10 reasons why runners should do yoga

Yoga is great for strengthening the muscles used in running, such as the quads, hip flexors, glutes and hamstrings. But not only does it help you power up the major running muscle groups, but it also offers an all-over workout engaging the minor muscles often underused in running and the super important deep core muscles that provide stability.

That head-to-toe strengthening is great for balancing out your muscles and actually improving your running performance. For example, stronger arms and shoulders will boost your arm drive, helping to propel you forward when you run.

Yoga classes are a wonderful way to loosen up your body and feel able to move more freely. Runners often suffer from tight muscles and poor hip flexibility, something even the gentlest beginner yoga class can help with. Don't worry, you don’t have to throw yourself straight into any crazy flexible poses.

Gradually increasing your range of movement can reduce your risk of injury, as your body becomes used to a broader scope of motion. Poses where your legs move out to the side, such as warrior pose, can be of huge benefit when your usual range is limited to moving backwards and forwards as you run.

Learning to run tall is vital for helping keep injuries at bay. Yoga helps improve your alignment and posture, teaching you to stand tall, elongate your spine and create space within the body. And the pressure and tension that this relieves feels amazing!

Proprioception is the ability to sense where your body is in space and it can be harder than you think! Try closing your eyes and placing your feet perfectly parallel. You’ll probably find they’re actually pointing inwards or outwards when you open your eyes.

Having good kinaesthetic awareness of your body and how it’s moving – which, helpfully, yoga is good at improving – is important for achieving running technique and preventing injury.

This one is perhaps one of the most important reasons for runners to take up yoga. Nothing is more frustrating than having to take time out from training when you’re struck down with a running injury. Practising yoga is an excellent way to identify and address small niggles and muscle imbalances before they cause injury.

Strength imbalances are common in runners. You may have dominant quads, causing your hamstrings and glutes to become weaker and weaker over time – however much you run. Yoga can help balance out your muscles and get them working in harmony to support and relieve strain on your joints and spine. A great yoga instructor will be able to help you identify your unique imbalances and you might find they pop up in unexpected places, like your knee pain actually being caused by a hip imbalance.

From one-legged balances to simple standing poses, many yoga moves need full body engagement to achieve that strong, grounded feeling of perfect balance. As you learn to engage your core, stand tall and focus your mind intently on balancing, you’ll find that inner poise and control spills over into your running technique.

‘The breath’ is a huge part of yoga classes, as our yoga instructors teach various techniques to help us breathe consciously, fully and deeply. It’s amazing how many of us are only using a tiny portion of our lung capacity day-to-day!

Developing an awareness of the power of the breath can be a useful extra string to your running bow. Use it to up your oxygen intake, relax you or give you an energy boost as needed.

While yoga certainly has many physical benefits for runners, it also has countless mental ones. One of our favourites is the resilience it helps build as you learn to relax and breathe into intense or challenging poses. Training your brain to overcome that discomfort can come in super handy during long runs and winter weather.

While a certain amount of running through discomfort is a necessary part of pushing yourself to improve as a runner, carrying on through pain and injury is never a good idea. The mindfulness and body awareness you develop through practising yoga can help you learn when to push and when to go easy and allow yourself time to recover.

Are you exerting yourself in a good way or putting yourself at risk of injury? Should you carry on or rest? Yoga will help you answer these tough questions, making sure you look after yourself and don’t push yourself too hard.

As well as all that active relaxation and breathing, most yoga classes include a blissful meditation session (during which some members of the Neilson team have been known to nod off). Learning to slow down your mind can help you handle stress, sleep better and even relax before an important race

With so many different kinds of yoga from energetic Ashtanga to gentle Hatha, there’s definitely one for you out there. Or why not have a go on holiday at a Neilson Beachclub? Our expert instructors will introduce you to different types of yoga with plenty of options and alternatives for all abilities.