Yoga is for runners, but yoga began as an exercise for me. Nothing more.
But only seeing the physical benefits of yoga is like going to Baskin Robbins and getting chocolate ice cream every single visit. My son does this, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. But yoga is 32 flavors and then some. If you only pay attention to the physical yumminess it has to offer, you’re missing out on a lot, especially if you are an athlete.
For me, bringing yoga beyond the physical realm started with breathing in and out through my nose, Darth Vader like. Teachers cued it as “Ujjayi breath” (pronounced oo-JAH-yee). While I couldn’t spell it, I loved its meaning – victorious breath.
As an athlete, it sounded as if the goddess Nike was in my corner providing the literal wind beneath my wings. All accomplished by tapping into the simple act of inhaling and exhaling.
Most of us breathe between 17,000-30,000 times a day. Even though I wasn’t beginning my yoga practice, I started paying attention to my breath more. My exercise on the mat in Highland Village became a practice in awareness.
As an athlete, there’s a difference between running aimlessly minus a plan and actually training. The same is true in yoga. You put some intention behind what you do and things start to happen.
By paying attention to something as simple as breathing, I found myself tethered to the present moment, which was new territory for me. And that was bigger than anything stretching or strengthening I did on the mat.
So often we are either stuck in a swamp of what would have, could have, should have happened, or we greet the day filled to the brim with anxiety over what hasn’t even happened.
So thanks to yoga, yes, I got more flexible in my hamstrings. But I also made space in the grey matter of my head. That perhaps was the biggest victory of all.
Yoga for Athletes Workshops
Often, Inspire Yoga offers a Yoga for Athletes series. If offered, look for it on Inspire Yoga’s workshop schedule. In this series, we get on our mats, but also into our heads. We explore the power of the many mental tools yoga offers, including that victorious breath allowing you to embrace your potential in your sport and in your life!
Yoga for Runners – On-Demand
Thanks to the new Inspire Yoga Online, when our workshops are not running, you can find an on-demand video focused on Yoga for Runners. This express slow-ish 30-minute flow class focuses on targeting constricted areas in runners – especially hips, hammies and IT band.
It is the perfect post-workout class with a quick warm-up, a touch of core, and juicy stretching flows with lunges, pigeon variations, reclined cowface and more. A block is suggested. Just navigate to my instructor page and browse my online videos.
Inspire Yoga Online offers a robust search tool, where any athlete can search for classes targeting high-stress and high-impact areas (such as hamstrings) from other activity. And the best news is you can take a class anytime, anywhere, on your schedule.
See you there!
-Jennifer
