Ask the experts: I'm a runner. Is yoga good for me?
A modified Warrior I pose stretches the quadriceps, making it perfect for runners.
Yoga is not only good for you,
it's essential. Unlike sports
such as tennis or climbing, which
require a variety of movements,
running relies on a limited range
of motion. As a result, only a few
muscles get trained and tight, and
the rest of your body goes along for
the ride. If you have any kind of
structural imbalance-say you spent
years carrying a baby on one hip or
you fell off a bike as a kid-it will be
exacerbated by running. Effective
stretching is the only way to
lengthen shortened muscles and
keep the body in balance.
If you have a serious injury,
I recommend one-on-one yoga
therapy with a qualified instructor.
(See the International Association of
Yoga Therapists at iayt.org.) Otherwise,
an active yoga program-like
Ashtanga, power, Vinyasa, or Iyengar-
will help tremendously. Start
with a beginner's course, and keep in
mind, the fitter you are as an athlete,
the more difficult yoga will be for
you. So take it slow and easy.
Certain poses offer particular
benefits to runners. For example,
Downward-Facing Dog (Adho
Mukha Svanasana) stretches the
back and the back of the legs, as well
as the shoulder and intercostal muscles,
and strengthens the abdominals
and arms. Hero pose (Virasana)
loosens the quadriceps, instep, knees,
and feet. It's an excellent way to
reduce the likelihood of foot and
ankle injuries, such as plantar
fascitis, Achilles tendinitis, and stress
fractures. Warrior I (Virabhadrasana)
pose stretches and strengthens
the quadriceps, opens the groin and
hips, and improves balance and
concentration. (A modified Warrior I
is shown here.)
A word of caution: Never practice
yoga in an air-conditioned room.
And remember, you don't stretch to
warm up; you warm up to stretch.
I tell my students, "If yoga seems
too difficult at first, it gets easier. If
it seems too easy, it gets a lot harder."
-Beryl Bender Birch, founder and
director of The Hard & The Soft Yoga
Institute (power-yoga.com) and author
of Power Yoga (Prion Books, 1995)
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