Yoga For Runners

Stephanie T

When I started training for my first marathon nearly five years ago, I would rarely stretch after a run, let alone take a yoga class. I thought that stretching was unnecessary—my leg muscles always felt tight and sore post-run, so why spend time stretching in an attempt to loosen them when they would tighten after my next run anyway?

I discovered the importance of yoga the hard way when I suffered from sharp shooting pains near my groin only three weeks before the New York City Marathon in 2008 from a pulled groin. A groin pull occurs when the adductors, or muscles in the inner thigh, are stretched beyond their limits.  Such an injury often results in small muscle tears that cause pain and swelling.

After weeks of R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compression and elevation) and taking a break from running altogether, my groin pains magically subsided before race day.  However, I learned that increasing one’s flexibility, muscle strength and core stability, thereby correcting muscular imbalance, are imperative to injury prevention.

As endurance sports coach, Sage Rountree, author of The Runner's Guide to Yoga (April 2012) writes in Runner’s World:

“Running injuries come from imbalance. Occasionally it’s a literal imbalance, as in the case of a fall on the trail; yoga’s balancing poses can help there. But usually the injury is one of muscular imbalance between the quads and the hamstrings, the hip flexors and the glutes, or the legs and the core. Yoga poses work to correct these imbalances so that the whole body functions at an optimal level. Beyond that, yoga gives us tools to tune in to our body’s needs, so that we can find the right balance between training and rest. This is key for preventing overtraining and burnout.”

The practice of yoga helps us increase our awareness of alignment, range of motion, breath control, agility, flexibility and strength, which will help us continue to run long and hard for years to come.

My perspective on yoga has certainly changed dramatically since 2008—I’ve delved into my yoga practice, received my 200 hour yoga teacher certification, and opened my own yoga studio, Sacred Sounds Yoga, in Greenwich Village. 

The following are a few of my favorite yoga poses for runners:

Calves: Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

Core: Crow Pose (Bakasana)

Hamstrings: Wide-Legged Forward Bend (Prasarita Padottanasana)

Hips: Bound Angle Pose (Baddha Konasana)

IT Band: Pigeon Pose(Eka Pada Kapotasana)

Plantar Fascia: Hero Pose, Tucked Toes (Virasana)

-Stephanie T.

Blogmaster's Note: Sacred Sounds Yoga (Stephanie T's studio) is offering two workshops ($20 for one and $35 if you sign up for both) dedicated to runners to be held at her studio on Sunday, October 14^th:

• ChiRunning with NY Flyer Joel Matalon (click here for his website) from 11:30-1:00pm; and 
• Yoga for Runners with Narisara Vanichanan from 1:30-3:00pm. 

For more information on classes and workshops at Stephanie's studio, please click HERE .

And for prior NY Flyers Blog entries on yoga for runners, please click HERE.