Yoga for Runners: A Complete Guide
Running has become synonymous with a healthy lifestyle. With the rise in popularity of running, many people have started to take up this activity as a means for stress relief or weight loss.
However, when you think about it, running can be downright brutal on your body and joints. Yoga is one way to combat the negative effects of running while also providing other benefits like increased flexibility and better posture.
In this article, we will provide a complete guide on yoga for runners including an overview of the benefits of yoga for runners, the best type of yoga practice to increase performance and enhance recovery and answers some commonly asked questions about yoga for runners.
Is yoga good for runners?
Yoga is not only good for runners, it's a great way to help reduce the impact of running on your body. There are many poses that target different areas of the body and can be adjusted based on your comfort level, or physical abilities.
Yoga increases flexibility which helps you improve form as well as strengthen muscles so they don't take such a beating during training runs.
By strengthening core muscles (more specifically those in the lower back), yoga also helps prevent injury while increasing stability throughout your entire leg area. You will find yoga to be an extremely valuable tool if you're looking to avoid overuse injuries like runner's knee and IT band syndrome.
Yoga is also great because it’s low impact, which means you won't be putting too much pressure on the joints and most yoga poses will help open up tight muscles without straining them as other workouts do.
Plus, yoga postures are a great way to slow down and appreciate the mind/body connection that yoga is all about.
What type of yoga is best for runners?
The best styles of yoga for runners would have to be vinyasa yoga or power yoga if you're looking to strengthen stabilising muscles and reduce your risk of injury.
You also have yoga styles like Hatha, which is great because it will increase flexibility and balance as well as yoga styles that are more focused on meditation such as mindfulness yoga.
At-home yoga routine for runners
If you're looking for a great yoga routine designed specifically for runners that you can follow along to at home, we highly recommend checking out Yoga with Adrienne's runner's yoga routine on YouTube.
This routine offers a lower-impact yoga practice that still eases tension, releases tight muscles, and calms the body after running or cardio. This sequence of postures stays low to the ground and ensure poses are accessible for beginners. With your breath, you can stretch and soothe muscles while also stabilizing joints. Check out the routine in the video below.
Runner’s Yoga - Yoga with Adrienne
Does yoga improve running speed?
Yoga can help improve running speed in a number of ways. Yoga for runners will create flexibility and balance between all your major muscles which are vital if you want to run fast! yoga poses also have the effect of calming the mind, preventing the build-up of stress that occurs when we train hard as this is detrimental to both speed and endurance.
Yoga doesn't just target physical limitations either, yoga has been shown to enhance mental strength which gives an athlete much more control over their body during periods of high-intensity training or competition.
What yoga pose is the best for runners?
Three beginner-friendly poses that I recommend to runners would have to be the runners lunge, warrior 1 pose and downward-facing dog.
Runners lunge
This pose is also known as the Runners Lunge Pose because it closely resembles how runners position themselves at the start line. Runners can benefit from this technique by reducing stiffness in the following areas of the body: calves, hamstrings, IT bands (lateral thighs), hips, and gluteus maximus (buttocks). As a result, when done dynamically, it can be either a warm-up or a cool-down practice, depending on how long the stretch is held.
How to do it:
Start with your hands exactly below your shoulders in a plank stance.
Step forwards with your right foot to the mat's outside edge, right next to your right pinky finger.
Allow your hips and back to drop towards the floor as you relax.
Take a deep breath and hold it for 30 seconds. Change sides.
Warrior 1 pose
Warrior pose, a basic-level pose, is one of three Warrior Poses that incorporate both standing and balancing movement of the body. Although fundamental in nature, what distinguishes it as distinctive, powerful, and a little complex at the same time is that you have to balance simultaneous motions in different directions. This act of balancing directly works on producing mental calm, increasing attention, power, and stability, and therefore enhancing health on a holistic level.
The primary goal of practising this basic posture is to enhance hip flexibility while also strengthening the legs, core, back, ankles, and feet.
How to do it:
Begin by standing, then taking a four-foot stride forwards with your right foot.
Bend your knee into a lunge with your foot parallel to the mat and toes pointed to the top.
Turn your left heel in about 45 degrees, keeping your left leg straight behind you.
Raise your arms straight above your head while pressing your shoulders down.
Squeeze your shoulder blades together and downward while lifting your chin to look up at your hands.
Hold this position for a few moments before switching to the other side.
Downward-facing dog
Another highly beneficial pose for runners is the downward-facing dog. One of yoga's most well-known poses, it serves to strengthen the core and promote circulation while strengthening the hamstring and calf muscles as well as stretching out quads. This pose also helps to increase the elasticity in Achilles tendons which can help prevent injuries from overuse.
How to do it:
Begin on all fours, wrists in line with shoulders, toes tucked.
Exhale, pushing your hips up and back, straightening your legs.
Engage your arms while maintaining your shoulders away from your ears.
Lift up through your kneecaps, using your core and legs.
If you're feeling tight, press through your heels and "pedal" your feet back and forth.
Is it better to run or do yoga first?
There is no right or wrong answer to this question.
It all depends on the individual and what their goals are for yoga.
If your goal is simply to release some stress then yoga can be done at any time of day; in fact, it's better to do yoga without an agenda so that you don't expect anything from a yoga session.
If you want yoga to help with your running then it is probably better to do yoga after a run because the muscles will be warmed up, thus creating an easier yoga flow and helping them stretch even further.
See also: Yoga Before or After a Workout?
How many times a week should runners do yoga?
For yoga to have the most effect on runners it is recommended that you do yoga at least three times a week.
However, if your body can handle more yoga then feel free to go as often as you want; just make sure not to overdo it because yoga isn't supposed to be painful or exhausting.
What is better for runners yoga or Pilates?
Both yoga and Pilates provide huge benefits for runners.
Yoga is a great workout in itself, but it also helps with strength training which can make you faster on the track.
Pilates strengthens your core muscles, which is extremely important; especially as a runner who will be using their body to run long distances.
Combining yoga and pilates would probably give runners even better results so if you want maximum benefit then try both out together.
The wrap-up
If you're a runner, yoga is an excellent way to reduce the impact of running on your body while also increasing flexibility and strength. With so many poses that target different areas of the body, there's no excuse not to try it out! Yoga can be modified based on your comfort level or physical ability.
Have you tried incorporating yoga into your routine? Let us know in the comments below what worked for you- we'd love to hear from our fellow runners!
