The excitement of spring is upon us and as the days get longer and temperatures warmer, more runners than ever are pounding the pavement. Whether enjoying a leisurely jog or training in hopes of completing your first marathon, just be aware, as the miles rack up, so does the risk of injury.

Some of the most common complaints heard from runners are sore feet, knee pain, back problems, tight hamstrings and hips, tendonitis, and muscle pulls and pain.¹ There’s no doubt about it, running takes some planning and some effort to avoid these kinds of injuries. And to do that, many runners are now looking to a surprising solution — yoga!

Yoga and running have always been on seemingly opposite ends of the exercise spectrum, but this is no longer true. With its emphasis on muscle stretching and strengthening, studies show that yoga helps runners avoid or heal injuries by developing two very important skills: correcting imbalances in the body, the most common cause of sports injuries, and awareness in the mind.

Preventing and Healing Injuries

Pain felt by most runners is not usually caused by running but from imbalances that running makes worse. Yoga can help by strengthening what is weak and stretching what is tight. For example, in most runners the large muscles of the legs (the hamstrings, calves, quadriceps and hip flexors) are tight and need to be released. Yoga poses that stretch these muscle groups but strengthen the weaker hip abductors and rotators create more balance in the lower body. Once more balance is achieved, most of the common complaints of runners including knee, back and iliotibial band pain are relieved.²

Mindfulness

So how does yoga increase awareness in the mind and how does this help runners? Let’s face it, many runners develop injuries, but continue to train in spite of what their body is saying.  Yoga helps you become more aware of the sensations in your body, and the difference between “good” pain and “bad” pain.  By developing more self-awareness in yoga, you become better equipped to tolerate the safe or “good” pain, e.g., the “burn” of the long distance run, but learn to listen to injury pain that is telling you to slow down and allow your body to heal.

Improving Performance

Yoga can improve performance by improving flexibility and increasing core strength, but it can also drastically improve energy management. The practice of yoga is centered on the breath. Yoga teaches you how to slow and deepen each breath, thus conserving energy. Another big lesson in energy economy is posture. Poor posture equals wasted energy. Yoga teaches proper form and alignment especially during long holds of challenging poses. Learning this kind of relaxed effort and taking it with you to the road can boost your stamina and speed.²

Running can be more than exercise, as many runners who experience the peace of mind that comes with a long run know.  And yoga can greatly enhance both of those aspects of running. If you bring your body into balance, and take a deep breath, you can run long and hard for years to come!

References

1. www.runnergirl.com
2. McGonigal K.. A Yoga Sequence for Runners. IDEA Fitness Journal. Mar 2009. 74-76.

[Ed. Note: Melissa Hawthorne, RN, BSN, CSCS is the owner of Priority Fitness Personal Training and Wellness.  She is a Master Trainer for the Resist-a-ball Company, ISCA Personal Training, Kick-boxing, and Beamfit.   Melissa serves as a fitness consultant for the LaValle Metabolic Institute.  To learn more, click here.]

For more great articles like this delivered to your inbox, subscribe to our free natural health newsletter!