Yoga And Running

The force of the impact of your heels on the ground is your weight multiplied by 3 or 4. Therefore it is not uncommon to hear of runners complaining of sore feet, tight hamstrings, even bad knees & backs. The pain experienced by runners does not come from the exercise itself but from wrong balances caused and intensified by running. Yoga can correct these imbalances.

The individuals who use running to keep fit are probably the most balanced in structure and can really manage the physical stresses of the exercise with little or no pain, in other, words the no pain, no gain type. But no runner can last the imbalances that this hard work presents. The chronic pain is very common if not aggravated by injury.

The average runner suffers excessive contraction, tension, and hammering of the muscular system without enough elongation, restoration and slackening work. Without the opposing actions, the tendency of the body is to make up to avoid injury by finding a way around the instability. This compensation transmits the stress on the joints, muscles, and even the other parts of the body.

This imbalance causes the muscles to double their effort to correct the discrepancy. The tight muscles increase their tautness and the weak muscles decrease their strength. Tight muscles have the properties of hardness, brittleness, & inflexibility. Their secondary purpose, which is to absorb shock for the body, is gone because they are no longer soft and supple. This brittleness brings about the rubbing & grinding of the joints, causing them vulnerability to injury.

Rigidity of the muscles occurs because the training is focused on specific actions indicated for the sport. In other words, they do the action again and again making the body perform like clockwork. This concentration on external technique makes the body structure unfit causing excessive tightness.

Yoga can refocus the awareness internally on the body movements instead of the external outcome. It can balance body strength & extends its range of motion. Not only is the body being trained but also the mind.

Yoga develops the fostering of body wisdom and confidence. You will then be able to hear the messages being sent by the body & act in response to them as you learn more about the body and its functioning. As you can see, running causes the body to generate lots of endorphins, natural painkillers, which can really numb the pain of injury and illness.

Comments? Questions? Email Here

© HowtoAdvice.com