The Benefits of
Yoga for Runners
- Yoga
postures can
correct muscle imbalances resulting from high impact training,
aligning the joints, improving bone density, stretching and
stabilizing the body to
prevent pain and injury,
particularly in injury-prone zones: hips, hamstrings, knees, Achilles
tendon
and iliotibial
band to name just a few.
- Standing
yoga
postures
correctly
align the knee, strengthen the arches to provide better shock absorbers
and maintain
healthy connective tissue in the foot and shin. They also
improve balance, pelvic stability and leg strength for powerful
efficient form.
- Dynamic
flowing
yoga sequences develop a sense of rhythm between breath and movement,
build stamina and coordination, combining upper body and core strength
with lower body flexibility.
- Slow,
gentle, hatha
yoga with longer holds in postures balances out your athletic efforts,
cultivates awareness of any resistance, promotes release of
tension to avoid injury and can help you recover and rejuvenate
after sports.
- Yoga
breath work and
concentration exercises
can improve body awareness and confidence, focus and patience, and positive
pleasure in your athletic pursuits.
The
Benefits of
Pilates for Runners
- Joseph
Pilates's
method is a low impact, precise approach of exercise
centred around core strength, pelvic stability and peripheral mobility.
- Pilates improves posture,
and therefore can
work to
corrrect imbalances in your gait.
- Like yoga, Pilates helps
prevent injuries by
balancing the over trained athletic body and correcting inefficient or
unhealthy movement patterns, leading to improved endurance.
- With a strong focus on the
relationship
between
core, pelvis and spine, Pilates is an excellent antedote to back pain.
- Pilates principles
are: Awareness,
Breath, Balance, Center, Concentration,
Control, Efficiency, Flow, Harmony, Precision. These
principles
can be also be applied to all sports including those involving
coordination, accuracy and team work.
Please
see the
following
articles and visit the Press
and Shop
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