Running seems to be the perfect activity for incorporating yoga poses. It’s low impact and rhythmic, it’s a great way to get your muscles working together, and few activities require so much concentration while they’re being executed. But what about yoga poses if you’re a runner? That is, how can you incorporate yoga into your runs so as to reap its many benefits?
Fortunately, there are plenty of fantastic running-yoga poses that will enhance your general fitness and provide some extra oomph when it comes to speed sessions or intervals. If you run often and want to take things to the next level with your workouts, check out these great ideas for incorporating yoga into your running practice:
Run and balance on one foot
This pose is one of the greatest yoga poses of all for building strength and stability in the legs, while also improving balance and proprioception – the knowledge of where your body is in space. To begin, stand on just one foot while holding the opposite leg out in front of you. Hold this position for as long as you can, gradually increasing the hold time until you can hold it for around 90 seconds.
Next, transition into a plank transition, where you roll your foot over until both of your legs are on the ground while still holding the plank position with your arms. From here, transition into a push-up, where you do an upright plank with your arms, before lowering to the floor and repeating on the other side. This pose is great for runners looking to build proprioception and balance.
Stand up straight with arms stretched overhead
This pose is commonly used in postures to stretch the spine and align the body, but it also has great running-yoga applications. Specifically, it’s a great pose for runners aiming to improve their balance and proprioception, as well as improve their posture. To begin, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, your arms stretched overhead and your head upright.
Raise your arms up to the side of your body while keeping your head up and focus on keeping your core tight and your back straight. This will help you to feel the difference in your posture. Next, slowly lower your arms down to your sides while keeping your head up and core tight. Repeat a few times for a deeper stretch.
Run and twist to the left side
Twists are a great running-yoga pose for runners looking to tone and strengthen their core. They’re an excellent way to work the lower abs and obliques, while also engaging the upper abdominal muscles, hips, and shoulders. To begin, run while twisting to the left side, inhaling as you go and exhaling as you twist. For the twist, make sure to twist your torso in such a way so that your left shoulder leads the way.
This will engage your lower abs. When you’ve reached the end of your run, come to a stop and twist to the right side, inhaling as you go and exhaling as you twist. This pose will help to strengthen the core while toning the obliques and lower abs.
Run and twist to the right side
Twists are a great running-yoga pose for runners looking to tone and strengthen their core. They’re an excellent way to work the lower abs and obliques, while also engaging the upper abdominal muscles, hips, and shoulders. To begin, run while twisting to the right side, inhaling as you go and exhaling as you twist.
For the twist, make sure to twist your torso in such a way so that your right shoulder leads the way. This will engage your lower abs. When you’ve reached the end of your run, come to a stop and twist to the left side, inhaling as you go and exhaling as you twist. This pose will help to strengthen the core while toning the obliques and lower abs.
Inward bend: runner’s lung
Runner’s lung is a great pose for runners looking to improve their lung capacity when it comes to speed work or tough intervals. To begin, stand with your hands on your hips while keeping your feet slightly wider than your hips.
From here, inhale and push your hips forward while driving your chest up and out. After a few strong presses, push yourself back to the original standing position while expelling all of the air from your lungs. This will help to increase the amount of air you can hold in your lungs, allowing you to run faster for longer.
Forward bend: runner’s squat
Squats are a fantastic way to work your lower body and improve both strength and flexibility. But, what if you’re a runner looking to work on your speed, power, and agility? Well, you’ve come to the right place, because squats are a fantastic running-yoga pose for runners. To begin, stand with feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
From here, begin a slow, controlled squat and make sure to activate your glute muscles and keep your core engaged. When you reach the bottom of the squat, push yourself back up to the standing position while exhaling all of the air from your lungs. Doing squats while breathing while will allow you to work on your speed, power, and agility while also building strength in your legs.
And back: Runner’s twist
Runner’s twist is a great pose for runners looking to work on their core and balance strength. To begin, stand up straight with your arms stretched overhead and your feet slightly wider than your hips. From here, lower your knees slightly and twist from side to side, breathing in as you go. After twisting for a few seconds, inhale and twist back to the center position. This will help to work on your core, balance, and agility.
Runner’s Stretch
The runner’s stretch is a pose that you’ll do before and after every run. It’s also a great pose to do while you’re waiting in line at the grocery store. This pose elongates the legs and increases blood flow. After a run, take five minutes and do the following: Stand up straight with the feet parallel and shoulder-width apart.
Gently bend the knees, bringing both the knees and toes towards the chest. Keep the back straight and the head upright. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds, slowly returning to the starting position. This pose is great for increasing flexibility and relieving stress. It’s a great way to stretch out tired muscles after a run. Whenever you feel stressed or fatigued, try this pose out. It’s a great way to relieve stress and increase flexibility.
Conclusion
Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or advanced runner, you can reap the many benefits of yoga with a little ingenuity. These poses are great for building strength, flexibility, and balance, and they’re also a great way to work on your breathing techniques. And, best of all, they don’t require any special equipment or a gym membership. If you’re a runner looking to get the most out of your workouts, these poses are a great place to start.
