Let me tell you a little about my Yoga practise.
yoga, yoga, yoga...
For many years I wanted to do yoga, as like many men i couldn't even touch my toes. But it wasn't until i started track sprinting that I realised that the inflexibility of my back, hips, hip flexors and hamstrings was actually preventing me from striding out and sprinting properly and therefore slowing me down. This was all the motivation I needed to get started, and so i did.
That was about 12 years ago and I was fortunate enough to have a great (Ashtanga) teacher who taught me well, so that I soon understood that yoga was about strength & support, creating space and lengthening, not simply stretching as I, like many believed.
Over the next 3 years practising twice per week, I learned and realised that yoga was the best adjunct to running i could have possibly asked for as the release through the back, hips & legs, and overall core strength I gained literally released the brakes that bound my running allowing me to propel my body further and faster.
Since then, yoga has been a constant companion of mine, albeit somewhat spasmodically at times ( kids will do that!), but more recently I have returned to a twice weekly practise and am loving the benefits I am feeling not just with running but my daily movements, clearer head and calmer mind.
For runners specifically, yoga will help to strengthen your core, your hips, thighs & glutes, whilst also improving your stability, balance & range of motion; all the important elements of good runners. Great for recovery too as yoga lengthens (loosens) your tight bits, giving the tight, sore muscles (& fascia) that elasticity & energy back that is so crucial to being an efficient runner.
Here's a link to a great article that talks a bit more about how well Yoga fits into a runner's life.
Yes, yoga is an ancient practise that crosses many facets of our existence from the physical to the spiritual and can take many forms with lots of lovely Sanskrit names that can be quite confusing. Ashtanga, Iyengar, Vinyasa, Hatha, Flow, Power , Shadow, Hot....??
Recently I have been practising yoga at my wife's studio in St.Kilda, UP ATHLETIC located right on St.Kilda Beach. Whilst the location itself is hard to beat, the session is run by our yoga guru Dylan who describes his classes as;
"a dynamic flow based yoga incorporating elements of Tai chi and mindfulness"
Like Dylan himself this is very understated, as this is a strong practise that sometimes has elements of kung fu thrown in. Essentially it's a pretty amazing experience that you must try.
As I know the Owner at Up Athletic pretty well, I have squeezed an exclusive deal out of her for you guys, my Run Well runners.
You can join our yoga classes for $35 per week, (normally cost $22 casually for non-members) for up to 3 classes. Class times are;
6 AM TUESDAY,
7 PM THURSDAY,
9 AM SUNDAY.
This exclusive deal will also include my FRIDAY morning running session, 6 AM at the TAN, if you don't already come to that.
Trust me, sign up for the 6 weeks ( $210) and I personally guarantee you will be feeling amazing and running better by the end.
If you have any questions or queries, don't hesitate to email me or Up Athletic.
As always Run Well, see you on the track or the mat soon!
