Guest Post by Beth Rifkin for Yoga Tree

I’m running better than I ever have,” exclaims Kerri Kelly, yoga instructor at the Yoga Tree studios in San Francisco. “I move with more fluidity, greater efficiency and I sustain fewer injuries – that’s all thanks to my yoga practice.”

Kelly teaches a class called Yoga For Runners where her students (mostly runners and athletes) learn the beneficial fundamentals that will help them to improve their performance while running or participating in physical activities.

“Yoga can lead to greater endurance and speed in sports, reduction in injuries and the ability to extend your athletic life. It helps to evenly build strength throughout the entire body while also increasing the structural flexibility. Together this can help prevent injury from the repetitive motion that is customary in sports,” says Kelly.

Often what surprises runners the most about yoga is that it is a full body strength building process. “For most activities, it is important to be strong throughout the whole body, not just the muscles that are required for a particular sport,” says Kelly.

For example, in running, despite the focus on the feet, legs and hips, in actuality every muscle in the body is engaged and helping the athlete to reach their goal; the back provides for proper alignment and helps to drive the body forward, the biceps enable a strong arm swing, the core – or mission control – supports the back while also enabling acceleration and speed and of course the legs and gluts move the body forward. A regular yoga practice will balance the strength and flexibility evenly through all of these muscle groups, allowing you to compete stronger and longer.

Additionally, a yoga practice teaches athletes to respect structure, strength and flexibility. Structure, which is built from the ground up, reinforces alignment and is crucial to maintaining proper posture while engaged in physical activities. Yoga also teaches the body to work as a whole, as Kelly explains, “While the action of an activity such as running is repetitive emphasizing specific muscle groups, yoga is holistic, requiring the entire body to work in balance, promoting equal opportunity among all muscles.”

Kelly also emphasizes that in yoga we practice commitment without attachment to outcomes, which can be extremely beneficial when applied to sports or competition, “It is a practice and not a race; yoga should not be an extension of your competitive approach to sports. Better body intelligence leads to increased response while participating in physical activities; yoga is an opportunity to quiet the mind, hone the breath and observe your body.”

Yoga Poses:

Warrior ll Virabhadrasana II): This full body pose supports an upright spine, lengthens the shoulder and upper back muscles, work sthe abdominal muscles, and strengthens the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes.

Boat Pose (Paripurna Navasana): Balancing poses such as Boat Pose reinforce alignment which creates strength and adaptability in muscles around joints. Kelly calls the core “mission control” for a runner, “when your core is strong, everything follows.”

Pigeon (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana: Releases every corner of your hips, while also stretching the thighs, psoas, abdomen, chest, shoulders and neck.

With a regular yoga practice, you will move with more fluidity, confidence and ease – and yoga will allow you to remain active for the rest of your life!

This article was written by Beth Rifkin – a student in Kerri Kelly’s Yoga For Runners Workshop at Yoga Tree SF which has four locations in San Francisco, CA. Beth is a freelance writer and a regular contributor to Tennis Life Magazine, Inside Tennis Magazine and TennisStar.net. Beth is currently in the Teacher Training Program at the Yoga Tree studios in San Francisco.

For more information visit: www.yogatreesf.com.