Yoga for Runners

Follow the poses below in the order they are listed

Half Forward Bend – Ardha Uttanasana
Benefits – spinal strength, improves posture
From a Forward Bend, press your palms or fingertips into the floor (or blocks on the floor) beside your feet. With an inhale, straighten your elbows and arch your torso away from your thighs, finding as much length between your pubic bone and navel as possible. With your palms (or fingertips) push down and back against the floor, and lift the top of your chest up (away from the floor) and forward. You might bend your knees slightly to help get this movement, which will arch the back. Look forward, but be careful not to compress the back of your neck. Hold the arched-back position for a few breaths. Then, with an exhale, release your torso into full Forward Bend. Repeat 5-10 times

Triangle Pose – Trikonasana
Benefits: hips and inner thighs
Stand with feet about 3 feet apart, feet parallel, point the left foot out 90 degrees. Reach the left arm forward; drawing the left thigh upwards and tucking the hip at you come forward. Drop the left hand down onto your shin or ankle, or if you are more open, onto the floor inside or outside the left foot. Do whichever one feels most comfortable. The right shoulder stacks on top of the left one as you open the chest reaching the right fingertips upwards while keeping the right shoulder rooted in the socket. Take your gaze up toward the right fingertips. Draw the left thigh muscle upwards, deepening the left hip crease. Stack the right hip on top of the left. Repeat on the right side

Downward Facing Dog – Adho Mukha Svanasana
Benefits: arms, shoulders, spine, hamstrings, Achilles tendons
Come to your hands and knees with the wrists underneath the shoulders and the knees underneath the hips. Curl the toes under and push back raising the hips and straightening the legs. Spread the fingers and ground down from the forearms into the fingertips. Outwardly rotate the upper arms broadening the collarbones. Let the head hang, move the shoulder blades away from the ears towards the hips. Engage the quadriceps strongly to take the weight off the arms, making this a resting pose. Rotate the thighs inward, keep the tail high and sink your heels to the floor. Check that the distance between your hands and feet is correct by coming forward to a plank position. The distance between the hands and feet should be the same in these two poses. Do not step the feet toward the hands in Down Dog in order the get the heels to the floor. This will happen eventually as the muscles lengthen.

Yoga Lunge – Ardha Mandalasana
Benefits: hamstrings, groin, spine
How To: From Downward Dog, step right foot between hands, knee over ankle, place the hands shoulder-width apart on either side of the front foot. Only the ball of the back foot is on the ground. The heel is extending back. Release the groin muscles and drop the hips evenly downwards the floor. Away from the extension of the back heel reach the spine forward, out of the crown of the head. Inhale and open the chest, looking forward softly.
Hold for 5-10 breaths, step back to Downward Dog, repeat on other side.

Hero Pose – Virasana
Benefits: feet, ankles, thighs, relieves plantar fasciatis
Kneel on the mat or blanket and lower buttocks onto the soles of the feet. Bring the big toes together and separate the heels so they touch the sides of the hips. (You may find it more comfortable to separate your feet and knees and place a blanket or cushion under buttocks and heels. If the ankles or knees become sore, release and massage them immediately.) Arms are drawn down with hands on the knees, palms down. Allow the spine and head to straighten but not tense. Notice if you are arching backward or slumping forward and re-align to balance. Relax your entire body, close the eyes and breathe normally.

Pigeon Pose – Kapotasana
Benefits: piriformis, hips, inner thigh, low back
From a kneeing position, bring your right knee to your right wrist, move your right ankle towards your left wrist, moving your right shin parallel with the front of your yoga mat. The tighter your hips the less you will
be able to move the shin forward. Square your hips and keep hands under your shoulders lower your buttocks to the ground (you may need to put a pillow under your right buttock for support). Gradually walk your arms forward and stretch your upper body out along the ground in front of you. Hold for 10 breaths and switch sides.

Head to knee pose – Janu Sirasana
Benefits: hamstrings
Sitting with legs extended in front, draw the sole of the right foot as high up onto the lift inner thigh as possible. Exhale and bend from the hips so that the hipbones hinge onto the thighs (bend the straight the knee if necessary). Clasp the foot ankle or shin of your extended leg and press your butt onto the floor. Keep the shoulders away from the ears, keep breathing and hold the position for 30 seconds. Inhale and come out of the pose.

Twist Pose – Ardha Matsyendrasana
Benefits: hips and spine
1. Take the right foot and place it on the outside of the left knee, right sole on the ground. Pull your knee across your body until an easy stretch is felt on the right hip. Hold for 30 seconds
2. Inhale the right arm up and lengthen the spine vertically, exhale and place the right hand behind the tailbone and turn the head to look over the right shoulder. Place the left elbow on the outside of the right knee. Rotate the right shoulder blade back and the shoulder blade forward, keeping the shoulders level. Keep sitting up straight and breathing deeply. Hold for 30 seconds then gently unravel the body. Switch sides

Reclining Hand to Big Toe Pose – Supta Padagusthasana.
Benefits: hamstrings
Lie supine on the floor, legs strongly extended. If your head doesn’t rest comfortably on the floor, support it on a folded blanket. Exhale, bend the left knee, and draw the thigh into your torso. Hug the thigh to your belly. Press the front of the right thigh heavily to the floor, and push actively through the right heel. Loop a strap around the arch of the left foot and hold the strap in both hands. Inhale and straighten the knee, pressing the left heel up toward the ceiling. Walk your hands up the strap until the elbows are fully extended. Broaden the shoulder blades across your back. Keeping the hands as high on the strap as possible, press the shoulder blades lightly into the floor. You can stay here in this stretch, or turn the leg outward from the hip joint, so the knee and toes look to the left. Pinning the top of the right thigh to the floor, exhale and swing the left leg out to the left and hold it a few inches off the floor. Continue rotating the leg. As you feel the outer thigh move away from the left side of the torso, try to bring the left foot in line with the left shoulder joint. Inhale to bring the leg back to vertical. Lighten your grip on the strap as you do, so that you challenge the muscles of the inner thigh and hip to do the work. Hold the vertical position of the leg anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes, and the side position for an equal length of time. Repeat on the right for the same length of time.