Yoga and running
Yoga and running can be hugely beneficial as combined activities. Yoga, if practised safely, may help alleviate some strains caused by high impact sports such as running and possibly also enhance performance.
Practised side-by-side, yoga and running have a double effect. Whether one chooses one discipline over the other as their main focus, both practices feed off each other – mentally and physically.
On a physical level, yoga opens the body, releasing muscle tensions and stresses, whereas on a more subtle level, it helps relax the mind and attain a deeper level of consciousness, thus enabling you to go further.
Running on the other hand, is a great way of warming up the body but also ‘switching off’ – through physical exercise, tensions can be released and the mind eventually quietens.
Laura Denham-Jones, marathon runner and yoga teacher, highlights the fact that "like most aerobic activities, running involves sustained, repetitive motion using the large mobiliser muscles in a limited range of motion.
Yoga can help strengthen deep postural muscles in the core and back for better running form. At the same time the postures release tension and lactic acid from overworked areas by moving in all dimensions through twists, forwards bends and side bends."
Here are some key benefits brought by combining running and yoga:
- Combining strength and flexibility - although running can add extra pressure on the joints, those who do enjoy it will find that stretching properly helps them go further whilst helping prevent injuries. Through yoga one may enjoy an increased flexibility in all leg muscles and those attached to pelvis.
- Breathing - yoga teaches breath awareness, and breathing properly is a key part of an efficient, pleasurable and healthy run
- Balance - both help develop core strength and postural awareness, hence helping with posture.
- Resistance - the cardiovascular aspect of a run may help build stamina and endurance within a yoga practice.
- Mental focus - yoga helps to be centred, and long distance running requires mental (as well as physical) focus and discipline.
- Stress relief: both have been proven to relieve stress and tensions.
The importance of stretching to runners
The purpose of stretching primarily reflects the most physical side of yoga – the asanas, which are the most obvious and visual aspects of yoga. Stretching affects different muscles in the body and the purpose of yoga is to create strength where you need it and release tension where you don’t.
This physical side of yoga can be applied across disciplines, whether it is running, cycling or even gardening! The difference with yoga however, is that it also works on deeper, subtler levels, and when practised over a sustained amount of time, it may affect the students’ capacity to be still and mentally peaceful.
If yoga is used solely for the purpose of enhancing running performance and stretching out muscles, then stretch before and after exercise, but always when the muscles are warmed up, otherwise this could potentially be counter-productive. There is a risk of injuring unprepared muscles: 'cold' muscular tissues are more prone to being strained.
If however, you are looking at practising yoga as an added discipline (and more as a long term commitment, combined with other aerobic activities for instance) then the sequence proposed here can be practiced anytime, and modified according to how your body feels.
Sequence
This sequence focuses on areas most frequently put under pressure, especially for those fairly new to running. The focus is to simultaneously strengthen and lengthen.
Areas to focus on are the hamstrings, ankles, calves and thighs and to combine lower body strength and flexibility.
This is a general sequence, which can be practiced anytime – if done on its own, then it may be best to begin with a few rounds of sun salutations (of your choice) to warm up the body and avoid any kind of strain. Alternatively, these poses may be held for a longer period of time after running, for deeper stretching.
Try holding warrior 1 for longer, with the variation of having the back foot off the floor, heel pressing out, stretching the quadriceps muscle and breathing into areas of tightness.
This short, 20 minute sequence can easily be extended to 30 minutes or more if the postures are held for a longer period of time.
Warm ups: 5 to 10 rounds of sun salutes. Focus on your breath n the sun salutes – they act as a warm up and will set your breathing pattern throughout the practice.
Standing postures:
Trikonasana/ triangle – opens the hips, hamstrings and chest. Make sure the kneecap is slightly lifted and thigh stays engaged as this protects the knee – by ensuring you’re not just ‘hanging’ out of the knee joint)
Warrior 1 +2 – for lower body strength. Focus on alignment: the heels in line and the knee should stay at a 90 degree angle.
Tree pose – balance, focus and core strength.
Sitting postures:
- Janu Sirsana A – hips and hamstrings opener.
- Pashimottanasana/ Forward Bend – back of legs and back. Try to internally rotate the thighs – this will naturally encourage/remind you to engage the quadriceps and keep the hip, knee and ankle in line.
- Baddha Konasana/ Cobblers pose - hip joints, ankles and inner thighs
- Danurasana / Bridge – back, chest and psoas muscle are opened. Keep the feet parallel, thigh muscles engaged as if you were squeezing a ball. It can be useful to try with a block or blanket to get that feeling of squeezing in. By engaging the quadriceps, this ensures you are not overworking the lower back.
Finish with a shavasana – final relaxation. This pose is equally important as others, for it provides your body with some much needed rest and prepares you mentally for what you have planned next. Making sure your body is rested and calm.
Cautions: Be mindful of knees – running can put strain on the knees, and yoga, when not practiced with safe alignment and care, could potentially increase pressure on the knee joints, rather than alleviate tensions.
Focus on strengthening muscles around knee joint as well as lengthening the back of the legs. So for instance, in trikonasana, instead of ‘hanging out’ in the stretch, make it an active stretch by engaging the thigh muscles and lifting the kneecap up (so no ‘wobbly thighs’) – this ensures the knee remains ‘protected’ and the muscles around that joint are being strengthened rather than overstretched. The same goes in seemingly ‘easy’ or passive postures like Dandasana (staff) pose – always try to remember to slightly lift the kneecaps up and engage the quadriceps.
So why not swap your tree pose for a spot of jogging amongst a tree lined park? You could sign up for a charity run this year or simply dust off your running shoes, jog round your local park and enjoy the sight of some lovely green trees.
Inna Costantini is a yoga teacher based in London and Goa, and also spends some time working for the environmental charity Trees for Cities. Join her for a 5k run around Battersea Park this September and help raise funds for Trees for Cities. Visit www.tree-athlon.org for further information.
Laura Denham Jones is a yoga and running expert. She teaches in London and created the website www.yogaforrunners.co.uk
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