Running is an excellent exercise that helps to strengthen your core and leg muscles and is an ideal form of meditation, it could also cause tight hamstrings, hips, and quads. Yoga prior to or following a run is a great alternative to running, since regular practice helps to release those tight spots, improve your balance, increase flexibility (which helps reduce the risk of injuries) and strengthen the glutes and your core and make you a better runner.
Whatever stage you’re in during your run These yoga poses for runners can be a wonderful addition to your training.
1. (Baddha Konasana) Butterfly
A great seated yoga position Butterfly pose is a fantastic method to loosen your hips following a run. Since it’s a sitting pose it offers relaxation benefits and also helps stretch your psoas muscles, inner thighs and lower back, each of which may be tight after a run.
Look at the image above for a the butterfly pose. Start by sitting on the floor, your legs extended towards the front. Begin by bringing both of your soles together, allowing your knees drop like a butterfly. Keep the bottom of your feet pressing into the mat. Let your feet fall apart as if they were books to stretch your ankles and feet as you gradually letting your knees drop towards the floor, but not putting them down.
If you find this stretch to be too strenuous, you may place yourself on a cushion, block or bolster to help stretch your hips while ensuring that you’re keeping your spine straight.
2. Half-Pigeon (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana)
Half-pigeon is a great hip opener. Although the front leg might appear to be the one that is getting a fantastic internal rotation rear leg is stretching the hip flexor and psoas muscles.
To get your entire body in the posture place your body on your mat, and extend your left leg behind your back. Bring your right shin to a point where it is in line with the mat’s front and flexing your right leg to shield your knee. Make sure your hips remain aligned as you ease your hips.
Use your hands to assist your body in this upright position or, to push it further, you can lower your forearms to get a more intense stretch. It is possible to put an object under your back leg in order to keep your body in place. Within 30 to 60 minutes (or longer! ), switch your legs.
3. Joyful Child (Ananda Balasana)
The Happy Baby is yoga pose that assists to stretch the hips while also releasing the glutes, lower back and groin. These muscles are prone to tightening when utilized to support your body while running.
Start lying on your mat on your back by bending your knees towards your stomach. Utilize your hands to grasp the outside blades of your feet, pulling your knees toward your armpits and keep your feet bent. Relax your body and relax into the stretch, then pulling your knees towards your armpits, avoiding your legs. You may also rock gently around here and massage the lower part of your back. If you need to, utilize straps instead of clinging on to your feet to allow this posture to be easy.
4. Downward Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
Downward dog is an excellent pose to show your legs some love. This pose helps stretch your hamstrings and calves, as well as your feet arches. This calming pose can also help to lengthen your spine as well as stretch your shoulders. It is a great part of your yoga routine to get your body ready for exercise.
Start on your mat with your knees and hands, placing your knees beneath your hips. Spread your fingers out and push into your palms while you raise your tailbone up to the ceiling, aiming to straighten your legs. You can push your feet to work further to your calves. Keep in mind that the aim of downwards down is not to lower your heels as low as possible however, to maintain the length in your body.
5. Gomukhasana, or the cow face pose
A seated position which is a great post-run pose (or any time you need a bit of recuperation) and helps relax the muscles tight in the glutes as well as the hips. If you do the entire pose it can also provide an excellent shoulder stretch.
Begin by sitting upon your mat. Move your left knee towards the middle of the mat and stack the right knee over the top. Keep your back straight as well as your knees in a relaxed position and allowing your hips to widen and your tailbone drop toward the floor. Sit on a blanket, block or a bolster if you need. Make the pose more challenging through lengthening the spine bent forward on your knees, while maintaining your spine straight. This posture typically includes an triceps stretch, that can be great for opening the chest.
However, you could also put you hands on the floor, and focus on stretching your hips instead. If you opt to take an upper-body stretch, raise your right arm over your head and bend your elbow while you pull both arms behind you and your fingers reach out to hold the other. Make sure to repeat the pose for both legs.
6. Bridge (Sarvangasan Setu Bandha)
Bridge post is a soft backbend that helps to open the chest. The benefit of this posture is that it can aid in strengthening and activating your core, including the glutes which are very crucial when you run.
Begin lying in a position on your back then bending your knees while pull your heels closer towards your glutes you can and you should be able to gently touch your heels using your fingers. While your hands are down on the ground, you can work by flexing your glutes, then lift your hips to the ceiling. If you’d like to increase the intensity of the posture, try rolling your shoulders toward one another, while holding your hands in a slack on the ground to expand your body.
Whatever you do, ensure you have your neck at ease and your ears are separated from your shoulders. Keep your keeping your chin tucked gently to your chest to secure your neck.
7. Forward Fold (Uttanasana)
Forward fold is another excellent exercise to perform after running because it offers a fantastic stretch for your muscles of the hamstrings. Additionally, it gently loosens the lower back that is often needed after a run, or anytime you’re looking to show some love for your body.
Start standing with your feet about hip-width apart. Begin by extending your back and bending your hips. Inhale and extend, then exhale and fold your body and bringing your face toward your knees or the shins. From here, you are able to hold elbows or put your hands on the block’s top or on the floor. Keep your legs straight, however make sure you don’t restrict the knee joints.
8. Lizard (Utthan Pristhasana)
Lizard pose offers an opportunity to stretch all the muscles that are tight during running: hip flexors and hamstrings and quads.
Start in the downward-facing position. When you exhale take your right foot towards just outside your hand. Drop your back knee towards the mat while keep your hips aligned towards the mat’s front. Begin to lower your forearms towards the mat while keeping your right knee aligned with your left ankle. Remember that this is an intense stretch on the hips, so be at ease keeping your arms straight or utilize a block to assist you bring your forearms down to the floor. Make sure to repeat the exercise for both legs.
9. Ardha Matsyendrasana, Half Lord Of The Fishes
A spinal twist that is seated is great for your back after a run and can assist in mobilizing your spine and also ease any tension in your shoulders and neck.
Start seated on your mat with your legs extended out in front of you. Flex your left knee, and then pull it over your left leg until your right foot is in front of the left side of your thigh. Bend your left leg, bringing your left heel towards your left glute, keeping your hips square. Make sure your right fingers are on the floor in front of you, while bending your left arm before lifting it above your right leg bent.
Breathe deeply into the twist, focusing to keep your spine long and your hips in a straight line. If you’re not able hold your hips straight at this point maintain your left leg spread to the front as you twist. Repeat the exercise on both sides.
10. Tree Pose (Vrksasana)
An exercise that is more challenging than the other poses trees pose can also provide recuperation in the form of stretching your groin, quads and shoulders. Tree pose is an essential yoga posture for runners since it improves to improve balance and strengthen your ankles. This helps lower the chance of injury.
Begin by standing on your mat. Weight evenly across both feet. Transfer your weight to your left foot, then reach down and bend your right ankle. Pull your right leg towards the left side of your calf or the thigh. Don’t place your foot directly against your knee because this can strain your knee.
Find your balance by bringing your hips and shoulders over your body. Bring your hands up to your chest, and when you can you can extend them over your head. If you are flexible then you may even extend your hands into a prayer position above your head. Keep the post in place for up to 30 minutes before repeating the opposite leg.
