This weekend I was once again in awe of the all those runners that completed the London marathon. Running is very demanding on the body and most runners will experience aches, pains, blisters and sometimes injuries. It is important to protect your body when running regularly and yoga is a great way to strengthen your body. If you are a runner that has never done yoga before, here are 5 good reasons to give it a go !

1. Increase your flexibility. Sometimes when I get home from a run, I don’t feel like stretching for 10 minutes, but I know that my hips will be sore the next day if I don’t. Improving the range of movement in your lower body can also help to reduce your risk of injuries.

2. Strengthen your core. Yoga is an awesome way to strengthen your core and improve your balance & co-ordination. Strength is key if you want to increase your speed, so yoga could just help you get a new 5k PB. Plus trying to balance upside down is fun!

3. Improve your posture. Many yoga poses help to lengthen your spine and improve your posture. Running is a very repetitive movement and so can often cause back pain. Save money on trips to the physio by doing some stretches at home instead.

4. Master your breathing. Learning to control your breathing will improve your running speed and stamina. Lay down and take some long deep breathes. Ahhhhhhh

5. Get a goodnights sleep. Often nervous runners will have a restless night before a run that you have spent months training for. Yoga can help you to sleep more deeply and wake up feeling refreshed and ready to race.

If you are a complete beginner then I recommend you start by going to a few yoga classes with a good instructor. That way you can learn to do the positions correctly and then practice them at home.

‘Open your hips and your mind will follow’ or maybe for some it’s the other way around?