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9 YOGA POSES TO INCREASE YOUR RUNNING PACE

By Ned Taylor

October 24, 2017

Running is awesome!

For a very simple reason.

Running is convenient.

Running is easy.

At least it seems like that. I wish it was true as well, but the fact is……. it isn’t.

Anyways, a good thing to believe in at least to start off.

And by the way that’s precisely the reason why every one of us has given running a try.

All we need are two legs. And a distance to cover that’s it.

A handy way to your calorie management, your weight management, and overall fitness.

But when you start running (like any other physical activity), you want a consistent noticeable improvement.  And that is when most of us realize that running is not really so easy.

Mainly because of two reasons;

  1. Only just by running your knees and your muscles pay a hefty toll on such liberating activity.
  2. But also in the running, you hit a performance plateau very fast.

And unfortunately, more running is not the answer for that.

There could be a lot of reasons for such a performance halt.

And the worst part is, it is quite difficult for an average person to assess their problem.

  • It could be due lack of proper running technique
  • Weaken supporting muscles
  • Lack of requires flexibility in joints.

And many other things which are quite hard to figure out on your own.

More you ignore more are the chances of injury.

It is the time when most of the running experts suggest different workouts and stretch to maintain your running form.

And again choosing the right exercise/stretch is not an easy job either.

And yoga is the only way out this catch 22 situations.

WHY?

  • Yoga seems very simple, but it is a very complicated form of workout which works on multiple muscle groups and joint and the same time.
  • Not only this, yoga is the only form of work out in which you may get all desired benefits, like muscle strength, stability, flexibility, respiratory endurance all at the same time.
  • Last but not the least until and unless you have some particular medical condition, yoga has ZERO SIDE EFFECTS.
YOGA POSES TO INCREASE YOUR RUNNING PACE

Featuring are the list of yoga posse that helps explicitly in strengthen the required muscles, developing a good running posture and results in helping you run faster with more efficiency and ease.

01. Tree Pose.

Benefits: A beginner level balancing pose, which prepares you for advance level poses. But that’s not it, not only this pose strengthens and fine-tunes legs, hips and core muscles, but it is also useful for better concentration and revitalizing your mood. Tree pose also create muscle alertness for better movement and reduced risk of sports injuries.

tree pose yoga

Directions:

  • Standing at the top of your mat, bend your one knee and bring it closer to your chest.
  • Balancing on yourself on a single foot, place the sole of your lifted leg on your inner thigh.
  • Keep the planted leg straight.
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    Even out the hips by pushing the standing hip in the direction of the lifted leg.
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    Stay standing tall as you reach your arms overhead and bring your palms together in prayer.
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    Slowly raise arms overhead to add a shoulder stretch.
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    Hold for 5 to 10 breaths.
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    Repeat the pose on the other leg.

Tips: Focus on a non-moving point in front of you to help with balance. If your balance is off, place the bottom of lifted foot anywhere along the inside of your standing leg.

02. Downward Dog Pose.

Benefits: Provide a great stretch to the entire backside, open the shoulders to get a better range of motion. Enhance shoulder and forearm strength while lengthening calf and hamstring muscles. Excellent pose for maintaining a proper running posture in long runs. Moreover, increase blood flow towards brain which decreases stress and enhances productivity.

Yoga Pose Down ward dog

Directions:

  • Lie on your chest with your hands on the mat underneath your shoulders.
  • Exhale as you lift your hips up and back and roll over your toes.
  • Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width distant, feet four to six inches apart.
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    Press into your hands to lengthen your arms.
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    Roll your shoulders out away from your ears and relax your neck.
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    Lengthen your spine as you lift your hips and push your chest toward the thighs.
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    Flatten the lower back. Bend knees as much as necessary.
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    Press down through your heels.

Tips: Watch out for any hyper-extension of elbows and knees. If you feel too much pressure on your shoulders, shorten the distance between your hands and feet, or allow your knees to bend until you feel an even stretch throughout your entire back.  If your hamstrings are tight and your spine is rounding, bend both knees slightly and tip your pelvis so that the tailbone reaches upward. Focus on a long spine by pressing into your palms and lifting your hips.

03. Upward Dog Pose.

Benefits: A great pose to challenge you for lifting and opening your chest. Which results in improving our posture and enhancing lung capacity. Also strengthen the spine, arms wrists and shoulder muscles for visible improvisation in athletic performance.

Directions:

  • Start with Lying on your chest with your hands under your shoulders. With your legs extended behind you, spread a few inches apart.
  • Inhale as you lift your chest and straighten your arms.
  • Roll over your toes to the tops of your feet.
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    Keep your shoulders down and back, away from your ears.
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    Pull your shoulder blades toward each other and open your chest.
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    Press your palms down while keeping hands straight and align your shoulder over your wrist.
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    Gaze forward to lengthen and relax your neck.
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    Hold the pose for 5 deep breaths.

Tips: If you are feeling too much pressure in your hand, shift your weight towards legs by elevating your hands on a yoga block or chair. If you are having difficulty in lifting your legs in the air, tuck your toes inside. Engage your abdominal muscles to release excessive pressure in the lower back.

04. Chair Pose.

Benefits: An excellent pose for toning your legs. Build lower body strength by working on your calves ankles hip flexors and back. Develop endurance while opening the shoulders and chest to Stimulates the heart, diaphragm, and abdominal organs. A good exercise to reduce flatness of feet.

Directions:

  • Start with standing straight with feet shoulder wide.
  • Inhale and raise your arms above your head, perpendicular to the floor.
  • Exhale as you bend your knees, bringing your thighs as parallel to the floor as they can get.
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    Open up your chest and place your shoulders right above your knees.
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    Keep the knees behind the toes, and maintain a flat spine.
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    Gaze directly forward.
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    For a deeper pose, tilt your head slightly and gaze at a point between your hands.
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    Hold the pose for 5 deep breaths.

Tips: Keep your back straight throughout your spine. Avoid rounding it up and opening up your chest. To keep up the balance put the weight of your body on your heels, and you may be able to lift your toes. If feeling too much pressure in legs, change knee angle.

05. Runner’s lunge.

Benefits: Build endurance in legs mainly hamstrings. At the same time strengthen your lower back and ankles. Develop hip flexibility, which helps increase the length of your stride and help prepare your body to make sharp cutting motions actively.

Runners Lunge

Directions:

  • Start from taking a stride forward and bend the front knee and extend back leg.
  • Lower hips toward the ground to form a ninety-degree angle with the front leg.
  • Extend your arms straight with fingers pointing in front.
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    Lean forward and bring your chest closer to front knee with straight back and plant the hands on either side of the front foot.
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    Touch the mat with fingertips on your extended arms, keeping front foot in between.
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    Extend the spine by lifting the chest off the front thigh.
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    Use core strength to hold the weight off the upper body.
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    Repeat the pose from other side.

Tips: Dig down through your front heel to focus on endurance, and pull legs toward one another to engage inner thighs and increase the effectiveness of this exercise. Keep neck in line with spine, gazing about one and a half feet ahead of the front foot.

06. Warrior-3 Pose.

Benefits: Great for increasing your balance and developing lower body strength. Enhance the range of motion and stability in your shoulders. Develop core endurance for sports such as swimming cycling etc. Excellent for teaching body awareness makes you more productive and enhance concentration.

Warrior-3

Directions:

  • Start with standing on both feet with one six inches ahead of other foot. Then bent forward from your butt and straight back.
  • Engage your core and back to maintain the posture.
  • Keep your chin away from the chest and raise your arms straight.
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    Lift the back leg off the ground, point your toes backwards, and reach the body forward.
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    Strive to bring the body to be parallel to the ground by maintaining a straight line from your toes to your fingertips.
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    Square your hips and look forward.
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    Hold the pose for 5 deep breaths.
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    Repeat the pose from other side.

Tips: Try to square your hips by lowering the hip of the raised leg and press down harder through the planted foot to lift the hip of the planted leg to even out your hips. For modification: place a hand on yoga block under the shoulder to maintain the balance.

07. Aero Lunge Pose.

Benefits: Building endurance in the lower body mainly hamstrings. At the same time develop hip flexibility, which helps increase the length of your stride and help prepare your body to make sharp cutting motions. Develop endurance in shoulders and back muscles which are quite essential in maintain correct postures in long runs.

Directions:

  • Start from a runner’s lunge or a Low Lunge pose, in any case, the front leg should be over the ankle, and back leg extended.
  • Lower hips toward the ground to form a ninety-degree angle with the front leg.
  • Lightly plant the hands on both sides of the front foot.
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    Adjust the front foot between the hands, which are shoulder-width apart.
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    Look forward, keeping the chin parallel to the floor and extending the spine by lifting the chest off the front thigh, using core strength to hold the weight off the upper body.
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    Raise your hand straight above the head.
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    Keep the shoulder straight, hands in line with ears, away from the head.
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    Repeat the pose from other side.

Tips: Dig down through your front heel to focus on endurance, and pull legs toward one another to engage inner thighs and increase the effectiveness of this exercise.

 Keep neck in line with spine, gazing about one and a half feet ahead of the front foot. For modification, get back to runners lunge if shoulder pain is unbearable.

08. Extended Leg Pose.

Benefits: Great for Improving balance and fine tuning of legs and core muscles which results in better muscle alertness and reduced risk of injuries, while stretching hamstring.

extended leg yoga pose

Directions:

  • Start for tree pose or from stand on top of your mat.
  • Place your hand on your sides.
  • Raise your right leg straight up ahead.
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    Point your toes towards the ceiling.
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    Raise the leg till the point you can maintain balance and the standing leg doesn’t bend.
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    Push your hips slightly forward and maintain the straight posture.
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    Hold for 5 to 10 breaths.
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    Repeat the pose from other leg.

Tips: If your balance is off try to rest your hand on any object/surface by your side. Balance poses take practice, so always start with the modification first or use the yoga props and work your way to the full pose.

09. Extended Side Angle Pose.

Benefits: Stretches and relieves stiffness in neck, shoulders and back muscles. Provides a deep stretch to the groins and hamstrings for better hip flexibility and strength. Strengthen core muscles for better upper body control tone your abs and side muscles.

Side_Angle yoga pose

Directions:

  • Start from standing with legs about 4 - 5 feet apart.
  • Rotate upper body toward one of the legs.
  • Rotate the front foot to face forward.
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    Bend forward with the straight back and bend your front knee.
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    Bring your front hand closer to your front leg and rotate your upper body sideways.
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    With straight back goo deeper and touch your front foot.
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    Raise your backhand and bring it straight above your front hand.
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    Hold the pose for 5 deep breath and repeat from other side.

Tips: Keep your upper body lifted. Use the leading arm to open the hip further, pressing the knee further outside. For a more relaxed version rest your front elbow over front knee.

And if you are looking for some more yoga poses and further guidance do check out our ultimate yoga assessment guide. As it comes with every thing, a yoga practitioner needs when practicing solo.

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    50+ Yoga Poses
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    The detailed set of steps to get into every pose.
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    Tips and modifications for beginners to provide extra help.
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    Assessment scale for every posture which enables the user to do a perfect workout every time.
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    10+ sequences to gains the benefits in every aspect of a daily routine.

You can check out our YOGA ASSESSMENT GUIDE™ by clicking here!

Thanks for staying till here,

If you are new to yoga, do check out 7 Most Common Yoga FAQs for Newbies.

And if you are planning to buy a yoga mat do check our ultimate guide to buying the perfect yoga mat for yourself.

Take Good care of yourself,

 and C.Ya.

Ned Taylor

About the author

Hey there, my name is Ned and I am on a mission to provide you health and fitness advice that are rational (i.e. back by scientific evidence) and sustainable ( means practical enough to be incorporated in normal people's routines with busy lives).

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