Running With Yoga

Running and Yoga make an excellent couple. Adding yoga into your training program will improve your performance as well as reduce the risk for overuse injuries. Get your yoga flow started today!

Here is Stephanie’s story:

I started practicing yoga a few years ago and recently ventured into teaching beginner and intermediate Vinyasa Yoga. I took my teacher training at The Kripalu Center for yoga and health out in the Berkshires. Within this time frame of going to Yoga school I was challenged with the opportunity of running the Boston Marathon for 2016 with the Boston Medical Center. I thought long and hard about running or not running, I am NOT a distance runner! But I felt like this could be a huge accomplishment and honored to be able to run in the most prestige Marathon. So I took a deep breath and as Barney Stinson would say “Challenge Accepted!”

While I was in Yoga school I slowly started training for the marathon during my lunch breaks. 3 miles turned into 5 miles, 5 miles turned into 8 miles and next thing I knew I was running 13 miles and so on! I was astonished at how great I felt, I had a few aches and pains but nothing like I had in the past from running. My flexibility was on point and I realized how much yoga was benefiting my marathon training!

Practicing yoga while training to run a Marathon not only helped me physically but it also helped me mentally. I would psyche myself out on long runs thinking I don’t think I could run 10 miles, but the mindfulness that comes from practicing yoga got me through every long run. Finally here I am a couple of weeks away from the 2016 Boston Marathon, No injuries, nervous, excited, questioning myself and very grateful to be given this opportunity!

Yoga benefits for Runners

• Flexibility
• Injury prevention
• Strength
• Mental Stability
• Biomechanical Balance
• Breathing techniques
• Energized Body
• Increased running speed

by Stephanie Alessandri

Movement & Strength Instructor at Balans Wellness Studio