanne Nousiainen
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