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Stretching is Not Yoga: The Difference Matters

Last Updated on by Amanda Brooks

My workout log usually shows stretch or yoga daily. The distinction may seem arbitrary and for a long time I thought it was…stretching is not yoga.

Many formats of yoga combine static stretching with dynamic, moving stretches, as well as balance and strength. Practice with steady breathing can also help with mental health, contributing to stress relief and release of endorphins during and after a yoga class.

I know what’s what many of you are thinking.

Yes, indeed yoga involves holding static stretches, but a true yoga practice is about so much more than some static movements for flexibility.Yoga is more than stretching

How is Yoga Different than Stretching?

Here’s what I have learned over the last few years:

Yoga can be a strength practice.
Stretching is only focused on flexibility.

Yoga requires a focus on breathing. It’s about centering and connecting with yourself.
Stretching is what I do in the evening while watching Suits with David. {He can’t see me drool from the floor.}

Yoga brings a feeling of slow…of calm.
Stretching usually feels like hurry up and get it done.

Yoga allows you to feel connected – to others, to life, to yourself.
Stretching allows you to feel productive {don’t lie that’s why lots of you do it!}.

Yoga asks you to stick with the uncomfortable and that translates off the mat.
Stretching has you stop before it’s uncomfortable.Stretching is not yoga, find out why the difference mattersNone of this is to say I don’t love and still do stretching!

Stretching ideas for runners…

Benefits of Yoga for Runners

But yoga is something more and deserves a different spot in our training.

It deserves focused attention so that we can get the most from it. Here are just some of the reported benefits from not only practitioners and teachers, but medical studies.

  • Enhances focus
  • Builds muscle strength
  • Helps you stand taller
  • Improve balance {important as running is on one foot}
  • Improves lung capacity {one study showed asthma improvements}
  • Aids digestion
  • Prescribed to relieve back pain
  • Prescribed to lessen anxiety and depression
  • Improves blood flow
  • Helps to detox (great post Thanksgiving or girls night out)
  • Gentle yoga shown to help with rheumatoid arthritis

My friend, runner and yoga teacher Christine had this to say:

Typically, when we think of stretching, it’s a pretty passive activity. You hang over your legs after a long run or you kind of, sort of reach for your toes when sitting on the floor watching some TV. Yoga is much more than that!

It’s actually an active process. Yes you stretch some muscles but you also engage others to help maintain stability of your joints in each pose. It teaches your body to work together and improves your sense of body awareness and proprioception.

But my other favorite reason that yoga is more than stretching is because it has a powerful ability to calm you mind and help your body relax. The combination of deep breathing and movements can tap into your parasympathetic nervous system – your body’s rest and digest part of the nervous system.Benefits of yoga for runners
Convinced?
Awesome, here are some yoga workouts for runners!

Yoga Gets Emotional

For awhile now I have been feeling like I needed consistent yoga in my life, but I kept saying I was too busy with marathon training or traveling.

But the truth is “too busy” is a poor excuse. I’ve written all about how to find the time, and what it boils down to is not choosing to make it a priority.

Now more than ever, I know my mind and body could use some cortisol reduction, help digesting and simply moving in a new way. But there’s one more thing about yoga….

It makes me cry.

Running allows me to pound out the stress of work, the anger at losing a loved one, the frustrations of unknown health answers and of course the confusions of political times. But yoga heals my heart in a different way, which I’m finally seeing is just as valuable.

When I find myself holding an intense posture and the teacher begins talking about breathing in to your tense spots…tears begin to spring to my eyes and I have the overwhelming urge to just cry. It’s not the miserable “life is so hard” kind of cry. It’s a recognition of the ache in my heart that I so artfully bury with constant activity and motion the rest of the time.

Anyone else find that yoga brings out emotions for them???

Don’t get me wrong, when I leave I am happy, fulfilled, totally sore and refreshed…so this is a good thing! I have also found that yoga is amazing for getting out lactic acid and massaging those overworked muscles…I might be sore at first but I feel incredible later.

Now having said all that, I hope you’ll be holding me accountable to adding more yoga to my routine and enjoying all the benefits that it provides.

Does yoga make you emotional? Zen?

How do you make it part of your routine?

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Category: Cross Training, Recovery, Yoga

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Comments

  1. Alisa Fleming

    That looks more like contortionism to me! I’m TERRIBLE at Zen, so I always do power or the more flowing types of yoga. It doesn’t bring me to tears, but sometimes my hips are screaming at me!

  5. Sarah- A Whisk and Two Wands

    I love this! I never thought of yoga as a workout but every since adding it to my life it’s made such a difference and not just physically but mentally and I notice when I neglect it. It’s such a powerful exercise that makes a world of difference!

  6. Christine @ Love, Life, Surf

    Yes! Yoga is so much more than stretching. I think that’s one thing that many people don’t realize is that it’s only one part of a much larger practice. And yoga definitely makes me emotional and cry sometimes too. I think there’s something about being in a certain space or just really letting yourself listen to your body and mind that causes the emotions to run. Thanks for letting me share some word here!

    • amanda

      I adore your insights!! I also forgot to talk about how much emotion women carry in their hips and releasing that tension could be part of the crying too!

  7. Jodi

    YES YES YES!~ I so love how you wrote this…oh my gosh Coach…this is amazing and I can relate to every single thing you said.

    I started out doing yoga 4 years ago just for the “stretching” for my running and to support my dear friend…however, it has turned into so much more than that…it has turned into a very emotional and spiritual journey for me and I keep finding a hunger to learn more about the philosophy of it all and the Goddesses.

    I attend yoga class 1-2 times a week and have found the anusara type to be my favorite. The strength required is amazing…

  8. Elizabeth Shaw

    I’ve said for months I need to get on the yoga train and now more than ever I know this is what I need to do! I definitely have heard that yoga can be emotional but also very therapeutic too. I guess it’s time I start doing and stop saying!

  10. Allie

    So true! This is a great post. I had an incredibly stressful job for over a year. I started going to yoga and I after I got the hang of the poses and could really focus on the practice I found myself crying uncontrollably as soon as we were in savasana pose. It was my only (healthy) emotional release of stress and I felt so much better when I left class. Fortunately it was hot yoga so it was hard to distinguish the tears from the mess of sweat!! ?

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