Yoga for Jogging Enthusiasts

Asanas – the physical part of yoga

Did you know that asanas, representing the physical aspect of yoga, blend very well with any intense activity that puts pressure on the muscles, ligaments, and joints?

Relaxing the muscles through yoga postures is an excellent method after an hour of running, walking, hiking, cycling, or other aerobic activities.

We can draw this conclusion because yoga is less demanding than many other types of workouts, and the postures can be modified to suit each individual, regardless of their fitness level, including people who have had a heart attack. This is a recommended way to reduce muscle tension.

I am surrounded by sports enthusiasts whose practices involve different intensities, and they all have one thing in common: the practice of yoga.

You may wonder why. In the situation where you are puzzled, the explanation is as follows: after intense activity, the entire musculature remains contracted, and over time, the range of motion throughout the muscle’s length is lost, leading to overall stiffness and increased susceptibility to injuries.

Yoga vs Jogging

If we refer to running or any type of hiking, the most tensed muscles are those around the hips, glutes, adductors, hamstrings, and calf muscles.

Essentially, the entire lower part of the body is highly tense, and if we don’t add stretching and relaxation to these areas at the end of the workout, these areas will become increasingly tense and rigid over time, resulting in loss of joint mobility and muscle elasticity, which can then lead to back pain.

Below, you can find a list of asanas indicated after an hour of running or hiking, which work on the lower part of the body, contributing to the release of tension in the hip joints and the relaxation of the muscles involved in the effort:

– Padangustasana
– Prasarita Padottanasana
– Utthita Trikonasana
– Parivrtta Trikonasana