Running Yoga Make a Great Team

Runners experience all sorts of pains from their knees, ankles, feet, hamstrings and back. This isn't surprising since the average runner's foot will hit the ground approximately 1,000 times during a one mile run. If you are an avid runner, this can mean striking each foot against the ground thousands of times per week. It's no wonder runner's experience all kinds of issues with this type of stress put on the joints, muscles and cartilages every week. Even though your legs are going through this kind of stress every week, it is actually your running form that causes the most damage to your body. This is where yoga comes in.

Yoga and running seem like a strange pairing at first. Most runners I know hate stretching and would rather be out doing something than doing downward dog in a stuffy classroom. However, including running and yoga in your regular workout regiment can lead to increased cardio, stamina, flexibility and strength.

Most runners I know suffer from injuries from time to time; some more than others. Chronic pain is very common among this group and gets worse without being treated. Most bodies cannot endure the constant pounding and imbalances that are occurring when muscles become tight and shortened. This is why it is so important to take the time to stretch, loosen and elongate your muscles to restore them to their nature positions.

When muscles are over-worked doing the same repetitive motion over and over again, they become tight and brittle. They also end up working out the same muscles and over time they become very strong, but your other muscles become weak. The stronger ones try compensate for the weaker ones and your body becomes imbalanced and exceedingly tight. When your body is imbalanced and tight it can cause all sorts of issues. In running, every single stride causes your strong muscles to work harder to compensate for the weaker ones. You can imagine what this might do over a long period of time. This is where yoga comes in. When doing yoga, you are more focused on your body's movements, position and balance rather than on outcomes. This means that you will end up working different muscle groups than you would by just running. You will also see an increase in your range of motion and flexibility. Becoming more flexible and strong in other key areas of your body, you will find that it will offset the one-dimensional workouts you were getting in the past. Yoga will help you listen to your body and you will be able to better respond to and understand imbalances in it. This will also greatly reduce your chance of injury when doing other more repetitive sports.

Jerry Gladstone is a yoga enthusiast who loves to stay in shape. Click the following link if you want to learn more about yoga poses.

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Safe Yoga

It was a big week in the yoga world last week when a very smart author decided to write a provocative article on yoga so that the attention on the article would help him sell his book. And his marketing plan worked really well for him. For those that didn't read it, the New York Times published an article entitled "How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body".

From a business perspective, I consider the attention on yoga to be a good thing and such attention demonstrates how popular yoga has become. Specifically as it relates to the article there are some factual errors and also some good points. Our heads for example rotate more than 50% in one direction naturally else we would need eyeballs that drape across the side of our head to look around - kind of like a fish. Further the article lacks perspective; people get injured in every type of physical activity imaginable. On a relative basis the percentage of folks that get injured in yoga is really, really small.

However, it is very true that not all teachers are alike and not all teacher trainings/certifications are 'created equal'. Certification programs vary widely in the content they teach and the skills that the students are left with upon graduation. The certification process is evolving and standards are not all that high. It is important to make sure that you find a teacher that is focused on safety and has a good understanding of anatomy and proper alignment in a pose.

We all have a unique body, different from our neighbors and as a result our poses should not look identical. If you are participating in a yoga class where the teacher has a regimented, militant and exact way of doing a pose (for reasons other than safety of course) - FIND A NEW TEACHER. Your alignment should be based upon individual anatomical facts like the width of your pelvis and length of your arms and legs and the use of blocks should be encouraged. Further, our body is in a constant state of regeneration, every day our body is different. It may be more or less open from one day to the next but with consistent yoga practice we begin to become more open overtime. So you need to meet your body where it's at in that moment of class.

If you are participating in a class very regularly where the class is the exact same sequence every time - STOP. You need to mix it up. Yoga asana practice, as with any physical activity, should not be the same every day.

And nobody should be forcing you into a pose with physical pressure. When a yoga teacher assists you they should be helping you to be grounded in the pose, provide some added stability and guide you so that YOU can take yourself a little deeper.

At the end of the day, use common sense. Find the edge of intensity versus pain. Intensity is good; pain is bad. Yoga is a way to move AWAY from suffering in life not go toward it. If you're causing yourself to suffer in a yoga class, it may be insightful to spend some time reflecting on where else in your life you cause your own suffering?

An investment professional yogini, Tarra serves others by teaching yoga asana, philosophy and other life lessons in the classroom, on her video series, and in writing on her blog ( http://www.tarrayoga.com ). Tarra offers years of wisdom regarding yogic living, nutrition, sustainability and roles of working women and mothers. Tarra also combines her financial and yoga expertise by advising and supporting entrepreneurs in the LOHAS sector.

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Yoga Routine Mental and Physical Recovery

Pregnancy and childbirth can wreak havoc on a woman's body. You may think that you will never get your per-pregnancy body back during the weeks and months following the birth of your new baby. Your abdominal muscles feel as if they can't be stretched any further, you may be recovering from physical exhaustion due to a lengthy labor, your whole body may feel tight and unwilling to move like it once did, and you might feel as if the body you once new is now foreign to you.

Doing anything physical under these conditions is not an easy task, but if you can make yourself devote just ten to fifteen minutes a day to a postpartum yoga routine, you might find that you can get your body and even your mind back a lot more quickly than you thought possible. Below are some of the yoga exercises that you can easily add to your postnatal yoga routine.

The first thing most mothers want to work on is their stretched abdominal muscles. These six poses will definitely help get the tone back.

Locust Pose

This pose, also called Salambasana, is very simple yet effective. Lie down on your stomach with toes pointed and hands at your sides with palms toward the ceiling. Breath in, and then while exhaling balance on your belly by lifting your arms, head and legs up. This pose strengthens back and stomach muscles, improves overall posture and stimulates those all important abdominal organs.

Modified Boat Pose

For this pose, also titled Navasana, you take a seat on the floor with your legs extended in front of you. While grasping your left thigh with your left hand and your right with your right, lift your chest and tighten your abdominal muscles. Keep your back as straight as possible and lift your feet off the ground. Lean back slightly. After doing this pose for a couple of weeks you should feel strong enough to make the pose more challenging by lifting your shins up even higher and reaching your hands to your feet. This pose is excellent for reducing stress, building the tummy muscles, and aiding with digestion.

Plank Pose

This is a very popular abdominal pose and it really works. Hold yourself up as if you were doing a push-up. Try to keep your spine as straight as possible and hold for as long as you can. This pose works most muscles in the body with a focus on arms back and abdominals.


Triangle pose

Also called Trikonasana, this pose starts with the feet around five feet apart. Turn one foot so it is perpendicular to the other (right to left in the first example). Stretch your arms out at the same height as your shoulders and place your torso over your right leg with your hips square to the front. Your right hand should be on your right ankle and your left should be pointing toward the ceiling. Repeat for the other side of the body. This pose is great for arm strength as well as the muscles in the pelvic floor.

The Son of Brahma Pose

Also called Marichyasana I, this pose begins in a sitting position on the floor. Extend both legs straight out to your front and slowly bring one leg back toward your body with your foot flat on the floor. Reach around the shin that is vertical and hold onto the wrist of your other arm. As you breath in bend over the extended leg. Repeat for the other side. This pose gets rid of hip and back pain and also helps out with the abdominal organs.

This is also called Bhujangasana and is a very important yoga exercise. Lie on the floor on your belly. Place your hands palm down at the width of your shoulders. Your toes should be extended. While pressing your pelvis and thighs into the ground, inhale and extend your arms. This stretch and bend should be evenly distributed throughout your entire back area. This exercise is excellent for the back, muscles of the pelvic floor and thighs. It can also help with being tired and mild depression.

The postnatal period is difficult for almost every new mom. Yoga can be very helpful in getting your body and mind back to the healthy state they were in before pregnancy. Add the above poses to your postnatal yoga routine and you should really start feeling better quickly.

For this article "A Postnatal Yoga Routine" and many more articles related to postnatal fitness, nutrition and beauty ideas, please visit Fit Body After Baby.

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