YogaFit Provides Yoga Practices for Runners to Help Sooth Sore Muscles
The YogaFit team has assembled a list of yoga poses and stretches that can help sooth muscle soreness common for athletes and active runners.
Online, June 26, 2013 (Newswire.com) - Yoga, the 6,000-year-old ancient practice for better health and vitality is not such a big secret any more. Runners, swimmers and cyclists are just a few within the growing number of athletic communities that are discovering yoga's many benefits. Continuous practice in various yoga training exercises will provide increased flexibility, strength, mental focus, calm and relaxation. It functions as the perfect cross training complement to their workout program.
Whether it is aerobics, running, biking, swimming or power lifting - utilizing and actively practicing yoga can balance your body and mind. Runners, and other athletes in particular, can benefit from yoga's balancing benefits.
A sport like running, while beneficial, leaves our bodies tight in many areas - usually the hamstrings, hips, quadriceps and calves. A good yoga practice can balance the body, bringing flexibility to these muscles and ligaments, increasing efficiency and relaxation to your running program. Here are a few great stretches and poses to help deal with post run soreness:
QUAD STRETCH: Lying facedown on the floor - bend one leg and grab onto the ankle gently pulling the leg back and up - try touching your foot to your gluts. Switch sides. This can also be done standing. Be cautious if you have knee problems.
UPSIDE DOWN PIDGEON POSES: 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 muscles. 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.
SPINAL TWIST: Lying down on back extend limbs away from body. Bring right knee into chest and draw across left side of the body - place left hand on right thigh. Allow for low back release. Keep hips square and draw knee towards floor. Hold for 5-10 deep breaths. Switch sides.
ABDOMINAL EXERCISES: All of the movements originate from the mid-section. Making the center strong only enhances our running. Lie on back with your feet on the floor. Interlace hands behind head and slowly lift on the exhale, release on the inhale and like a wave, let the strong centered breath lift you up and down. Keep the abs contracted at all times.
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