Runners
Yoga for Long-Distance Runners
By Amanda Junker
Tips to boost your mind and body on race day
Don’t Wait, Exhale
Breathing is your body’s biofeedback. It can signal inefficiency,
overexertion, or even tell you when it’s time to pick up the pace.
While form and training are the foundation for your performance,
adjusting your breathing can boost your time. “If you’re out of breath,
it’s not because you aren’t breathing in enough, it’s because you
aren’t breathing out enough,” Dreyer says. Belly breathing can help by
focusing on big exhales, clearing air out for fresh oxygen to get in.
Here’s how: Put your hand over your belly button. After an inhale,
purse your lips and blow out while pulling your belly in toward your
spine. Then, breathe in through the nose. If you are uncomfortable
breathing through your nose while running, that’s fine too, but try it
both ways to feel the difference.
Loosen Up
In running, like in yoga, your muscles are strong, but they are open,
too. Focus on staying as relaxed while running as you are in an asana.
When your muscles are loose, they absorb the oxygen from your blood
like syrup into a pancake—and oxygen is the fuel that keeps your
muscles working, and your body running.
