The 4 Best Yoga Poses For Kayakers

Paddling—whether in flatwater or whitewater—can stiffen the shoulders from constant rotation, the obliques from twisting, and the hips from stabilizing the body in the kayak.ÌýStrengthening and opening those trouble spots can increase your endurance and efficiency.Ìý

The following four poses create space in the muscles and help develop postural integrity so that you can keep your form longer. And, thus, reach the real goal: spending more time out on the water.Ìý

Twisting Core Series:

• Down Dog Twist
• Navasana Twist
• Ardha Navasana
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Josh Schrei is a yoga teacher at in Santa Fe, NM, and an endurance athlete. He placed 10th among 40- to 49-year-old males in the last year. In October, he’s planning to do 3,000 sun salutations around South India’s sacred Arunachala mountain to raise money for Water.org.

The Best Yoga Poses For Kayakers: Down Dog Twist

THE MOVES:
1. Come intoÌýDownward-Facing Dog.
2. Bring the right hand to the outside of the left ankle.
3.ÌýLengthen the right side of the body, relax the neck, and take the gaze up under the left side of the body.
4. Hold for 30 seconds.
5. Repeat on opposite side for 30 seconds.Ìý

THE REASON: Down Dog Twist lengthens and strengthens the entire side of the body—through the muscles of the side ribcage, and in the abdominal obliques—and sets up the necessary alignment for better kayaking posture.

The Best Yoga Poses For Kayakers: Navasana Twist

THE MOVES:
1. Sit on the mat with your legs straight out in front of you.
2. Inhale, lifting your legs straight up.
3. Bring your arms straight out on front of you toward your legs.ÌýDraw the shoulder blades back and lift the heart.
4.ÌýSit on the sit bones, lifting up through the inner thighs and through the crown of the head.
5. Engage the core by drawing the navel toward the spine. Hold for 15 seconds.
6. Bring the hands together at the heart.
7. Twist toward your right first, your chest, arms and gaze to the right side of your body. Hold for 15 seconds.
8. Repeat on the opposite side, holding both steps (with arms extended and the twist for 15 seconds each).Ìý

THE REASON: Twisting Navasana strengthens the abdominal muscles and obliques to maximize stability in the kayak.

The Best Yoga Poses For Kayakers: Ardha Navasana

Navasana

THE MOVES:
1. From step 5 in Navasana Twist (see photo in the sidebar), lower everything down until your arms, legs, and head are just a few inches off the mat.
2. Hold for 15 seconds.
3. Come up to Navasana (arms extended) and hold for 15 seconds.
4. Release down to Ardha Navasana for 15 seconds.
5. Continue repeating for as long as you like.

THE REASON: Twisting Navasana into Ardha Navasana is an oblique exercise that engages the core in a long twist while the hips are flexed—perfect for kayakers.

The Best Poses For Kayakers: Revolved Utkatasana

THE MOVES:
1. Do steps 1-6 onÌýUtkatasana Bend.
2. Hold in Utkatasana for 15 seconds.
3. Bring the hands together at the heart. Inhale.
4. Exhale, twisting to the right. Bring your left triceps to the outside of your right thigh.
5. Hold here, breathing slowly, for 15 seconds. Make sure your hips still square over your feet and that they aren't jutting out to one side.ÌýAt the bottom of each exhale, twist a little deeper.
6. Repeat on the opposite side, staying in Utkatasana for 15 seconds, and then twisting for 15 seconds.Ìý

THE REASON:ÌýRevolved Utkatasana develops the relationship between the deep flexion of the obliques and the opening of the hips to create more space in the lower side of the body.

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Swimming and yoga go hand-in-hand. In fact, getting out of the pool after a serious lap session feels similar to the after-effects of an hour-long yoga class: stretched, strong, and in a state of zen.Ìý

The good news: swimming takes the shoulders through a full range of motion so a good baseline of flexibility is inherent to the sport.Ìý

The bad news: the constant use of shoulders to propel through the water can result in tightness from overuse.

The goal: develop a good foundation of openness in the shoulders, while keeping length in the core. This is how swimmers maximize their full range of motion and use the entire extension of the body to their advantage. Think of the body as one piece.

First, focus on lengthening in both directions from the navel while swimming. This will bring alignment and length and keep arm exhaustion to a minimum.

Next, practice these four poses, a mix of shoulder openers and core- and back-strengtheners.

Shoulder Stretch Into Cat/Cow

The Moves:

1. Start on all foursÌýwith your legs hip-distance apart, tops of the feet flat on the floor.
2. Bring your upper body down to the floor, reaching the arms out long in front of you.
3. Turn your upper body toward the left, to start, putting your right ear and shoulder on the floor.ÌýExtend your right arm straight out to the left, palm up.
4. The left arm reaches overhead in line with the side body, fingers to the floor and left bicep alongside your ear.
5. Hold for 30 seconds.
6. Come up onto all fours and continue intoÌýCat/CowÌýfor one minute.Ìý
7. Then repeat steps 1-6 toward your right.

Ìý

The Reason: Shoulder Stretch into Cat/Cow is a shoulder opener.

Shoulder Stretch on the Floor

The Moves:

1. Lie flat on the floor with your legs out straight behind you, hip distance apart, and your arms straight overhead, forehead to the floor.
2. Bring your right arm, to start, under and across your chest, leaning into your right shoulder and onto your arm.
3. Bring the left arm straight up and overhead, fingers to the floor, bicep near the ear.ÌýThe more you roll toward center onto the shoulder joint, the deeper the stretch you will feel.
4. Hold for one minute, then repeat on the opposite side.

Ìý

The Reason: Shoulder Stretch will open up tightness in the shoulders.

Shalabasana

The Moves:

1. Lie flat on the floor with your legs straight out behind you, hip-distance apart, and arms straight ahead, forehead on the floor.
2. In one strong, swift motion,ÌýliftÌýup with your feet and reach up and out with your arms, raising your heart off the floor. Your gaze should be out in front, between your hands.Ìý
3. Hold for 20 seconds. Then repeat for two minutes.Ìý

Ìý

The Reason: Shalabasana is a core and back strengthener that will build length and alignment through the body and the limbs. Focus on keeping the neck and spine as long as possible for full effect.

Half Dhanurasana

The Moves:

1. Lie flat on the floor with your legs straight out behind you, hip-distance apart, and arms straight ahead, forehead on the floor.
2. Bend your right leg, to start, and reach back with your right arm until you are holding your right ankle.
3. In one strong, swift motion, kick up with your thighs and reach out and up with your left hand.
4. Keep kicking your right foot into your right hand and kicking up and out with your left foot, keeping your knees close together.
5. Hold for 20 seconds. Repeat.
6. Do steps 1-5 on the opposite side of the body.

Ìý

The Reason:ÌýHalf Dhanurasana is a core and back strengthener that will build length and alignment through the body and the limbs. Focus on lengthening through the entire side body for full effect.

Josh Schrei is a yoga teacher at in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and an endurance athlete. He placed 9th among 40- to 49-year-old males in the last year. In October, he’s planning to do 3,000 sun salutations around South India’s sacred Arunachala mountain to raise money for .

The post The 4 Best Yoga Poses for Swimmers appeared first on ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Online.

The 4 Best Yoga Poses for Runners

From dodging rocks and roots on the trail to repetitive pounding on concrete or asphalt, running of all varieties can create tightness in the same areas of the body: calves, quads, hamstrings, lateral thighs (or IT bands) and hips.

Trail running tends to be more dynamic because the runner has to spot his or her landing with every step. The body is moving linearly, side to side, and diagonally. There’s less opportunity for injury because of the lack of repetition.

In road running, however, constant pounding on hard surfaces ups the potential for stiffness, soreness, and repetitive stress injuries.

First step: Run with awareness. In both trail and road running, it’s important for the runner to keep the breath strong and even and to remain consciously aware of every step, until running becomes moving meditation. The key to preventing injury is awareness.

Follow this series of poses every day to stay loose and keep your stride. Start with the right leg, moving through all four poses in a sequence. Remember to keep from bouncing in all of the postures. Then switch legs and repeat the sequence.

• Low Lunge
• Crescent Moon
• One-Legged Forward Bend
• Lateral Hip Stretch

Josh Schrei is a yoga teacher at in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and an endurance athlete. He placed 9th among 40- to 49-year-old males in the last year. In October, he’s planning to do 3,000 sun salutations around South India’s sacred Arunachala mountain to raise money for .

The Best Yoga Poses For Runners: Low Lunge

THE MOVES:
1. Start in a lunge position with your right foot back first.
2. Press back through the right heel to straighten the back leg. Lift through the knee to engage the thigh.
3. Make sure the left knee is over the ankle.
4. Bring the hands to the sides of the front foot, under the shoulders.
5. Draw in the navel and tuck the tailbone.
6. Raise the heart toward the sky without taking the hands off the ground.
7. Hold for 30 seconds before moving into Crescent Moon.

THE REASON: Low Lunge opens up your calves, quads, hamstrings, lateral thighs (IT bands) and hips.

The Best Yoga Poses For Runners: Crescent Moon

THE MOVES:
1. From Low Lunge, drop the back knee and the top of the back foot to the floor.
2. Keep the front leg in place, with the knee over the ankle.
3. Drop into the hips to stretch both the front hip and the back quad.
4. Raise the upper body in line above the pelvis, head lifting toward the ceiling.
5. Bring the arms up by the ears, elbows straight, hands reaching toward the sky. Keep dropping the shoulders away from ears, even as you lift the arms.
6. Engage the navel and tuck the tailbone slightly under to keep the abdomen strong.
7. Hold for 30 seconds before moving into One-Legged Forward Bend.

THE REASON: Crescent Moon, like Low Lunge, opens up your calves, quads, hamstrings, lateral thighs (IT bands) and hips. But it also stretches the quad of the extended leg and the hip of the bent leg.

The Best Yoga Poses For Runners: One-Legged Forward Bend

THE MOVES:
1. From Crescent Moon, straighten through the front leg and draw the hips back behind you.
2. Place the hands on the floor for balance.
3. Bend through the spine, bringing the nose toward the knee and draw the shoulders down the back, away from your ears. You should feel a stretch in your hamstring.
4. To deepen the calf stretch, try flexing the foot and drawing the toes back toward you even more.
5. Relax the spine and neck completely.
6. Hold for 30 seconds before moving into Lateral Hip Stretch.

THE REASON: One-Legged Forward Bend lengthens and opens the hamstrings.

The Best Yoga Poses For Runners: Lateral Hip Stretch

THE MOVES:
1. From One-Legged Forward Bend, walk the hands over to the same side of the body as the extended leg.
2. Keep the hips over the back knee and keep the front leg extended.
3. The further back and away from the body you place the hands, the more you’ll feel the stretch in the lateral hip and thigh.
4. Make sure to keep the head dropped and the neck relaxed.
5. Hold for 30 seconds and then repeat the series starting with Low Lunge with the opposite foot behind you.

THE REASON: Nothing gets at the IT band like the Lateral Hip Stretch.

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Double- and triple-digit rides on a road bike can lead to uncomfortable tightness in key areas on the body. Pedaling long hours astride the saddle with the neck up shortens the spine and causes tightness in the lower back, sacrum, and hips. The neck and jaw can lock up, too. Good posture and stretching will help diminish these after-effects of serious rides.

First, look at your posture in the saddle. Focus on lengthening the spine—be conscious of keeping space between the shoulders and neck. Also, lift the navel to engage the lower abdomen. This will keep the support in your core to protect your lower back.

Second, do these four yoga postures every day to stay loose and maximize your potential on the bike.

Cat/Cow Pose

Cat/Cow brings length to the spine in both the forward- and back-bends, working out stored tension from cycling.

1. Come onto all fours.
2. Breath deeply and evenly through the nose.
3. On an inhale, tip the head and pelvis up toward each other and drop the chest, arching the spine.
4. On an exhale, reverse the arch, drawing the mid-back way up to the sky like a Halloween cat (see photo in the sidebar).
5. Alternate between the two for one minute.

Downward-Facing Dog

Downward dog will not only open the lower back, it will also strengthen it, giving you structural support when you’re on the bike.

1. Start in a high pushup position with the hands directly under the shoulders.
2. Lift the hips up and back and drop the heels toward the floor to come into an inverted V-shape.
3. Walk the hands back in toward the feet a couple of inches and drop the heels back even further.
4. Spread the fingers wide apart.
5. Press through the palms to lift the hips even higher up and back.
6. Relax the neck and let the head hang.
7. Hold the position and breathe evenly and deeply for one minute.

Chair Pose Into Forward Bend

Like Downward Dog, this pose alternately strengthens and opens the low back and hips. It also lengthens the upper spine.

1. Stand comfortably with the feet a few inches apart.
2. Inhale and bend deeply through the knees, drawing the hips back, as if you’re sitting down in a chair.
3. Lean the upper body slightly forward as if you’re getting out of the chair.
4. Reach the arms up and slightly out to the side.
5. Draw the shoulders away from the ears, keeping the neck long.
6. Keep the arms straight and knees bent for 15 seconds, breathing deeply.
7. On an exhale, straighten through the legs and fold at the waist (see photo in the sidebar).
8. Bring the palms toward the floor.
9. Relax the spine and let the entire upper body spill forward over the legs.
10. Hold for 15 seconds and repeat.

Sacrum Stretch

This pose will open up the whole spine, particularly the sacrum at the base of the spine.

1. Position yourself in a low squat.
2. Lift the hips enough to weave the elbows under the knees.
3. Take hold of the backs of the ankles.
4. Keeping the elbows back, drop the hips low and tuck the tailbone.
5. Simultaneously, tuck the chin into the chest.

Josh Schrei is a yoga teacher at in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and an endurance athlete. He placed 9th among 40- to 49-year-old males in the last year. In October, he’s planning to do 3,000 sun salutations around South India’s sacred Arunachala mountain to raise money for .

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