Top 5 Yoga Poses for Runners

Posted on Friday, November 11, 2011 23 notes Comments

Here are International Yoga Expert Beth Shaw’s top 5 yoga poses to help reduce the leg soreness and stiffness that runners often experience. Beth Shaw is the founder and president of YogaFit, the world’s largest Yoga teaching school, which has trained over 200,000 yoga and fitness instructors worldwide.

Beth suggests these 5 simple yoga poses for runners:

Modified Dancer to Full Dancer for a quad stretch
Upside Down Pigeon Pose to stretch your hip abductors and glutes
Forward Fold to stretch out your hamstring muscles
Crescent Lunge to stretch out the Hip flexors
Butterfly Pose and open the adductors

Here are detailed instructions on how to do each pose.

DANCER POSE: Begin in a mountain (standing) pose and, balancing on the right leg, bend the left knee and open your left hand so the palm is facing away from you. Wrap your fingers around your foot and hold the quadriceps stretch for a breath or two.

Next, reaching the right arm to the sky, you allow the left foot to push into the left hand as it straightens away and behind you. Your body will naturally tip forward a bit as your hand presses into the foot and the foot presses into the hand. (If you were facing a mirror, you might see your back toes peaking above your head, like a feather in your cap for attempting this fun back bend, ankle strengthening and stretch).

Hold for three breaths, keeping the core tight and finding a focal point to stare at to assist in balancing. Return to standing and repeat on the other side.

UPSIDE DOWN PIDGEON POSE: Lying face up on the floor, lifting the legs to knee height off the floor, bring the right ankle to the left quadriceps – aiming for a spot on the leg midway between knee and groin.

Pull left knee in towards body, push right knee away gently until you feel a deep stretch in the hip and glute are. Hold for 10 deep breaths and switch sides.

FORWARD FOLD: When at resting heart rate, standing, hinge at the hips folding forward - grab onto elbows, or more intense- grab ankles - with fluid breathing sink a little further on each exhale, letting the crown of the head move towards the floor and relaxing the head and neck as much as possible.

Take 10 deep breaths. This pose is not recommended for anyone with a heart condition or if heart rate is higher than resting.

CRESCENT LUNGE: Step back from Mountain (standing) Pose, lower back knee toward the floor while keeping front knee bent and knee over ankle. Gently squeeze glutes to stretch the front of your body including quads and hip flexor. Reach arms up into a gentle back bend.

BUTTERFLY POSE: Start seated with the soles of the feet together, gently place hands on the ankles and use elbows to press thighs and knees towards the floor, breathe and visualize the hip flexors softening.