With the Sun Run this weekend, and so many active organizations offering training programs and group runs, a lot of bodies are going to be doing a lot of moving. Try these three great poses for runners both as you lead up to the Sun Run, and especially in the days that follow.
1. Pyramid pose: An awesome hamstring stretch, step the left foot 3 feet back, toes pointing forward. Square your hips forward, lengthen the heart up, and hinge forward with a flat back. Let the hands rest on the hips or drape towards the floor. Both feet stay firmly rooted as the head moves away from the pelvis. Breathe and repeat on the other side.
2. Ardha Hanumanasana (Half Splits): Another good hamstring stretch, start in a low lunge and straighten the front leg. Plug the heel into the ground and pull the front toes back towards the torso. Hips are above the back knee, fingertips press into the floor and the spine lengthens as the heart softens forward. Breathe and repeat on the other side.
3. Butterfly: Sitting tall on your sit bones, bring the soles of the feet to touch as the knees move out to the side. Reach the heart up and again hinge forward at the hips, keeping the tail bone reaching down as the crown lengthens away from the pelvis. Let gravity take over as your groin and inner thighs stretch and release. Breathe and enjoy.
Check this article for more great poses and tips to help your body be open and strong in all the ways it needs to be for running. Start working some of them into your cool down after a run to ease your body’s recovery.
And if there are many runners at your workplace and you don’t already have regular yoga classes, we can fix that for you. Yoga and running are in fact very complimentary practices and we would be happy to guide you in the right direction.