Long before I practiced yoga, I was a runner - happily going about my intervals and A skips during high school track practice and racing those 1500 and 3000 meters at meets. But at this time I was not half way through my Kinesiology degree and little did I know the consequences that consistent running could have on my body. Running is a high impact sport of which its repetitive motions can leave you stiff and injury prone. I ended up having to deal with knee problems which took several weeks to rehabilitate before I could hit the road once again. And believe me - there are plenty more running injuries where that one came from.

Nowadays I pair my running up with a nice cup of yoga and have noticed some great improvements. I ran my first half marathon last May - and I know I couldn't have come out of it able-bodied without doing yoga on my off days (I was only limping around for TWO days after). As a former coach for the Running Room Inc., I have done tons of research on proper prep and follow up for safe running.  Read on and find out how pairing up even 15 minutes of yoga with your runs can go a long way.

WARM UP
Prepping your muscles for constant contraction and elongation will reduce the chances of straining muscle fibers and put you at a state of optimal oxygen/ blood circulation for the meat of your run.

•  5-10 minutes of jogging + dynamic stretching/ surya namaskar A and B will leave you feeling energized and pumped to rock those runners!

COOL DOWN
Immediately after exercise, the body goes through several cellular processes to ease itself back to its pre-exercise state. Taking time to cool down will help these different processes, help you recover faster for your next run, and prevent blood from pooling to you extremities (allowing enough oxygen to feed your hard working heart)!

• Walk/ slow jog for 5-10 minutes (depending on the intensity of your run)

STRETCH
Repetitive contractions of muscles throughout running phases will shorten and stiffen them. Stiff muscles may cause muscular imbalance which forces the body to compensate in such a way that will likely result in injury! Stretch immediately after cooling down. Never stretch on cold muscles and hold each stretch for at least 5 breaths.

• Static asanas for runners:

Quadriceps – Reclined hero, beginner’s dancer
Hip flexors – Dancer, crescent lunge (grab back of foot for higher intensity), pigeon
IT band - Figure 4, lotus
Hamstrings – Uttanasana (forward fold), downward dog, dancer
Calves – Big toe pose, warrior A (with back foot facing forward)
Gluts - Pigeon, half lord of the fishes pose (sitting spinal twist)
Hip adductors - Tortoise, frog, triangle
Back - Cat-cow, cobra, upward dog, full wheel, crescent moon
Shoulders and neck - Rolls, shoulder/heart openings

In conclusion...
Doing a few sun salutations before a run is a great way to warm up and dynamic stretch. Follow this with static asanas and you get a nicely sandwiched running routine that’s energizing, safe, and injury-free. If you are looking for more details on any of these topics feel free to send me an e-mail as I could go on forever about the mechanics and physiology of running! Hope this was helpful and I wish to all some happy runs!

Namaste,
Kimmi