Yoga And Balance

Gain harmony of mind and body on the mat

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I’ve been a trail runner for over 15 years, and a yoga practitioner for a decade. So when I decided to become a yoga instructor, naturally, I gravitated toward teaching runners, who are often nervous about attending their first class. They say things like, “Oh, I am so bad at yoga, I can’t even touch my toes,” or, “It’s so embarrassing, I’m just not flexible!”

I tell those students that touching their toes isn’t going to make them better runners. And that, despite the pretzel-like twists they see on Instagram, yoga isn’t about increasing flexibility. It’s about meeting yourself where you are. It’s about the harmony between mind and body, the union between individual and universe and, on a biomechanical level, it’s about balance.

It’s time to take that approach to the mat and improve your running. Here’s how.

Tightness and Efficiency

“To be an injury-free and efficient runner,” says Wesley Miller, 37, a running-mechanics-focused physical therapist in Asheville, North Carolina, “you need to have a balance of strength and flexibility to repeat the same motion over and over with relative symmetry.”

But this doesn’t require noodle flexibility, because running is a relatively low-range-of-motion sport.

“Much like a spring, you use your muscular system and passive connective system to generate passive energy,” says Miller. Simply put, muscle tension generates force with each step. And the more flexible you are, the less force is available.

“Muscle mass will create better

1 High Lunge to Split Squat