Hot Yoga Experiences > Hot Yoga and Running
I would be super-grateful to any runners out there who *do* manage both! I had to stop running for awhile because of injuries that hot yoga is helping me address, but I do love the opportunity to do exercise outside, in tune with the seasons and on your own schedule. So I'm excited to get back out there, especially if I can find a way to combine running with my practice in a healthful and harmonious way. Help me out, fellow hotties!
Mary-Rush
(I probably should have said please... and thanks!)
Mary-Rush
So many "hot yoga runners" say that hot yoga helps the lungs, the legs, the hamstrings. I don't run but I hear this from a lot of my students. I hear you about the joy of being in the seasons, in nature, and on your own schedule, but oh those injuries to the feet/shins/legs/hips...from shin splints to plantar fasciatus. That being said, if you love something, that joy trumps all else. And I can't think of a sport or exercise regimen that doesn't break the body down as you age - except yoga. Can you? If something wears you down, can it be good?
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
I have super tight hamstrings probably because I've never stretched them so intensely before. I find that yoga and running are like the same open eyed meditation. With both activities you become still in a way. I find that class definitely help make me a little less sore after a run.
AlexandriaS
Hi fellow runners and yogis! I have been running and practicing yoga together for a couple of years now. I find it is challenging to manage both. I can run and practice a full yoga class on the same day if I have some space between the two AND kept the run to a short, easy one. On a couple of occasions I have done a hard run, ie speed or hill work and then practiced yoga that evening. A hard run lowers the immune system for a time and each time I felt myself coming down with something.
Yoga has helped my running immensely, keeping me looser and (mostly) injury free. Pranayama has helped me focus on my breath while running as well. I love how they complement each other.
Dawn
Ok runners - you're talking about injuries, lowered immune function, having to be so careful to avoid getting hurt...someone please tell me what is the joy of running??
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
I used to run all the time, but my hips get misaligned so badly that I limit myself to once a month, if that. I miss it, because for me, it was simply about becoming one with nature. I set no goal, no time, no speed...intention to simply enjoy the moments and surroundings. I love running in the beauty of the outdoors--especially along the Delaware canal or on the beach and letting the coolness of the ocean crash against my feet. There is a feeling of freedom I can't really describe, but I'm sure others are familiar with it.
Laura
I get what you're saying, Laura. Bikram says that all sports damage your body - running included - and that the mark of a life-giving activity is that is heals you. I guess if you are healed in your spirit by running, that's a healing, too. At my age though I am glad I chose yoga; I do hear people my age and WAY younger lamenting their physical condition thanks to their chosen sport. Seems avoidable....
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
Running appeals to intense personalities in the same way hot yoga seems to--there's definitely something addictive and uniquely rewarding about it, and it serves a different purpose than yoga does for me that I can't put my finger on--sometimes it just feels like what I need.
That said, like Laura I limit myself because that kind of repetitive motion and impact on the joints--it's easy to see why it breaks down the body.
Mary-Rush
Sometimes I wonder if the "need" running fulfills is one created by our culture--the one that tells us, "No pain, no gain," and "You can rest when you're dead." I trained competitively as a tennis player when I was younger and really had that drilled into my head--and got the injuries as a souvenir.
To prove a point to my doctor, I once wore a heart rate monitor in a hot yoga class. I wanted to illustrate that there were indeed cardiovascular benefits to the poses that were comparable to running or any other aerobic activity. And you know what? From Ardhachandrasana onward, my heart rate was above the 60% aerobic threshold, and often much higher in the poses you'd expect--Standing Bow, Triangle, etc.
It was amazing to see that validated in such a clear, inarguable way.
Mary-Rush
I would without doubt agree with Mary-Rush that running appeals to intense personalities (myself included) The reason why I love running is because I experience the same open eyed meditation that I do in the studio. See, sometimes I feel like I'm being pulled in a bazillion different directions at once and running and yoga kind of zen out the hummingbird in my brain.
AlexandriaS
Yes, I get the Zen of running but it is hard to reconcile something so damaging to the body as calming to the being. "No pain, no gain" is the exact opposite of what Law of Attraction would say. In yoga, the deepest benefits come during Savasana - Corpse Pose - so that old adage "you can rest when you're dead" gets turned around (literally!) to: "Play dead now rather than when it won't benefit you." As for the heart rate - one of our teachers, Amy, charted her heart rate over time in hot yoga and found that it went way up in the standing series, then dropped dramatically in Savasana, and then way up again the floor series and back to baseline in Final Savasana. Now that's a full body workout!
Rhonda
Both running and hot yoga appeal to me as they lead me to a meditative place where I stop all the thinking and become one with my breath. I love trail running - the nature and seasons can be taken in and appreciated on a whole new level.
No Pain, No Gain: The thing with running- you don't feel pain while doing it, but I guess it would be better to take yoga to the trails!
Amy A
I like the alternative slogan: Feel pain? Refrain. Applies nicely to running and....life
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
I've thought a lot about hot yoga and running. I've been a runner for years and I've noticed with after the first few months of practices, my speed and endurance definitely increased.
I run, because I love being outdoors, connecting with the world around in a rhythmic and meditative way. I also have found that running is the only exercise I've ever tried that gives me a major endorphin rush and seems to help with mood. That is, until I began hot yoga. I have to say that yoga has had immediate benefits that just seem to keep growing. With running, the benefits came immediately, and have plateaued on the emotional level. On the physical level, I can feel the wear and tear on my body. Yoga has mitigated the effects of some of the injuries--less knee and lower back pain, but the combination of the two seems to be hard on the hips for me. When I decrease the running, the hip pain recedes!
I'm still not quite ready to give up that old friend yet!
Mallory Maier
Never in my 44+ years have I enjoyed running. It was always a chore, and everything hurt! It was hard to breath, my ankles and calves would swell, my hips ached - I was a mess on a trail just willing the minutes to go by until I was finished. Recently, I began running again on days that I do not do hot yoga, and I have found that my endurance has surged, I have no aches and pains and my breathing is easy. I have nothing to contribute the change to other than minimalist running shoes and yoga. Now when I get ready to run, it isn't with loathing. I practically skip outside with excitement and think 'I can't wait to see what I'm going to be able to do today.'
Marguerite
If running feels good it's something you should keep, Aimee... I just wish it wasn't so damaging to the joints and musculature of the body
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
Marguerite which do you think came first: your letting go of the loathing of running or the joy of running?
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
Arghhh....another student with shin splints, plantar faciatus, and torn meniscus from running. Of course it could have been wrong shoes, rocky terrain, etc....but if you're doing something that clearly damages your body over time, how good can it be?
Runners - is there something that keeps you running despite all the evidence of damage to the joints, fascia and ligaments? Is running the new smoking?
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
Balance is the key word here for me in regards to running and hot yoga. I love running because it is my time alone. I get to think or not to think about anything at all. Yes being amongst the nature is probably one of the best parts along with Catching scenery that I would never see otherwise.
I found hot yoga because I wanted a balance and an oulet from running after training for my marathon in 2011.I totally feel that my endurance, stamina and mentally toughness has increased since practicing hot yoga. I love how I can control my breathing more & use this to go an extra mile or more:) Physically my body is stronger and a lot of my running “ailments” have stayed away.
As far as dawn was speaking about doing both activities on the same day I have done that. It’s either a short run after a classic class or a long run with a classic class the next day.
I would t go as far as saying that running is the new smoking because running is totally better for your lungs than nicotine. i agree with Aimee, that running releases the natural endorphins (runners high) makes me keep coming back for more. It makes me feel happy. Just as I have found with hot yoga :)
maria
I am not a runner, move more side to side than forward. But, I can relate to some of what folks are saying and Marie and Aimee about getting "runners high", that running gives releasing the natural endorphins. I get that from dancing and Zumba, where I can smile, move my body and sing. I also feel that hot yoga balances my Zumba exercise. the pounding in running never appealed to me. prefer to walk. and now meditate.
amy
There are days when running is tough, but nothing beats the feeling you have on some days when your lungs are strong, your thighs are strong, and you feel so young and free as you run along. I had to stop running for a bit because of uneven hips and sciatica, but hot yoga is fixing that. As I age I avoid asphalt and run on the path—that is easier on the joints.
irenem
Irene, anything that feels this joyful - "your lungs are strong, your things are strong, you feel so young and free" - is worth doing! But...are you holding yourself back from your own joy by citing your "uneven hips and sciatica"? What might happen if you allowed yourself to just focus on the joy of running? Is your joy stronger than your physical body? Can you choose your beliefs and have those shape your experience? What do you think? (Hint: whatever you think is what you will create!)
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
Many Riverflow hot yoga students are runners...here's what Mary-Rush says: "Doing a hot yoga class on a day you do a big run can be extremely challenging... I don't know if it's the case for anyone else, but the classes in which I've struggled the most have come after doing 4+ miles in the same day--especially if there was another contributing factor, like too little sleep, etc.
Maybe someone has some good ideas about how to manage both?