Seek the Peak Training: Yoga for Runners

Training for Seek the Peek? Or just looking to optimize your running program? YYoga teacher and avid runner, Katherine Moore, shares her insights on how yoga can benefit runners. 

This is one of my favorite quotes. I find a calmness and quiet in both running and yoga. They require you to drop into your body, breath, and connect to the present moment. This creates incredible inner discipline, strength and ease. 

 Running and yoga are like a healthy relationship. They complement each other beautifully. Running, as freeing as it can feel, can be demanding on the body, nervous system and joints from repetitive action. With running and in life, we make goals and projects to constantly improve on. Yoga helps you to become aware of your body, mind and breath, which can awaken you to the possibility of change. With yoga, you are practicing taking a step back, even leaning back, breathing into the back body and accepting the moment you are in. These teachings can bring great balance to training and everyday life. 

What I love about yoga is you are always practicing. You may practice the physical practice for a certain time but yoga practice is 24 hours. The teachings are everywhere. You can weave the teachings into your running training. Being present in your training is a great technique. This can help to avoid injury by accepting where you are in your training and practice, and being patient in achieving your goals. Being present and patient also means listening to your body. You will learn that if you are feeling tired or something is sore to adjust your schedule and rest. Being goal oriented, that is probably the hardest one for runners.