Yoga has been practiced for hundreds of years, but its popularity has gone up dramatically since the turn of the century. Even more recently, data from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics revealed that yoga practice rose by roughly 5% between 2012 and 2017.

Yoga can help runners of all levels by supplementing their regular cross-training routines. Yoga's physical and mental components, to name a few, can help you grow muscle, prevent injuries and other health issues, and increase your attention.

Here, we'll discuss what yoga is, how it can enhance your health and performance, and how you may incorporate it into your daily life.

What Is Yoga?

Yoga has been practiced for about 2,000 years. According to the Yoga Journal, the Yoga Sutra is considered to have been authored by the Hindu philosopher Patanjali and "contains 195 principles that serve as a philosophical blueprint for most of the yoga that is done today."


Yoga combines physical positions, breathing techniques, and meditation, yet physical health was not initially the primary goal—the mental focus was. Improved physical fitness did not become a concern until the 1920s and 1930s when the practice acquired favor in the Western world.

Yoga comes in many different ways. Some of the most well-known are:

Ashtanga yoga: This style of yoga employs six different posture sequences to quickly connect every movement to the breath.

Bikram (or "hot") yoga: Rooms are heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit and humidified to 40%. It consists of 26 poses and a two-breathing-exercise routine.

Hatha yoga refers to any style of yoga that teaches physical positions.

Power yoga is a more athletic form of ashtanga yoga.

Several factors influence the type of yoga class you want to attend, including your degree of experience and if you want something more serene or intense. But, finding the class that works best for you may need some trial and error.

What Are Yoga's Benefits for Runners?

New research on how including yoga into your cross-training routine can help you become a better runner while also enhancing your general health is continuously improving your overall health.

Three hot yoga classes per week for 12 weeks revealed considerable benefits for your heart—one of your body's most essential muscular organs—according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Hypertension Scientific Meetings in 2019.

Hot yoga, as well as room-temperature yoga, can help lower your blood pressure. According to the Mayo Clinic, high blood pressure puts additional strain on your heart and can lead to problems such as heart attack, heart failure, sudden cardiac death, and stroke.

It should come as no surprise that yoga is good for the brain. Research published in the journal Brain Plasticity in 2019 evaluated 11 prior studies on the relationship between yoga practice and brain health and discovered that yoga practitioners had increased grey matter volume in their brains.

Translation? More grey matter supports improved overall brain function, particularly as we age, and potentially even greater IQ. Furthermore, according to a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2020, yoga can help lessen symptoms of depression, while another study published in the same journal in 2020 found that yoga can help lower emotions of anxiety.

If you suffer from migraines or back pain, yoga has been shown to alleviate these symptoms. A 2020 study published in the journal Neurology revealed that doing yoga three times a week for as little as one month was enough to avoid migraines without the use of medication.

A study published in the journal Holistic Nursing Practice in 2020 found that long-term yoga practice helped cure back pain by combining "physical poses with intelligent, focused relaxation and an emphasis on breathing methods."

Mindful meditation and yoga decreased participants' perceptions of pain, despair, and total chronic pain, according to research published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association in 2020.

What is the most enjoyable part? You do not need to perform the most challenging yoga poses to reap these benefits. While yoga can be a strenuous workout, even the most fundamental yoga sequences performed a few times each week can be helpful.

How a Daily Yoga Practice Benefits Running

Despite your running fitness level, including yoga in your cross-training routine can give significant benefits.

Hot yoga and power yoga, for example, can help you improve your overall fitness by increasing your heart rate and muscle mass, which can help you sprint faster or run farther on a lengthy run.

According to Kaiser Permanente Washington, boosting your heart rate through exercise strengthens your heart, helping it to become more efficient at pumping blood throughout your body. As a result, "your heart operates better under stress and you don't become winded during high-intensity activities." This means that your speedwork and long runs will be easier.

Yoga improves your running power while also strengthening your lower, upper, and core muscles. Strength training, according to Athletic Lab, a sports science research and training center in Cary, North Carolina, not only helps build strength in your muscles and tendons, but it also promotes ligament flexibility, lessening your risk of strains or tears.

According to the Mayo Clinic, there are several yoga sequences that focus on stretching, which is also beneficial for preventing injuries because it increases blood flow to your muscles and improves joint range of motion.

Additionally, a relaxing yoga session at night may help you sleep, making it simpler to get up for your early-morning run.

How to Start

If you're taking your first yoga class or returning to your practice after a long break, you may be wondering what equipment you'll need and what postures you'll need to know to get started.

Yoga blocks and a mat are required. (The blocks are there to help you in decreasing the distance between you and the floor if necessary for a pose.) Here are some gear suggestions to get you started:

While many yoga studios offer virtual sessions, and there is a lot of variety on YouTube, here are 30 specific postures you can learn—along with instructions on how to do them correctly.

Conclusion

Yoga has been practiced for around 2,000 years and has recently gained popularity. There are many different forms of yoga, including Ashtanga yoga, Bikram (or "hot") yoga, Hatha yoga, and power yoga, and the optimal type of yoga class for you depends on your experience and preferences. 

Yoga can assist runners in improving their overall fitness, lowering their blood pressure, and decreasing their risk of injury.

Yoga can also enhance memory, relieve migraines and back pain, and reduce feelings of sadness and anxiety. Integrating yoga into a regular cross-training regimen can help develop muscle and tendon strength, flexibility, and blood flow to muscles, all of which can help prevent injuries.