Benefits of Yoga for Runners
When I started marathon training, my body started to tell me “NO!”. I began to feel aches, pains, and soreness I had never experience before. This was due to more frequent and longer exercises. I was pushing my body farther but I wasn’t caring for it as I should have. When I was forced to slow down, I opted for yoga as a mental release. Little did I know that there are some benefits of yoga for runners!
Love my yoga mat from FlowMats
At first glance. people think yoga is just stretching and meditation. While that may be part of your practice, yoga really helps you connect with your body and be in tune with yourself. When you’re a beginner, going to a class can be pretty intimidating. However, every studio that I have gone to, everyone has been nice and don’t mind helping me out.
As a runner, you’re constantly pushing your legs to get stronger and go father. That’s fine but if you don’t stretch properly or work on strength training, you’ll start to find muscle tightness. By incorporating yoga into your workout schedule, you get the chance to stretch and workout any tightness in your legs. Improvement in mobility is a plus. When you legs and back are flexible, runs doesn’t seem painful and you’re more likely to improve.
Runners tend to focus on getting faster and going farther while paying little attention to your upper body. Yoga helps you gain strength in your arms and midsection. By having a stronger core, you have a better posture. As we all know, a major issue that people have with their running form is posture. Even though it may not seem like it at first glance, running is truly a full body sport!
To some people, running is their time to get away from it all. I know that it’s a time I use to think stuff out and plan my day. However, there’s something about yoga that really relaxes me. Being fully in tune with your body and listening to ever ache and pain while being mindful really sets everything in perspective. It’s a great way to relax and balance out the stress that life can bring.
If you’re a runner or you’re just cooped all behind a desk all day, I would challenge you to go to a yoga class and try it out. It may take some getting used to and there’s so many to choose from but I promise that you’ll feel better afterwards!
Do you go to yoga classes? What style of yoga do you prefer?
