Pairing a quick yoga session after your run is a great way to prevent your muscles from tightening up and to get you prepped for your next run. Last week I share some pre-run yoga videos. This week, I’ve curated 3 YouTube videos you can use to cool down with yoga after your run.
Runners Yoga: Cool Down Videos
1. Bad Yogi: Yoga for After Your Run (11 min)
This 11 minute video with Erin Motz plays more like an instructional video with a handful of exercises you can take at your own pace, making it easy to transition it to a post-run routine you can do.
The video covers hips, hamstrings, calves, ankles and feet. The ankle and foot stretch was new to me, and it felt less intimidating than the typical weight-bearing stretches that can put strain on my injury-prone feet.
She provides a lot of modifications for us tight, inflexible runners. In addition to her recommendations for Double Pigeon pose, I also suggest using a pillow between your ankle and top knee to assist.
2. Ekhart Yoga’s Cooling Down Sequence (8 min)
Esther Ekhart provides a short sequence that can be done outside, without a mat, still in your shoes. Just find a wall, bleacher, fence, tree, whatever to lean on for the first part of the routine.
The sequence contains full body and leg focused stretches. I enjoy Triangle pose as a way to stretch legs and the side body. She turns the quad stretch into Dancer Pose prep, which is fun.
3. Yoga by Candace
It says “gentle” in the title, but I don’t know about that.
I’d recommend this quick routine for more advanced yogis. There are plenty of twists, small back bends, and the option for Mermaid pose. Candace is very flexy and she goes in and out of these poses with ease. My post-run body might feel differently.
It is one of the few post-run videos I found that incorporates foot stretching, though.
Pigeon pose with sleeping dog
I could not resist commenting. Very well written.