Every seasoned runner knows that stretching is important for recovery and preventing injury. Follow along with these pre and post run yoga sequences to get the most out of your run!

Pre- Run Yoga:

• Down Dog
  • How to do it: Spread your fingers wide and bring your wrist creases parallel to the top edge of your mat. Lift your hips up and back toward the wall behind you to create an inverted V position from the side (or, like a letter A without the crossbar). You can bend your knees a little or a lot to relieve tension in your hamstrings and/or lower back.
  • Option to peddle out through your feet to stretch back of your legs, add in calf raises to warm up your lower leg
• Lower to stomach: Quad stretch Right & Left
  • How to do it: Lay prone on your stomach, bring you right foot to glutes. Capture the top of your right foot with your right hand.
  • Option to kick back into your hand for a deeper stretch.
  • Repeat on the left
• Seated Twist: Right & Left
  • How to do it: Come to a crisscross seat. Reach your hands up over head, find length in your side bodies. Twist, bringing your left hand to your right knee and your right hand behind your glutes.
  • Repeat on the other side
• Seated Forward Fold
  • Come to your glutes, send your legs out long in front of you. Flex your toes back toward your knees. Press your hands into the ground to find length through your spine. Reach your arms up over head and fold from your hips, reaching for the backs of your thighs, behind your knees, your shins, or your feet. Lead with your heart.
  • Option to invite a bend into your knees.
• Side Stretch (Janu Sirasana):
  • Extend your right leg, bend your right knee. Bring the bottom of your right foot to the inside of your left thigh (creating a figure 4 with your legs). Find length by reaching up toward the sky and then reach for you right calf, ankle, or foot
  • Repeat on the left

Post Run Yoga:

• Crescent Moon:
  • How to do it: From a low lunge drop your back knee and raise your torso perpendicular to the floor. Press your hips forward (hands can be above your head or rested on your thigh).
    
• Half Splits:
  • How to do it: From Crescent Moon send your hips toward the back of your mat. Keep your hips are over your back knee. Plant your front heel down into the ground and flex your toes toward the sky. (Notice this stretch in your hamstrings)
• Wide legged Forward Fold:
  • How to do it: Step your feet out wide, toes out heel in. Bend at the waist, reach for the ground. Walk your hands from one side to the other and let your head hang heavy.
• Pyramid:
  • How to do it: Place your feet hip distance apart. Place your Left foot about a foot behind your right. Back foot is planted down on the ground. Front leg is straight (option for micro-bend) hinge at your hips and lower your head.
  • Press into your front foot to send your front hip in line with your back.
  • Repeat on the other side
• Supine Fig 4:
  • How to do it: Lay on your back. Plant your Right foot on the ground, knee points toward the ceiling. Place your left ankle on top of your right thigh.
  • Flex your lifted toes
  • Option to pull on your hamstring for a deeper stretch
• Runners Lunge:
  • How to do it: From low lunge place your front foot is to the outside of your hands, toward the top corner of your mat.
  • Option to come down onto your back knee
  • Option to stay lifted on your hands or come down onto your forearms

We hope that these pre and post run stretches improve your flexibility and agility! If you have other great stretches for runners we’d love to hear about them in the comments!