Running is a very complete sport where you work a large number of muscles and improve your cardiovascular capacity. However, every runner should know that to improve his racing he has to practice other disciplines in a complementary way.
Your muscles need to be strong and relaxed to avoid injury or muscle aches. Complement running with yoga exercises, the ideal discipline to run better and transform your body. What does this discipline contribute? Yoga strengthens and balances your muscles. In turn, get you to increase your concentration, learn to relax, and have greater control of your body. Discover all its benefits!
Running and yoga, the perfect tandem
Yoga is a sport that will allow you to gain endurance, stretch your muscles and improve your posture. This discipline will improve your body and free your mind. These are the advantages of incorporating yoga exercises into your sports routine:
Increases muscle tone
In yoga you work with the weight of your own body, you don’t need anything else. There are a wide variety of postures and levels with which you will be able to increase your strength throughout your body.
When you run you tend to work your bottom and core. However, yoga allows you to strengthen the entire upper body: biceps, triceps, abdomen, shoulders, back, etc.
Learn to control your breathing
Knowing how to breathe is a common element in both sports. Yoga helps to breathe in a controlled and deep way, leaving the mind relaxed. This concentration will improve the quality of every runner’s breathing.
Improve your footprint
Also, running makes your feet support the weight and pressure of the movement you generate. In this way, they suffer and injury or pain is frequent.
Therefore, yoga is a discipline that gives flexibility to your feet. Putting down your shoes and being in contact with the ground is very beneficial. All this generates a greater range of movement, where the feet are strengthened and the footprint is improved.
Activate your circulation
When doing long or intense runs, the legs get overloaded. Yoga poses, especially the inverted ones, renew circulation and improve blood flow in the body.
Protect your hamstrings
Runners put a lot of strain on their legs, which they subject to high intensity. Your hamstrings are one of the most affected muscles. For this reason, to avoid injury, they must warm-up and stretch very well. Yoga, by generating such a complete movement in the body, favors the recovery and toning of this muscle.
Improve your posture
Good posture is a must for runners. The body, when practicing yoga, begins to acquire good habits. Thus, posture is improved and muscles are relieved, providing more effective runs.
Provides balance and peace of mind
Yoga is a link between mind and body. It is the sport par excellence that works the body at the same level as the mind. When you perform the different postures, you think about finding a suitable breath, controlling the movement of your body, and leaving the mind relaxed.
Concentration is essential. In this way, they learn to control emotions, a skill that is worked on at the same level as the physical. In running, it also happens. Athletes focus on effort and improvement to improve their careers.
For all these reasons, running and yoga will become the perfect disciplines to strengthen your entire body. Complement them and you will feel completely renewed. Balance your mind and body while enjoying sports!
