I’m a big proponent of yoga. It’s my second favorite form of exercise (next to running, of course), and in my opinion, no other form of exercise complements running better. Not only is yoga great for stretching out those tight muscles that we runners tend to get - it’s also wonderful for increasing your strength, particularly your core strength, which can only benefit your running.
I started getting into yoga a couple of years ago, after I had a bout of horrible back pain that rendered me virtually immobile for a couple of weeks. Although I have always been fairly flexible, I realized then that I was losing my flexibility rapidly as I got older and I really needed to do something about it before the back pain became a regular part of my life. Now, I try to make it to a yoga class at least once a week, although as the tightness I currently have in my hamstring reminds me, I really should make an effort to go even more often or at least do some poses at home.
If you’ve never done yoga before, you might not realize that there are several different styles of yoga. Personally, I prefer ‘power yoga’ because the long sequences of poses keeps me challenged and engaged in class. On the other hand, I really don’t like Bikram yoga (hot yoga) at all even though it’s quite challenging because the sequence of poses, from what I know about it anyway, is always the same. If you’re wondering what style of yoga might be right for you, read this article from Runner’s World on choosing the right yoga class for your personality and fitness goals.
If you’ve been thinking of trying out yoga, I would suggest starting with a class instead of with a video like so many people do, if only because it’s really difficult to make sure you’re doing the poses right without an instructor to watch you and guide you into the correct position if you’re not. However, once you’re familiar with the basic poses, a video is a good way to make yoga part of your routine even when you can’t find the time to make it to a class. If you’re looking for a great place to buy yoga videos, props, or clothing, you should try Gaiam.com - they have a great selection to choose from.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
LOVE yoga. LOVE all forms of yoga as long as the instructor is good. That’s what does it for me. If the teacher can challenge me and NOT bore me, then I’m all for it. Bikram, I enjoyed, when I was much younger and without kids and I began to love the same sequence because my body knew what was coming next. I believe yoga in mandatory in runner’s and cyclists.
Yoga is great! Especially, if you’re running, strength training, or playing sports.
It keeps you so supple and flexible while allowing to escape the daily grind and focus on living in the moment.
I personally do hot yoga as I love the sweat fest!
I got into hatha yoga after breaking my back at 16. My doctor and chiropractor provided very little in terms of rehab. I started doing 10 hours of ashtanga yoga a week until I was in way better shape than I had ever been before. I still practice yoga quite a bit and I think for any kind of contact sport it is so helpful to stay healthy. I watch the attrition rate on my soccer team right now and can’t help but think its such a waste. Anyone who suffers from hamstrings pulls, or groin pulls is really just not taking care of themselves. Yoga fixes all that real quickly.