Hey Runners, Your Yoga Questions, Answered

Photo by Ali Kaukas for Wanderlust

As runners we often approach our grueling sport with a one-track mind. Most runners have been told that incorporating yoga into their running regime can yield extreme benefits. Muscles that profit from a yoga practice include hamstrings, hip flexors, quads, abdominals, IT band, glutes, lower back, and even your feet. You could say the benefits are innumerable. But how to bring yoga into your running routine if you’re new to the practice? Here are some common questions runners have when it comes to incorporating yoga into their weekly sweat sessions.

Why should runners practice yoga?

Not only does yoga elongate your muscles, but it also aids in muscle recovery and helps prevent injuries (and helps tremendously with stiffness)—all crucial for runners. If you’re seriously into running, why not do all you can to reduce your risk of injury? It’s no secret runners are prone to injury.

What if I don’t have a lot of time for yoga?

If you already log a lot of miles during the week, finding even more time for yoga may seem impossible. This is a question Cari Merriam with CorePower Yoga gets a lot. If you’re short on time and looking to create more flexibility in your legs, hamstrings, quads, and calves, Cari suggests forward folds, half splits, standing splits with jivamukti squats, pyramid pose, extended hand to big toe pose, Lord of the Dance pose, and downward dog crossing one heel over the other—holding each for 3-5 breaths. Modify as needed.

You can also make time for yoga right when you wake up with these five morning yoga hacks.

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