Have I mentioned here before that I’ve taken up running again? Running seems to be one of those things that I’ve always done on and off. The off times usually come because of some injury – running-related or not. This goes back to when I was 16 and screwed up my knees by running too much and stretching too little. The doctor’s advice at the time was basically to stop running.
Thanks, doc!
It was my quest for some other sort of exercise that led me to yoga. I needed something that made me sweat but was kind to my body. No matter what else I’m doing in terms of fitness, yoga has pretty much been the constant. This go-round, I’ve been running on Tuesdays and Thursdays and doing yoga Monday, Wednesday, Friday. It feels like a nice balance, and I’ve been looking for some yoga poses to help my body bounce back from the stress that running puts on it.
Here are a few of the running-related poses that I’ve been digging:
- Cobbler’s pose
- Seated head-to-knee
- Revolved head-to-knee
- Intense side stretch
- Standing forward bend
- Shoulder stand/Plow pose
- Lotus pose – I like to throw in some neck stretches, while I’m here.
- Wide angle seated forward bend
- Bow pose
- Reclining big toe
You can really do some or all of these – whatever you think your body needs! I like to mix a few into my regular routine, depending on how I’m feeling. Do you guys have any exercise recovery yoga that’s been helpful to you? I’d love to hear about it!
Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by kharied
4 Responses to The Yoga Project: 10 Poses for Running Recovery
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Surfed into your site from ALTGlobe.com, I’m also a runner and having problems with my knees! Thanks for the great ideas to implement Yoga into my running routine to help my knees! Great poses.
Oh awesome! I hope it helps. :)
thanks! this is great! I’m so sad I haven’t been able to run in like a month because of my knee. Although, I think it’s more than the orthodics I got are making it really bad. My podiatrist just did an “adjustment” and the pain and stiffness went all the way up to my hip and my calf muscle is now permanently really tight. I got them in the first place because of knee pain but the pain has just gotten worst. I’m going to try ditching them and trying these stretches instead!
Awesome, Selene! I hope it goes well. You might want to check with your doc before pushing the yoga thing too hard. I’d love to hear how it goes!