Yoga for Runners

YogaForRunners_16_2

I love when I come across sequences designed specifically for particular types of athletes- I think the amount of balance that yoga can bring to your body is so amazing and powerful, and when your yoga practice is tailored to your body’s unique needs you can achieve amazing results. When I saw that there was a Yoga for Runners workshop coming up at our Vaughan studio on May 7th (this Saturday!), I was excited to learn more about what Ramona would be offering attendees. The workshop description said that topics covered would include how to relieve pain and stiffness in the body, release tight muscles and improve mobility, reduce the risk of injury, recover faster, breathe easier, and focus your mind, so I asked Ramona to go into a little more detail about those things. Here are a few things she said you can look forward to:

Focus on Breath and Mind

Yoga teaches you how to connect with your breath, and by doing so you will notice that this also focuses your mind. This technique can be very beneficial for runners and, along with some tips from Ramona on how to break your run down into smaller and more manageable segments, will help you get to that meditative and focused mental state while you run.

Focus on Common Injuries and Imbalances

Runners’ bodies take a lot of impact and this can lead to injuries or conditions such as:

  • IT Band Syndrome (ITBS)
  • Achilles Tendonitis
  • Shin splints
  • Hamstring pulls
  • Tight hips
  • Sciatica
  • Runner’s knee

Additionally, runners develop lots of general muscle tightness and may have weak glutes, core, and hamstrings. Practicing yoga can help counteract the effects of these conditions, helping to create space in the muscles and strengthen those weaker areas. Certain poses, like pigeon, thread the needle, and dragon, help to achieve these aims. Ramona will also cover how to use tennis balls to relieve tension, a “big toe series” that will target your hamstrings, groin, and IT band, and poses designed to strengthen your core.

Small-Infrared-Sauna

Being more connected to your breath will help your focus, and being stronger and more flexible reduces the risk of further injury, so practicing yoga is definitely a good supplement to your regime as a runner. Knowing some specific poses that fulfill your particular needs is also a plus, so see all you runners next Sunday!

This 2 hour runner’s yoga workshop will be led by marathoner/yoga teacher Ramona Gellel. It includes a dynamic yoga practice created for runners, and a discussion on running anatomy & common injuries and how yoga can help us run injury free. For more on the workshop and to learn more about Ramona, visit our website and click on Schedule > Vaughan, and scroll down to the workshops button.


Divider

Video is created by The Art of Grace