Yoga For Runners

                Yoga is a fitness discipline centered on physical, mental and spiritual poses. Studies have shown that yoga squashes stress, aids weight loss, eases pain, helps people stick to an exercise routine, and even improves running times. Additionally, holding challenging poses builds tenacity that'll pay off on the road. Yoga poses give runners more than just foot strength; they can help build mental endurance. 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. Although yoga and running lie on opposite ends of the exercise spectrum, the two need not be mutually exclusive. In fact, running and yoga make a good combination of strength and flexibility. Tension is the athlete's downfall, and breath awareness is the key to reducing it. Conscious breathing and Pranayama exercises, which soothes the nervous systems and relax the entire body, can be of great benefit to runners. Yoga Therapy is the best way to keep fit and healthy always.