Yoga isn’t for only the super-stretchy or the spiritually-minded practitioner. Yoga can be used as a compliment for athletes of all varieties, including golfers, bikers, and even football players. Even the military has started integrating yoga into its PT! Today, we’re going to give some special attention 
to runners and show what yoga can do to help them.
The asana (postures) of yoga can be used to build strength, aid recovery or prevent injury. If you’re a runner and that’s not enough to convince you yoga is a good idea, don’t worry, there’s even more to love! Pranayama (breathing techniques) help bring focus and reduce stress and a strong yoga practice also increases body awareness. Now we know yoga is a great idea for runners, so should you start? Start with some warm-ups of course!
Runners know that a strong core is important to support their program. So next, we’ll explore some poses that strengthen:
Jathara Parivartanasana (can be done with bent knees)
Ok, you’ve worked hard and now it’s time to take care of your body. Relaxing, restorative poses are just as important as initial stretching and strengthening poses. They give your body time to absorb the work done and recuperate from the stresses exercises can put on the body. So here are some great poses to cool the body and calm the mind:
Prasarita Padottanasana (If your head doesn’t touch the floor, bring a blanket or pillow under the head so the forehead is contacting something. This restful variation is more soothing to the body.)
These poses are a good start for runners and athletes of all sorts. Enjoy the stretching and the improved running performance!
[...] of course, a wonderful compliment to soccer players of any level. In addition to the exercises for runners, the main area of concern is the knee joint (more here). While kicking, which can be a sudden, [...]