How yoga can help your running

Has your running reached a bit of a plateau? Rather than piling on more mileage, why not try a different approach, and take up yoga? In the past, many coaches discouraged runners from doing yoga, saying it made them too flexible. But that theory was put out the window when Beryl Bender Birch, often credited as the creator of Power Yoga, introduced the practice to the New York Road Runner’s Club in the 1980s.

Though runners were skeptical at first, regular practice soon saw injury rates plummeting and performance soaring, and increasingly, research is now showing that yoga is a helpful addition to any athlete’s weekly training regime.

So how does yoga help runners? Well, it’s not just about becoming more flexible. Of course, yoga improves suppleness and strength, but it also enhances balance and coordination, increases breathing capacity and hones mental focus.

A study published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research found that athletes who practiced pranayama (yogic breathing) for a year or more showed greater exercise economy. In other words, they were able to work harder for the same heart rate, and could exercise at a higher intensity before hitting the lactate threshold.

Research published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine found that yogic breathing increased lung capacity and function, even in asthma sufferers. While in other Indian research, the rate of recovery from a tough treadmill run was measured after a restorative yoga posture, called Savasana, compared to simply resting or sitting in a chair. The yoga pose reversed the effects of the run in significantly shorter time.

 

Although running is a symmetrical activity, unlike, say, golf or tennis; it involves only the lower body, and one single plane of motion - forwards. This can create imbalances in the body – for example, the muscles that move the legs sideways become weak while those that are overused become tight. The continual pounding in running can also compress the spine.

Yoga flexes and extends the entire body in every direction, forwards, sideways, backwards and in rotation – so you get a more balanced workout as well as getting the opportunity to identify potential problem areas, such as over-tight hamstrings or weak glutes. ‘Sport isn’t designed to create perfect balance and harmony in the body,’ explains Rodney Yee, an American yoga guru and presenter of Yoga Conditioning for Sport (Gaiam Living Arts). ‘Yoga can help to redress the balance and in doing so, enhance performance and reduce the risk of injury.’ If nothing else, practicing yoga forces you to spend more time on stretching – the part of the training jigsaw we runners so notoriously neglect!

One to try… Downward-facing dog
This popular yoga posture stretches the entire back of the body, from calves to shoulders. Start on all fours with fingers facing forwards, hands under shoulders and knees under hips. Curl your toes under and push your body upwards so that your tailbone goes directly up into the air, arms, legs and spine straight, head relaxed. Press your heels down to the ground and think about lengthening through the spine. Imagine a cord is pulling your tailbone upwards. Hold for 15-20 seconds, then come down on to your knees and rest forehead on the floor for a moment. Repeat twice more.

To find an accredited yoga instructor in your area, contact the British Wheel of Yoga
Tel. 01529 306851