We love the endorphins and the sweat and being out in nature, it’s often why yoga for runners feels like a last resort in their toolbox of training.
Especially because 90% of runners, like my husband who feel out of place, not flexible enough, horribly uncomfortable with the chanting then you understand what I’m saying, you’re convinced yoga is NOT for you.
Relaxing makes us type A runners more stressed.
It’s like telling someone not to be mad…immediately they see red and want to rip your eyes out. But that doesn’t meant we should shun yoga, it’s absolutely a tool to improve our mobility, flexibility and strength.
Is Yoga Good for Runners?
Once you get past the Ommm and the words you don’t understand (remember fartlek wasn’t always in your vocabulary) then you can get down to business. Becoming a better runner.
- Enhances the mental ability to move through discomfort
- Builds muscle strength in hips, core and glutes for injury prevention
- Helps you stand taller which improves running form
- Improve balance {important as running is on one foot}
- Improves lung capacity {one study showed asthma improvements}
- Helps to detox (great post Thanksgiving or girls night out)
Still not convinced?
I did a super in depth post on the benefits of yoga for running and how to maximize them! And for those who have been reaching to ask if yoga is good for runner’s knee? Yes…ish.
Anything that helps you to build strength and stability in your glutes, hips and core is going to help! I believe you also need some of the specific physical therapy style movements I’ve shared previously for runner’s knee.
Can you do yoga online for free?
Absolutely! One thing I love to recommend to runners is taking your yoga outside, it’s an easy way to get you more excited to slow down because you’re still getting that nature.
Grab your phone or your laptop and here are some of my favorite online yoga for runner classes:
- Yoga with Adrienne – She has a number of runner specific yoga sessions, but also lots of options for time and intensity
- Sarah Beth Yoga – Pre and Post workout routines for athletes
- Yoga with Tim – Has a few post run videos, but a lot of good full body flows
- Yoga for tight hips a common runner issue
- Restorative yoga – a great way to get your body to relax, key to getting cortisol down for recovery
How to work yoga in to a running schedule?
Adding in a little yoga, doesn’t meant you need to detract from your time spent running. In fact, a great half marathon training schedule might look like this:
Monday: Rest or restorative yoga
Tuesday: 5 miles with 1 mile w/u, 3 miles at HMP, 1 mile c/d
Wednesday: 3 miles easy or hour long bike ride + full body strength
Thursday: 5 miles with speed play
Friday: Strength based yoga workout or full body strength/yin yoga
Saturday: 3 easy miles
Sunday: 10 easy miles
Wondering if you should do yoga or weights...check out that post.
I think we need both, but when time is short it will help you decide what’s best! Especially if you’re trying to figure out how often runners should do yoga? The answer has a lot to do with how much you enjoy yoga, your goals and how much time you have.
As you’ll see in the schedule above I have the option for 2 yoga sessions.
Different Types of Yoga for Runners
By default most runners will try to opt for an athletic yoga because you want that sweat and something that “feels” like a workout, but you might be overshooting to go that direction.
The letting go piece is a big part of keeping our cortisol from being too high and a detriment to progress.
- Restorative Yoga – This is a great way to help your nervous system relax and tell your body it doesn’t need to be so stressed.
- Yin Yoga – Great for improving mobility and also with the slower pace, allows the body to let go of stress.
- Hot Yoga – This is not my favorite option for runners because you often over stretch, which can indeed lead to issues in your running.
- Athletic Yoga – These workouts are designed to build strength and a great option during times of less running or once a week not on a recovery day.
Should I run or do yoga first?
Always run first. Yoga loosens the muscles around your joints, which can cause them to be too loose during a run leading to injuries. We actually need our muscles tight to bounce back with each step.
Once you’ve finished your run, then it’s a great time to slow down and ease in to a yoga session.
Let’s dig in to your excuses and what you really need to know.
Does yoga count as cross training for runners?
You may not break a sweat and it doesn’t feel like cardio, so a lot of runners throw yoga out as an option for cross training days. But as noted above that means you’re missing out on some great benefits.
They aren’t a one to one swap, you can’t try to take a runners marathon plan and swap out runs for yoga sessions. BUT with a little change in perspective you might find ways to incorporate those yoga workouts for a better training cycle.
But if you think it’s not a workout, ohhh boy do you have some things to learn.
- Try athletic yoga – you will sweat
- Try different instructors who understand runners
- Once you learn how to engage your muscles, even what looks easy becomes hard
- Try different flows and holding positions
- Try hot yoga
Have you tried different kinds of yoga?
What keeps you from doing it consistently?
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Aimee from Run Eat Drink Podcast @runeatdrinkpod says
This is an AWESOME post. I am dedicated to yoga and it has actually helped me recover from injury and strengthen muscles so I was able to complete races that meant so much to me. Ekhart Yoga has a YouTube channel with a series for runners. That’s how I found Ekhart Yoga. Now I pay a yearly subscription to access their library. I can sort by duration, purpose, instructor (although Esther is my fav). They have an iOS app too! Thanks for this!
amanda says
Yes, I’m so thrilled to be doing bulldog at home where i can really recover stronger from surgery!
Sara says
I am one who loves running and yoga and finds them to balance one another out perfectly. I ran my first half marathon with no yoga and barely finished basically limped in pain across the finish line. I was in such bad shape my husband thought he’d have to carry me to the car. 6 months later I ran another half using the same training plan but adding vinyasa power and slow flow yoga at least 4x a week. Not only did a PR shaving 7 minutes off my time, I ran pain free, finished with a huge smile on my fave and drove the hour back home. I know yoga helps me be a stronger runner and helps me to breathe better as well as breathing into the aches or anxiety that happen to come up during my runs.
Baron Baptiste has a athletic style of Vinyasa yoga and he has taught football players and teams to use yoga to benefit their sport. The studio I practice at is a Baptiste affiliated studio so it’s the style I practice most.
I love YogaGlo for online classes though. They have all styles of yoga from super “yoga” Kundalini to a search option with numerous classes made for Runners. Their vast options for classes is amazing. It’s the site I go to most for at home practice.
amanda says
wohoo I love it when runners share these stories, I think it’s so key to getting others to start dipping their toes in the yoga waters!! I think runners have to understand the benefits to get going!
Emily says
I haven’t done yoga, mostly because I’m not really into the Eastern religion behind it, but I do like the idea of strength, flexibility, and stretching. This almost sounds like something I would like, because I think yoga moves would be beneficial for me as a runner; I love that you always encourage us not to get pigeon holed in our workouts Amanda!
amanda says
YESSSS you are so who bulldog was created for!!! They felt like a lot of people were missing out on the benefits because of things like that.
Hannah says
I love yoga, but NOT as a workout – I get enough of those from running and strength training, so I prefer restorative and yin yoga styles.
I don’t think I’ve ever been to a yoga class that included chanting – I wonder if people who are hesitant about that aspect imagine it to be more common than it actually is?
Agness of Fit Travelling says
This was a great post to read. However, athletic yoga seems like so much fun and like something every runner should try, at least for stretching the muscles!
Colleen says
Hi there–Thanks for this post!
I’m a yoga therapist and an avid runner. The biggest benefit I see for runners in yoga is increasing body awareness, building breath capacity and restorative practices. So many athletes are not actually present in their body, which can lead to injuries, over-training, you name it! Many runners run to escape– which isn’t ‘bad’ or anything….but it won’t necessarily lead to fitness goals or better health, and certainly doesn’t increase self-awareness.
Most yoga classes in the U.S. aren’t going to include chanting at all. While yoga comes from India and is a spiritual practice, it is NOT a religion. The philosophy of yoga is about finding a sense of freedom and feeling whole and at peace, being able to feel connected in the world with compassion.
Ameya Shindekar says
Well written, there are multiples benefits of yoga for runners, including having control over your mind. A beginner runner goes through so many thoughts when he is running his first half marathon. Through yoga and meditation we learn to control our thoughts, this quality is immensely benefited for runners.