Mark A. Merolli, Editor-in-Chief

Some time ago, I was talking to my father, a lifelong runner, about a nagging hamstring injury that I had been battling for the past 6 months. I complained to him that my inability to recover from the injury was likely my own doing because I had failed to maintain a consistent yoga practice. He looked at me with a combination of disbelief and confusion. My Old Man has never been a devotee to a solid stretching regimen, let alone a yoga practice. For instance, I once asked him why he did not follow any regular stretching routine pre or post run, and he replied, “Did you ever seen Hayden [our now deceased family dog] stretch before he went running with me or when he came in at night?” Admittedly, I could not really offer any good comeback.

I would be lying if I claimed that I did not inherit a bit of my Old Man’s resistance to stretching, and that inborn aversion to stretching was one of the primary reasons that I started to explore a regular yoga practice. When I first started going to regular yoga classes, I looked at my visits to yoga studios simply as the forced stretching and active recovery efforts I needed after hard cycling or running workouts.

Early in my practice, I made a concerted effort to try out different styles—<a href="http://www.yoga-centers-directory.net/info/yoga_style_glossary.htm#A">Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Yin Yoga, Hatha, Restorative, etc.—and, in time I started to see how a regular yoga practice greatly aided my recovery. Plus, I noticed that yoga seemed to give me a boost on the road over time, and equally important, delivered me the same stress release and feeling of overall well-being that I typically gained from running and cycling.

Hardcore endurance athletes often look skeptically on yoga, figuring that in a week that already gives you limited training hours, one cannot afford to add yet another activity in the mix that could deprive you of time on the road or on the bike. But, what many such athletes fail to recognize is that running and cycling really hammer your body, and yoga can offer you a way to bring your body back around. Both cycling and running are repetitive motion sports that place an excessive amount of undue stress on specific muscle groups, bones, and joints. And, both sports tend to “compact” your body give their repetition and action. Predictably, many runners and cyclists therefore develop “problem areas.” For example, years of running and cycling have caused me to develop tight hamstrings, horror show hip tightness, and occasional upper back pain. To improve those areas, I have increasingly turned to yoga. And, my practice has not only gradually improved my flexibility, but it has also come to help me guard against overuse injuries.

Another benefit of a regular yoga practice is the development of greater core strength and overall balance. Although cycling and running are focused on the legs, core strength is required to really excel in these pursuits. Power and stability emanate from the core. Yoga’s focus on the core helps build total body strength that in turn improves resistance to fatigue, and improves muscular endurance—two things crucial for excelling in endurance events like cycling and running.

For cyclists, a strong core permits your legs to deliver maximal power onto the pedals, especially during explosive sprinting and extended climbing efforts. Cyclists with weak core muscles often suffer low back pain over long rides. Their muscles lack the strength and endurance to maintain position in the drops for long periods of time.

For runners, a strong core helps maintain good posture and running form over long distances. Building a strong foundation of core strength is therefore essential for cyclists and runners, and yoga provides a ready and efficient means to develop a solid core.

Yoga also delivers an improved mental focus—something that cannot be underestimated for the (sometimes) competitive runner and cyclist.

A complete discussion of all the different types of yoga and how they can boost and enhance running and cycling performance is well beyond the scope of this brief article. But, don’t worry—we have you covered! The next few Newsletters will offer a series on the numerous benefits yoga can deliver endurance athletes like runners and cyclists.

June: Part 1--Yoga As A Means Of Recovery/Injury Prevention

July: Part 2--Yoga As A Means To Build Core and Total Body Strength

August: Part 3--Yoga As A Means To Improve Mental Focus

This month, we focus on using yoga as a means to foster recovery. Specifically, we will explore two types of yoga that have greatly aided my recovery and injury prevention efforts over the past couple of years—Yin Yoga and Restorative Yoga.

Yin Yoga

Yin Yoga is an ancient system of <a href="http://www.yoga-centers-directory.net/info/yoga_style_glossary_2.htm#H">Hatha Yoga specifically focused on strengthening and stretching the deep tissues around the hips and lower spine in order to improve one’s ability to comfortably meditate for prolonged periods.
Yin Yoga primarily focuses on floor postures. Asanas (poses) are never rushed– instead they are relaxed and intentionally held for longer stretches of time. Yin Yoga is therefore often used for physical rehabilitation, and naturally offers a great means to enhance recovery.

Yin Yoga has the same goals and objectives as any other school of yoga; however, it directs the stimulation normally created in the Asana portion of the practice deeper than the superficial or muscular tissues—generally identified as the Yang tissues. In contrast, Yin Yoga targets the connective tissues, such as the ligaments, bones, and even the joints of the body that normally are not exercised very much in a more active style of Asana practice.

Given its nature, Yin Yoga is a perfect complement to the dynamic, explosive and repetitive efforts of running and cycling. Of key importance, Yin Yoga focuses the majority of its work on the connective tissues of the hips, pelvis, and lower spine—typical problem areas for cyclists and runners.

Some complain that this type of yoga is boring, too passive, or soft. But, if you are putting in hard efforts on the road, do you really want your active recovery efforts to hammer your body? Plus, a Yin practice can actually challenge you since you hold the poses for a long duration—anywhere from one to 30 minutes.

Personally, I have found that Yin classes offer me an excellent means of active recovery. After class I feel cleared out, lengthened, and relaxed. Typically, I try to get on the mat for a Yin class on a Thursday in advance of a big weekend of running or riding.

Restorative Yoga

Restorative Yoga is a general term for slower paced ‘gentle’ <a href="http://www.yoga-centers-directory.net/info/yoga_style_glossary_2.htm#H">Hatha Yoga practice. It aims to foster recovery and restoration of the physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. Given the practice’s focus, poses are practiced very deliberately very slowly, and without putting excessive tension on the muscles. Teachers often employ a variety of props and supports over the duration of the classes in an effort to enhance the work of gravity. Essentially, the practice aims to open the body passively. Most classes will also include some meditation exercises, and deep breathing exercises.

Restorative yoga is traditionally practiced in a warm, quiet room, and most practitioners find it very relaxing. Many yoga studios will schedule their Restorative classes during the late afternoon or early evenings on a Sunday. This scheduling is perfect for runners and cyclists who often do their hard workouts or races over the weekend and a Sunday class gives them an opportunity to commence the difficult yet important recovery process in advance of the stresses and obligations of the work week. Currently, I make attending a Restorative class a priority on Sunday nights so that I can jump-start my recovery efforts, put the weekend’s hard work behind me, and begin the week with a fresh perspective on life.

Putting It All Together

Both Yin and Restorative practices offer you a creative opportunity to relax—something that cannot be underestimated in an age where we are often overloaded with work, family and training responsibilities. On the mat, you’ll tune out the distractions of your day, forget training successes or failures, key in on your breath and your body, and just focus on the moment.

Need to find a local studio or teacher? Check out yogajournal.com or yogafinder.com. You can also get a little 411 on different teachers by checking out reviews on yelp.com, or asking friends, co-workers, etc. If you don’t connect with a given teacher, try to get to another class at the same studio, or make an effort to visit other classes—there is a wide spectrum of teachers out there and by sampling a few, you will definitely find a good match. I hope to see you on the mat soon!

Have you tried yoga as a means to enhance your recovery efforts? If so, did you find that yoga helped you or hurt you? We want to know, so log in and tell us and the wider MapMyRun Community about your yoga experiences!