Yoga for Runners

Yoga Journal

Sage Rountree, 35, discovered that yoga buoyed her athletic performance when she trained for her first marathon in 2002. "I hurt less, recovered faster, and learned breathwork and mantras to cope with the tedious intensity of running long distances," she says. Now, as a yoga teacher and the author of The Athlete's Guide to Yoga, her experience informs her classes for runners in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. "Running and yoga both require comfort with discomfort," she says. "You come up to the edge of what you can handle, and you use form and breath to keep yourself steady."

Like tennis players and golfers, runners typically suffer injuries from overusing certain muscles. Part of the problem, explains Rountree, is that runners get stuck in their frontal plane. Running's repetitive forward momentum stresses structures that propel the body forward, such as the external hip rotators and the iliotibial band, which can cause runner's knee (patellofemoral pain). Other common overuse injuries include shin splints and plantar fasciitis (pain along the sole of the foot). Rountree's favorite poses to counter the wear and tear of running include Janu Sirsasana (Head-of-the-Knee Pose), which brings awareness and openness to the back body; Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge), to stretch the hip flexors of the back leg and strengthen the knee on the front leg; and Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose) at the wall, to open the hips and boost proprioception, the ability to sense your body's movement and position.

Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge)

Almost an extreme exaggeration of the running stride, the Low Lunge addresses tight hip flexors and, by evenly strengthening the collateral ligaments on either side of the knee, makes the knee joint more stable, Rountree says. From your hands and knees, with toes tucked under, bring the right foot between the hands, lining up your fingertips and toes. See that the right shin is perpendicular to the ground, and place the right knee directly in front of the hip. Exhaling, lower the hips and take the back @knee to the ground. Runners' hips are notoriously tight, so if you need to, start with a 90-degree angle between your front and back thighs. Eventually you can lower your hips so that the angle increases to about 180 degrees. Square the hips from front to back, making them parallel to the short sides of your mat. Hold here for 30 seconds. For a stronger stretch, bring your hands to your knee for another few breaths. Switch sides.

Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose), variation

This pose can give you muscle strength as well as a better awareness of the position of your body in space, says Rountree. And practicing with your raised foot against a wall or door frame helps steady you. Set a block about 12 inches in front of your right foot and slightly to the right of it. Rest your right hand on the block, positioning it beneath your shoulder. Lift the left leg and put your foot against the wall or door frame. Runners tend to collapse in the chest and shoulders, so stack the left shoulder above the right and extend the left arm above the body, palm facing the same direction as the front of the body. Feel the external rotation of both legs opening the hips. Keep the right knee and toes pointing in the same direction. Hold for a minute before switching sides.

Janu Sirsasana (Head-of-the-Knee Pose)

Sit with your legs extended (if your lower back rounds, sit on a folded blanket or two). Inhale and bend your right knee to the right, then bring the sole of the right foot to the inner left thigh. Root down through your sitting bones. Exhale and rotate the torso slightly to the left. This twisting motion stretches the quadratus lumborum, a muscle that runs from the top of the pelvis to the lower back. "Keeping it loose allows you to maintain a neutral pelvis as you run, which wards off hip pain," Rountree explains. Keep the inner left thigh pressing into the ground. Align your navel with the middle of the left thigh. Stay here or hinge forward from the hips until you feel a stretch down the back of the left leg. Keep the left quadriceps muscles engaged to release the hamstrings. Hold for up to 1 minute before switching

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Posted by Online Editor Erica Rodefer.