Hi everyone! My name is Yashvi, and I run a blog where I talk about fashion, lifestyle, and mental health. So, it’s basically my life in blog format.

Though I’ve never been a good runner, I did take to yoga at a young age. Naturally, when Ivo asked me to write a post about how yoga can help improve a runner’s stamina, I was excited to share my thoughts.

The most common misconception I hear about yoga is that it’s difficult and takes a lot of flexibility.

Both are untrue.

The key to yoga is practice, and with a dedicated practice, you will find yourself able to move in ways you didn’t think you could.

Okay, okay. “What does yoga have to do with running?” I hear your concerns, and so here are a few benefits of yoga:

• Has been shown to reduce inflammation – I’m looking at you aching knees
• Can improve heart health – Yoga is unique in that it increases your heart rate without the cardio.
• Reduces chronic pain – goodbye back pains!
• Improves balance and flexibility – okay, that was obvious, but it’s true!
• Increases strength – did you know you can add weights to your yoga routine?
• Improves breathing – the pace of yoga really forces you to practice your breathing techniques.
• Increases your blood flow – it will help you warm up or cool down before/ after a run.

Surely I’ve got you hooked now!

It doesn’t even need to be a long session of yoga, the real goal is to slowly teach your body to move in ways other than the everyday. It could be a five-minute pre-run warm up, a 15-minute post run stretch, or a full-blown hour-long session on a rest day.

 Start slow, and don’t forget, the only rule is to go with what feels natural.

Never push your body further than you are ready to go.

Below I’ve included two of my favourite yoga videos, specifically designed for runners: