This post originally appeared as a guest post on the blog Nymph in the Woods.
Having worked for almost a decade for the YMCA, I've dabbled in my
fair share of yoga classes. I would even incorporate age appropriate yoga poses
into my preschool curriculum, but I never truly appreciated the benefits of it
until I started running.
When I started training for my first half marathon, I would
practice yoga on the days I didn't run. It was more than just stretching for me
- it taught me to appreciate my body and, most importantly, to listen to it -
something that as runners we don't always do.
So, without further ado, here are 5 reasons why I think all
runners should practice yoga.
Improves Flexibility
This one seems like a no-brainer to
me. Isn’t this the whole point of
yoga? As a beginner, you can barely hold
any of the poses but over time you are all pretzeled up like a true yogi,
right? Why do runners need to be
flexible? To begin with increased
flexibility reduces the risk of injury. It
also helps improve posture and increases blood flow to your muscles.
Protection from Injury
According to Ashlee Willaman, a certified running coach and yoga
teacher, “"Yoga does a great job of pointing out imbalances that can indicate
injury is not far away." Yoga can help a runner identify issues such
as muscle imbalance. Overuse of one
muscle, and subsequently underuse of a complimentary muscle, can lead to overcompensation which opens the door
for injury. Yoga addresses all muscle
groups which allows a runner to tune-in to their body to see what changes need
to be made. While a runner may complain
of knee pain at the start of a yoga class, by the end she had learned the pain
actually stems from the hip. Certain
poses can then be done before a run to open up the hips and reduce the risk of
injury. Learn how to identify pain and
then work to fix and reduce it. Don’t
push yourself through it!
Improves Balance
The practice of yoga increases proprioception (the ability to feel
what your body is doing and where it is in space) and improves balance. For runners, better balance means fewer falls
(oh, it does happen). It also means less
knee and back pain.
Boosts Your Immune System
Contracting and stretching muscles drains your lymphs (a colorless fluid containing white blood cells, that bathes the tissues and drains through the lymphatic system into the bloodstream). Regularly doing this helps the lymphatic system fight infection and destroy cancer cells. Who doesn’t want to do that to their body? And if you are a runner training for a big race, you can’t afford to get sick!
Relieves Stress
This one is near and dear to my
anxiety-ridden heart. The breathing
techniques taught in yoga teaches your body to slow down and relax.
It lowers your breathing and heart rate and lowers your blood pressure
too. It also lowers your cortisol levels
which helps anyone suffering from adrenal fatigue (the reason why I wake up at
2 AM wide awake and ready to party).
Your body releases cortisol when it senses an acute crisis. When cortisol levels remain high, it can
compromise your immune system and over time lead to brain damage. Stress is dangerous - do yoga.
There you have it – my top 5 reasons for
why runners should practice yoga. What
do you think? Are you ready to try? Remember, you don’t have to go crazy when
first starting off. As a busy working
out of the home mom, I rely on DVD’s for my yoga practice. If you are not ready to commit to that then
just incorporating a few poses such as “Pigeon Pose” (see picture) after a run
will help your body.
