A few months ago I experimented with removing running from my exercise routine because I wanted to see how much flexibility I could gain by laying off the daily pavement pounding and sticking with a daily yoga practice. I have a propensity for inflexibility in the first place, but to my surprise, the lack of running really didn’t make that much of a difference in terms of increased flexibility.
However, when I decided it was time to get back out on the streets again, my lungs felt like they were going to collapse. It was at that moment, when the side-cramp and wheezing reached a critical zenith, that I realized I needed to balance out my yoga practice with aerobic exercise.
I still needed running.
While running has many benefits, it can also beat up on the body a little bit, which is why yoga complements it so well. Try some of these recommended stretches/poses from Runner’s World to stay loose and flexible after your next workout.
I also recommend checking out Yoga for Runners at Yoga Journal.
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I started running a little while ago and now run 3/4 times a week. I was wondering if it was impacting on my yoga practice so it’s timely that you wrote this post. I love yoga but I also love running to get my heart rate up and keep it up. I think running and yoga complement each other well.
Great recommendations! On Dec. 14, Living Beyond Breast Cancer will hold a free yoga program that will focus on the emotional benefits of yoga, esp. for women going through breast cancer treatment. Is this something you can promote in future blog entries? For more info, go here: http://lbbc.org/content/event/yoga-uniting-body-mind-spirit.asp?c=educational&t=participate&sn=networking