Have you ever gone on your morning run and wished you could run just a little bit farther, a little bit faster? Did you wish it was easier to control your breathing so that last mile wasn’t so difficult?
Many of us feel this way when running, but it’s a staple for most people who are trying to stay fit, so we have to do it. What if I told you that the answer to helping you during your jogging routine was in yoga?
Not only that, the two can benefit each other immensely, while making your healthier and more in tune with your body.
Benefits Of Yoga
Yoga and Running, the benefits of adding both to your routine are almost endless. Whether you’re a yoga newbie or a seasoned veteran, yoga can do a lot to help someone struggling with their running.
You may not think that these two vastly different exercises have any business being included in the same sentence together, but it turns out a lot of the benefits from each go hand in hand with the latter and can improve your health and fitness in the long run
Yoga may look relaxing and simple, but it is also somewhat difficult. Mastering the moves can help increase your strength, flexibility, breathing, and endurance. All of that could benefit an avid runner when they aren’t able to hit the pavement.
So, on days where it’s impossible to get outside, rolling out a yoga mat and trying some common moves will benefit you just as much as if you were hitting the pavement.
Incorporating Yoga for Runners
Incorporating yoga into your already busy routine may seem impossible, but you really only need a few poses to get the benefits that will make you run faster and longer. Now let’s focus more on the specific benefits that yoga can give the already seasoned runner. All that slow, relaxing stretching you see when people do yoga doesn’t look like much, but it is very beneficial to your body’s major muscles.
Some runners have said that being able to withstand the poses and the discomfort of some of them have helped them control their discomfort and helped them run without stopping as well as regulating their breathing.
But just like with any new sport, everyone should be careful when trying something new. Yoga may seem simple to the naked eye, but it’s still always possible to get hurt if you don’t ease into it and take the proper precautions.
Yoga Poses That Are Specific To Improving Your Running Style
The Downward Dog
The downward dog is an essential pose if you are adding yoga into your routine to improve your running. It can help stretch your core and open your hips, quads, calves, and hamstrings while lengthening and stretching them at the same time.
This would be an ideal warm-up before running to prevent injury and loosen the body so you could perform better.
The Upward Dog
Next is the Upward Dog. This pose isn’t so much to strengthen runner’s muscles as it is to target the muscles that are neglected during running. Since most runners focus only on the lower half of their body, the Upward Dog can help strengthen the upper half without killing yourself weightlifting at the gym.
The Cobbler
This next pose involves sitting with your knees spread and feet together touching at the soles of your feet. This position opens the inner thighs, lower back, and hips; crucial areas that can get sore if you are a runner.
This can be especially helpful if you take your time and allow a proper, time-consuming stretch. You can even try pushing your knees to the ground to get a larger stretch, but don’t force it so you don’t injure yourself. The tightness that comes from these muscles will appreciate the relief after doing this pose.
The Bridge
This pose focuses mostly on your core, the muscles that don’t get targeted much when you are running but can hurt just the same after a lot of exercises due to being misaligned. Doing this pose can help spread the shoulders open and strengthen the front of the body and the core. This can help you with your running posture, as most people tend to lean forward as they run, and the longer they run the more pronounced that gets.
Final Words
You heard my advice and information I wanted to give you. Everyone is responsible for his life. We should act because one of the main keys to a healthy life is the sport. Jogging is not so hard, and if you combine it with yoga, the well-being of your body will be improved sooner or later.
About Author:
I’m Amber a running and sports writer. I love to share my passion with fellow outdoor lovers and hope to establish a community here. I believe running is an amazing sport for everyone and hope to inspire others with my words.