Confessions on a Yoga Mat

This feels like a confession. It’s been a month since I last ran. As someone who teaches yoga for runners, whose identity is shaped around being “a runner”, this is something I’ve really struggled with and I know I’m not alone.

At the start of one of my classes recently a student said “I feel like I’m never going to run 5k again” and it was like she’d read my mind. It’s similar to the weeks after you’ve run a marathon. You can’t comprehend how you (a) ran that distance in the first place and (b) could ever run it again because it feels impossible.

Running is about more than the physical act of running. It offers a way to manage stress, process thoughts, stay in shape, and connect with others. If you’re part of a running club or group that community almost becomes like a second family.

Then there’s the way in which running brings structure to your week – your regular training sessions and at the weekend there’s parkrun and/or a long run.

Take all that away and what have you got?

Not running, whether you are injured or sick, can make you feel isolated, despondent, frustrated and fat. You avoid Strava, WhatsApp groups and get FOMO when friends share race photos on socials.

In recent years, I seem to have gone through a regular pattern of basically running myself into the ground health wise – oh the irony of that phrase! I wonder whether I should give up running altogether. However, I know I’m really not ready to do that yet.

I’m absolutely passionate about how yoga can help runners both as a form of prehab and rehab. I’m not saying coming to classes with me is going to keep you completely injury free, but it can help. Yoga can make you a more resilient, more efficient, stronger runner.

If you’re injured, yoga can support your recovery both physically and mentally. If you come to class and you’re injured or dealing with an illness that prevents you from running, know that I see you and I understand.

Ultimately, for me, when it comes to prehab and rehab, yoga offers us the greatest tool at our disposal. To listen to our bodies and, more importantly, to act on what our bodies are telling us. In my humble opinion, the subtle messages our bodies offer us are much more intuitive and trustworthy than the notifications you get from Garmin (other devices are available). Tuning into these messages takes regular practice. Just like getting better at running requires consistent practice. So come and practice with me.