Running is a repetitive craft. Routes change, shoes change, seasons change, running partners change, but the basic physical and kinesthetic mechanics of the craft remain the same. Plant one foot down in front of the other, pump the arms in synch, then repeat and repeat with varying degrees of speed, effort, and velocity. With practice, of course, an individual runner becomes more skilled and efficient with their individual mechanics. But the repetitive nature of those mechanics puts a consistent stress on the body that often leads to strain, injury, or other physical imbalance. When practiced with skill and discretion, yoga can offer practical means to help distribute the strain of running, thereby preventing and alleviating injury and imbalance.

Each individual runner will have their own specific cadence and gait. Based on a combination of genetics, posture, habits, compensation from old injuries, tension from past trauma, each cadence and gait will have its own particular grace and friction, spring and limp, hitch and glide. As time passes and this pattern and running style is repeated and reinforced through the years and miles, the parts of the body that are already known and strong will continue to be used and get stronger. The parts of the system that are neglected or weak become increasingly neglected and weak. This is how imbalance in the physical body is created. And this imbalance is often what leads to injury and strain. Through the practice of yoga, the overworked and stressed parts of the body are given stretch, space, and support. That which is neglected and lost is found and made strong. In this process, balance is created and injuries are avoided and/or helped to heal.

It is absolutely essential to understand that yoga is not stretching. Stretching has its place in the healthy maintenance of the body. But yoga is much more comprehensive than stretching. Yoga works, in a very practical manner, to integrate, consolidate, and bind together all the various parts of the human system - the strong, the weak, the known, the unknown. And through its practice, individual practitioners learn how to fine tune the various and disparate parts of the self into a single functioning and efficient working whole. This is why yoga is such a boon to the runner. For it is the efficient runner who finds the necessary tempo to achieve his or her highest goals.

While there is no substitute to finding and taking classes from a qualified teacher, below is a simple and safe sequence to practice in the meantime.


Virasana
(Hero Pose)

Kneel down on the ground with the knees absolutely together, and the feet apart just wider than your hips. Point the feet straight back from the shins, turning the ankles neither in nor out. Sit down onto the floor between your feet and rest both the sit bones evenly there. If your buttocks do not make it to the floor (which is VERY likely), use a wooden brick, stack of books, vhs tapes, or any other firm raised surface to support your buttocks up in the pose. Sit tall, lift the sternum toward the chin, keep the head and neck in line with the rest of the spine, and relax the face and eyes. Stay for up to 5 minutes breathing normally. (Note: Because of the impact running places on the knee joint, proper traction and articulation between the thigh bone and shin bone becomes a problem. This can stress the ligaments and tendons of the knee. Repeated practice of Virasana helps re-set and maintain proper gliding and traction of the knee, and it keeps the lubricating fluids of the joint circulated and fresh. Ditto for the ankles.)


Supta Virasana
(Reclined Hero Pose)

>From above, lean back onto the hands or elbows, being certain to keep the knees together. If you have used height under the buttocks, be sure to remove the height first. If you can manage to lie all the way back flat on the ground, do so. If this is not possible, use your hands and arms behind you for support, be patient, and move carefully. Remember to keep your knees together. Even if you do not make it to the floor, the pose has great effects. Learn not to be overly aggressive with the poses. Take support, be patient. If you have a yoga bolster at home, you can lie down on the bolster itself. Hold for up to 5 minutes. (Note: The power and strength acquired by the thigh muscles in running also comes with a certain amount of shortness and tightness in those fibers. Because the thigh muscle attaches to the pelvis at the top end, and the shin bone at the bottom end, this muscle tightness can pull on and mis-shape the pelvis and knee, which in turn can pull on and tweak the ankle and back, which in turn can put various strains and compressions throughout the rest of the body. Lying back in Virasana is a great way to keep the thigh muscles long and lean.)


Adho Mukha Virasana
(Downward Facing Hero Pose.aka: Child's Pose)

From above posture, lift the chest to come out, separate the knees wider than the ribs, touch the big toes together behind you, sit down onto your heels, and extend your trunk forward out over the legs to rest the head on the ground. Place the middle forehead down in line with the middle pubic bone. Walk your hands and arms forward to stretch the side body. Keeping your buttocks releasing down toward your heels, relax the hips, lower back, abdomen and chest down toward the floor. Exhale and release further. Hold 1-3 minutes. (Note: This pose relieves stiffness through the groins, hips, and lower back - all problem areas and hot spots because of the pounding nature of running.)


Parvatasana
(Upward Bound Finger Pose)

Straighten your legs and stand tall upright on your feet. Intermesh the fingers all the way to the webbing, and turn the palms inside out up over your head. Straighten the elbows and stretch through the thumb sides of your wrist as much as the pinky sides of your wrist. Lengthen your arms further and further up towards the ceiling, keeping your arms, torso and legs in the same vertical line. Be careful not to overarch the lower back. With the arms fully extended, press down into the feet and heels, and lift up the knee caps by firming the thigh muscles. Then use the strength of the legs, and stretch the outer armpits and elbows even further up to the ceiling. Soften the face and eyes and hold for 1 minute. Then change the intermeshing of the fingers to put the other index finger on top, and repeat a second time. (Note: Relieves stiffness and compression in the joints and articulating surfaces of the arms, legs, and spine.)


Adho Mukha Svanasana
(Downward Facing Dog Pose) with chair

Stand in front of a chair placed up against the wall. Bend forward and put the heel of the hands up against the front edge of the chair seat. Step your feet back so they sit just behind the hips, keep them parallel, then push the chair into the wall to straighten the arms, and press the tops of your thighs firmly back to stretch the spine and side armpits. As in the above pose, keep the arms in line with the side torso, and do not let the chest or armpits collapse down toward the floor. Again press the chair through the wall to straighten the elbows, firm the thighs to lift the knee caps up, and press back with the thigh bones elongate the spine. If the hamstrings are very tight, lifting the heels off the ground might be necessary. Breathe normally and hold for 1 minute, repeating the same pose 2 or 3 times. (Note: Further relieves stiffness in the hinges of the limbs; it also helps re-expand the ribcage and spine which compress and suffer from the hammering action of running. Dog Pose is also an introduction to the lengthening of the hamstrings and calves.)


Uttanasana

Stand in front of the same chair with the feet parallel, firm the thigh muscles to lift the knee caps up, keep the knee caps lifted, and extend forward out over the chair placing the hands down on the seat for support. Keep the legs firm and straight, and learn to lift the head and chest to lengthen the spine forward toward the wall in front of you. This will put a concave shape into your upper back. Hold that concave shape, then press back with the thighs and inner groins. At this point, your trunk will be parallel to the floor, and the legs will be vertical. Hold this position for one minute. If your lower back is strong and uninjured, you can then intensify the pose by bending even further forward, placing the head down onto the chair. Remember to keep the knee caps lifted and the thighs firm to protect your back and knees. Breathe normally, and repeat 2 or 3 times. (Note: The hamstrings attach to the sit bones which are part of the pelvis. When tight, the hamstrings pull the sit bones down and forward, which in turn pulls on the lower back often removing the natural lumber curve creating great stress and compression on the lumbar discs. Extending forward in this pose not only stretches the hamstrings and calves to keep their tissues healthy and flushed, it brings great relief to the back and spine.)


Supta Padangustasana

Lie down flat on your back, and have a belt, rope, or yoga strap next to you. Keeping the head on the floor, draw the right knee into your chest, wrap the strap around the bottom of the right foot across the arch, and extend the right leg straight up toward the ceiling. Then lengthen and stretch the other leg in front of you along the floor. Press into both the heels so the legs are long, firm the thigh muscles as you did in the above pose drawing the knee caps up into the thigh flesh, and use your hands to hold the strap and raised leg in position. If the raised leg starts to bend, back off and lower the leg a little bit toward the floor, then re-extend through the heel and straighten the knee. Relax the face and breathe normally. Do 3 times on each side. (Note: This is one of the very best things you can do for hamstring tightness and lower back pain. Because you are lying on the floor, the legs are not carrying any weight and the back has no load to bear. Therefore, the stretch is isolated in the hamstrings without exposing the lumbar to injury. And as stated above, when the hamstrings are lengthened, the lumbar spine is given significantly more room and space to move effectively and without pain.)


Viparita Karani
(Relaxation pose)

With a firm pillow or yoga bolster close by, lie down on the ground in front of a wall, and swing your legs up that wall so that the soles of the feet face the ceiling. The backs of your heels will be on the wall. Bend the knees, and lift your hips up to slide the bolster or pillow under the back of your waist to lift the hips. Relax the pelvis down onto the bolster, turn the palms up, and tuck your shoulder blades in toward each other. Your buttocks do NOT have to touch the wall. See that the bolster is supporting your back pelvis, NOT the lower back. Close the eyes, soften the breath, and relax deeply. Stay in the pose for up to 5, even 10 minutes. (Note: Inverting the legs for a period of time allows for the acids and trapped fluids that collect in the lower extremities and joints to drain back toward the vital organs to be processed, re-oxygenated, and flushed if necessary. It is perhaps the most effective restorative pose for athletes. Avoid inverting during menstruation as this reverses the natural downward flushing of the uterus.)


General Note: Always practice yoga with intelligence and discretion. Move with caution, but not fear. When possible, seek out a qualified yoga teacher to guide you deeper and more safely into the practice.

An ex-marathon runner, Billy Konrad is a nationally Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher. He practices and teaches yoga full time in Marin and San Francisco, CA. Visit www.billykonrad.com for more info.