Yoga for Runners

Ahhhh the healing power of yoga! I've never been much of a "mind, body, and spirit" type of girl and I never counted what I considered "intense stretching" as a workout...until now. 

From my previous post about running while sore, you can tell that it was hard for me to walk yesterday after the intense Boot Camp class I took Saturday and the 6 mile run I completed on Sunday. Yesterday was a much needed rest and stretch day. Thankfully, my cable provider has a channel called "Sportskool" with a yoga for runners category...perfect! And I can do it without having to leave my apartment. I've done this 30 minute video a few times in the past when I was too lazy to go to the gym, but last night it healed me. Seriously. It hurt so good. I knew it was working and stretching me out so that I'd be able to run again today. 

There are many benefits yoga can provide other than just a good stretch:

- A good warm-up before any kind of activity or exercise
- Develop strong muscles - Especially in your legs. This is going to enhance your runs and build endurance. 
- Increase flexibility and improve your range of motion 
- Practice a peaceful mind - This will help your mental game during long runs so that you have the mental strength to keep going. There is no such thing as mind over body. Mind and body must work as a team.
- Improve posture - This is a big one for me because I have had back problems since I was a kid. I really need to work on this (for many reasons other than running), but mainly because when you're hunched over, you lose 30% of your lung capacity so it's harder for air to flow to your lungs during a run. 
- Better breathing - A big focus in yoga is breathing, which is equally as important while running so that you can continue to receive fresh oxygen to your muscles and your brain. "Runners think about training their heart and legs, but they rarely think about training their lungs."
- Speed up recovery time - This is exactly what I used yoga for this time, but I was still able to reap all of the benefits list above at the same time. I was unable to even sit down yesterday, but once I completed my quick yoga session, I now feel comfortable enough to run 4 miles this evening.
- A GOOD EXCUSE TO WEAR COMFY YOGA PANTS! 
Source

01/08/2013: Miles run - 15 of 1000. Miles remaining - 985 of 1000