Yoga & Cross-Training

Photo via thesavageyogi.blogspot.com

This past weekend, I taught a workshop at Tranquil Space Arlington called "Yoga & Cross-Training: Yoga for Runners, Bikers, Athletes, & CrossFitters" (I know, longest title ever--I always do that!).  I had an absolute blast teaching it, and found that most of the people who showed up were runners or athletes struggling to find a way to incorporate more yoga into their daily routines. For those who attended, thanks so much for coming (!),  but for those who did not I wanted to share a few of the most important basics that we went over, because I think they're just SO important...

One of the things that I shared with the group is what I find to be an astounding tidbit about running from this great "Yoga for Runners" article--but I think it's also applicable for any repetitive movement:

"During the course of an average mile run, your foot will strike the ground 1,000 times. The force of impact on each foot is about three to four times your weight. It's not surprising, then, to hear runners complain of bad backs and knees, tight hamstrings, and sore feet. The pain most runners feel is not from the running in and of itself, but from imbalances that running causes and exacerbates. If you bring your body into balance through the practice of yoga, you can run long and hard for years to come."

Insane, right? The force of impact of your stride is 3-4 times your body weight! So if your muscles are meant to be soft and supple--to be your "shock absorbers" in the body--and instead they are hard and stiff due to a lack of stretching/massage/foam-rolling, you're eventually going to run into problems. And although you may think that if you're not a runner, this doesn't apply to you, you may be wrong. The same thing goes for other repetitive movements like lifting heavy weights over your head repeatedly, box jumps, burpees, the jolt from hitting a baseball with the right arm over and over again, etc.

As it says in this short passage, the other major issue is the "imbalances" created in the body that come from doing repetitive movements over and over. When your body has an imbalance, it is going to compensate somewhere else,  and over time this is going to lead to dis-function or worse, to injury. That's why this is SO important for any athlete to think about!

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Photo via smh.com.au

Another important thing that we discussed? Adding yoga into your daily routine at home--away from the mat. For instance, if you don't have time to do a 10-15 minute yoga sequence after your run or long bike ride, how do you still get the benefits of a consistent yoga practice?

My advice is this: pick a few poses that you always struggle with. The ones that make you really concentrate on your breath, the ones you may dread because you're so tight there, and then add those poses into your stretching routine after you work out. For instance, if you struggle with yogic squat and pigeon, do each of these poses when you get back from running and hold for 5-10 breaths. Another great all-over, body-opening pose? The ever-amazing down dog. So simple, right? Maybe just try coming into a few of these poses after your workout each day, and over time you can change things up, add different poses, or maybe even find yourself spending more time stretching due to the benefits you experience in your particular "sport." Hopefully, you will see yourself opening up--or at least evening out--within your body.

And now I'll get off my soapbox...

Thanks again for all who came out this past weekend! It was an absolute pleasure to work with you :) For those who weren't able to make it but expressed interest in attending, I'm going to try and schedule another one in the spring, so keep your eyes out!

Namaste,
Mary Catherine

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