by Yogiwhale
Welcome to a 30-minute yoga class for runners! If you are not a runner or you've done a big walk/hike and need a good stretch - feel free to join! This yoga class is suitable for all levels, it's your practice, not mine, so take it at your pace. Let me know how you get on & see you on the mat soon! Love, Nick
Transcript
Welcome to your mat for this short class for runners in my favorite forest location where I've just been watching some deers cross over the forest corridor. So if you do see any in the class leave me a comment and let me know that you've spotted them. Today we're going to look after everything from our feet, Our calves, Our thighs, Our glutes to make sure that all of our leg muscles get a little bit of love today. But we're going to start first in supta baddha konasana supine bound angle pose. Place your feet together and just let your knees naturally splay out to the sides and then just settle down onto the mat. Once you're down, You can scoot your heels a little bit closer to the hips to feel a bit more of a pull into the inner thighs and place one hand on your tummy and the other hand on your heart and just arrive with some deep breaths. Now whatever it is that you may or may not run for maybe you join this practice just to stretch out your legs But if you are a runner, Whether you run for your health, The high. Run for the challenge or simply the community. This is a nice class to revisit. You can pop it on straight after your run. You can weave it in through your week if you run regularly. Or perhaps take this practice every day if you're training for a marathon. And yoga is a really nice complement to running which is an energetic and fiery movement and yoga balances it out with some stillness and some calm so do not underestimate the physiological benefits of practicing yoga around your running it's more than just for the muscles gently take your legs out long, Just for a moment, And then we're gonna take one leg, I'm gonna start with my right, And just bring the knee in, Release the hands, And wrap it around the top of the knee, And just gently pull it into the chest. Every stretch here should be gentle not forced. I'm not trying to do the splits. We're just giving our bodies some love. And release that leg and swap it over to the other side bring it in hands at the knee and a little pull and lengthen up into your chest and just release. Keep the knee there and bring the other knee in as well. Both hands on the kneecaps and just take some circles. This is round one of knee circles. We'll do it at the beginning of the practice. And we'll do it at the end so that you can maybe observe if anything feels a little bit lighter and looser. It's a good way to check in. Just take circles around the other way. And place your legs out long together now. If you want to just fire up your core you can lift from here up to a seated or of course you can just use your hands to push up. I'm going to try and lift, Take a breath in and then exhale like a zombie peel your body up let the core do the work and come into your seat. Or if you're climbing into it. Just take your legs. Nice and. . . Locked out here we're not putting any weight on the legs so it's okay to lock out the legs and to feel that pull flex your toes towards your body and notice what that does all the way up to the glutes relax them pull tours in. So notice that stretch everything is connected thank goodness So this small. Flex. Of the tools. Is a really nice calf stretch, Just relax. And in again. As well as strengthening the plantar muscles and the tendons around the ankles. Getting a full pull. Twice more. Now the other way so i'm going to support my body for this one it feels like little bit more balance is needed so push the toes down, Flatten the feet. And just relax push down. In your own time, Take five more. Oh, I think I needed that more than I realized. Just give ankles a little roll. Round the other way. And set up for a forward fold. So now we can bring the toes, You don't have to force them as you did so much, But just make sure that they're flat and flexed and then bring the arms up so your body's in a right angle and then exhale, Fold forward. Notice that pull down the hamstrings and as you get deeper, It comes into the spine and the back and you can gently bow your head to your chin to stretch the cervical part of the spine. Coming out the way that you came in. Lift the head first, Start to lift the back. And straighten and arms down. Taking wide-legged forward full, So just take your legs off the mat to about 90 degrees so that you've got this shape with your legs and we're going to fold in that space now so get tall and on your exhale bow forward different sensation into the legs. And let your exhale just soften into it. And walk your hands up and out, Keep that left leg where it is and let's bring the right leg, Right foot into the thigh Lift up tall. Turn to face that leg that's out long and then bow towards that Five breaths here. Inhale and lift out untuck the leg and swap them over. Use your hands to help if you like. I'm going to do that just so I get the right nice tuck with the foot in. Reach up tall, Turn to face the leg and fold. Inhale and lift out untuck the legs and we're going to come into a tabletop, So just sweep them round, Switch the body over, Place hands underneath your shoulder knees underneath the hips. I have swallowed a frog this morning, Excuse me. And spread the fingers so that your weight is distributed around your body. Wrists, Round your palms. Take the right leg out long cross it over the left. So you've come into this curvy shape and then peer over your left shoulder and just look back at the foot. A nice opening to the right side body. If you want to go and add a little bonus stretch, Just push back on the heel, Only a little bit, Very subtle. Gently lift out and sweep the leg round. Place it on the right side, The Spider-Man lunge as I call it. And Here tuck the toes for a bit more support or balance and you decide how deep that you'd like to go. Just gently sit into it so that you feel the inner thigh get some stretch and sensation. And let's pulse up and down for five. Five. Cool. Sorry. Too. One, Come back to neutral, Take the foot behind you, Tuck the toes and then push back into that heel now, Stretch up into the calves right behind the knee No deers yet. I can definitely hear things in the forest. I hope it's a deer. If it's not This might be the last ever footage that exists of me. Gently come out, Bring the knee down and let's just swap over. So take the left leg out long, Cross it over the right, Peer around your right shoulder and hopefully there is a foot there. If there is, You've gone the right way. Push down if you want a little sensation into the calf and come out take the left leg out to the side plant the foot spider-man lunge and tuck your toes for some support. Sit in. And stretch in your thigh. Let's pulse for five. Five. Four. And one come back up take the leg out long toes tucked and then push back into the heel enjoy that nice calf stretch and reset knees together. Take some knee circles from your tabletop, Right leg out long and rotate once. Three other way one two three and let's take some knee, Leg, Nose, Elbow sweeps. It'll make sense once we start. Take your leg out long and let the glute find a little bit of lift with the leg. And then bring the knee to the elbow. Into the nose and sweep it up. Elbow. Nose. And up two more times. And bring that knee back down left side comes up, Fire hydrant lift and then start those circles round change direction. And then level the hips out, Take the left leg out long, Find lift from the glute, Bring the knee to your elbow, To your nose, Sweep, Three more. And reset there. We're going to come up to standing so just place your hands out a little bit further in front so you can just lift up to downward dog. Let's walk the dog here and take advantage of that calf stretch, This time a little bit more weight bearing down onto the ankles. So just drop one ankle down at a time Let the glutes and hips bounce side to side to feel it. A little bit more. And then to stillness look forward and gently walk towards your hands inhale halfway, Exhale fold. Inhale, Sweep up. Hands together at the top and then bring them down to your heart. We'll move now through five half sun cells. So we're not going to be going into chaturanga. We're just going to stop before we take that step or jump back. We're just going to lengthen and shorten our hamstring muscles with this up and down movement. So let's sweep and bounce up. Exhale, Fold. Inhale halfway. Exhale, Fold. Inhale up. Hands to heart, Straight in with number two fold. Halfway. Forward Hands to heart, Round three. This one's easy, I'm just gonna let you flow through it yourself. I'll keep count. Again. And that'll be our last one. If you're catching up just come into your Tadasana. Separate your hands. And feel like you've just won whatever marathon it is that you choose running through the finish line huge achievement I've always said maybe I should at least try and do a marathon in this lifetime and I think about it for about three seconds and then I say no. Some things, We've got to do everything. Marathon is not in my ancestral roots. I'll just stick with the yogurt. Let's stand and move through some side poses. So I was trying to work it out because I was facing the wrong way. So I'll just turn back around and we're going to sweep arms up and step into a high lunge. So let the arms just come back. We'll go left leg back first. Reset the arms up take them overhead exhale to warrior two Now we're in a perfect position to turn the body to the side. Take the foot and face the side of the mat. Inhale, Arms up overhead exhale wide legged fold just keep a little soft bend in the knees here now just so that they're not locked out naturally just let the weight of your upper torso pull you into this fold we're not going to force anything on this side. In the next side we'll try and fold in a little bit further. Inhale sweep the arms up and let's scan DASNA to the front of the mat. So gently come on here. To the side. And just either hold a balance, Use blocks or anything around you or just support yourself on the floor. Deep stretch for the inner thighs on both sides. If you want to support and open the body you can place right hand down and open with the left. Scandasana with your arms and chest open close that hands together and just stay low but take it to the other side back of the mat Set up here, Hold a balance with your hands. Or ground with your left and open with the right. Lovely, Bring it through centre, Sweep the arms up overhead exhale sit back into your warrior two Inhale. Exhale turn the heel forward, Swing the arm forward reset into a high lunge and then exhale big step into a Tadasana. Set up for the other side, Inhale lift the arms up exhale step the right foot back inhale, Arms up exhale warrior two turn that left foot to face the side of the mat. Sweep the arms up overhead. And then exhale, Wide-legged forward fold. This time. You've got some options. To imagine your legs. It's like a window. To another dimension. And you want to be able to try and see the sky. So you're going to pull yourself in. Sorry for the vivid description. Pull yourself in and look. At how beautiful the sky is. In this portal in between your legs. Use your ankles to pull yourself in a bit further or even just fingertip and crawl through the floor. See what else you can see. Nice work, Gently lift out, Inhale up Scandass in the first, Let's go to the front of the match, Sweep it! Down, Support the body in any way you need to. Open the arms if you wish close and to the back Open. Or support. Lovely, Bring it in, Sweep it up. Turn front heel to warrior two turn the back heel, Sweep back arm through and up and then big step into your Tadasana. Let's come down to the mat for some more nice deep stretches and movements inhale reach the arms up Exhale, Forward fold. Inhale halfway and then exhale, Place your hands down, Step into a downward dog Setting up for a pigeon pose. Kapotanasana, I think I said that wrong. Kapotanasana begins with a K and ends with an Asana. That's as good as it gets is mine. So sweep your right leg up, Three-legged dog and use that momentum to swing the right knee to your right wrist. And here you set up your pigeon. However you'd like to feel it, However deep you want to go. I'm going to wiggle my back foot so I can sit into the glute a bit deeper. Rest my knee. And I'm going to settle down into the pigeon but stay lifted if that's enough. If discomfort is arriving in this. Profound yoga pose. Try and release it a little on your exhale. Get softer. Start to climb out. Move the hands. Tuck the back foot, Sweep the knee in if you need to, Walk it in a little bit so that you can three that right leg sweep it up and reset. Left leg sweeps up to three-legged dog and use momentum to bring that left knee to your wrist Wiggle and set up for pigeon. I've got better than this than this than this. Or something. And stay. . . Wherever you want to stay. Nice alert pigeon. Looking around. Checking for predators or be sleepy pigeon. Just surrender There's always a side of the body. Feels it a little bit more. For me, It's this side. So those exhales really come in handy So just soften a little bit and distract me from the discomfort. It's not pain. If you feel any pain, Just come out. But discomfort is natural. It's normal. Then the breath is there to help. And slowly slowly push from the ground heel toe walk. The foot in, Release that left leg and just take it up. And bring it down. Turn the body round come on to your glutes. Legs out long on the mat. And just relax down where we started. Bring the knees in. Place your hands on the back of the thighs and then take the legs out up into the sky, Feet are firmly on the ground on the clouds on the ceiling. Again safe to lock the legs here with no weight bearing down so you can really push the legs out all those valves that work hard to pump blood up to our heart through venous return we're going to give them a break and just let the blood naturally come down with this half inversion Giving everything a little break. Three breaths. And bend the legs, Well done. Keep the knees there, Round two of those knee circles, Place your hands on your knees and just take some gentle circles. Notice if they feel any different, They don't have to, It's all right. If you feel like my goodness these circles are enormous maybe your range feels a little bit lighter or the movement feels a little bit easier rather than forced Just enjoy moving them around in both directions before we lay our body out. In Tischewassen. If there's anything you want to do to finish your practice, Being very leggy today of course, But if you need a little spinal twist or something, Hit pause, Enjoy it. Go practice a little longer, But if you just came here for your legs, Let's lay them out onto the mat. Just feet a bit wider than the hips, Palms facing upwards, Tuck your shoulder blades in together, Close your eyes. Bye. And relax you won the race Feel free to pick up this practice around your running, After you're running. To make sure that you're running well. And your legs get the love they deserve. Now I invite again to hit pause and spend as long as you like in Shavasana. Five, 10 minutes, Whatever you'd like to spare. Take a meditation. Now is your time to pause. If you're ready to close the practice with me. Just gently walk the feet into the hips Let the knees fall to one side, Whichever side you choose. And pause there. Body curled up on the floor. A moment of your yoga, To be grateful for your health, For your legs, For being able to get your shoes on and run outside. What a beautiful thing that we can do. To be grateful for your health, To be grateful for your safety. And then find something else that you are grateful for, Something special to you. And juice. Gently whisper. Thank you. Push the body up. From the mud. And slowly crawling you there come to a sea, Legs crossed or in your butterfly pose where we started, Hands at your heart and let's close our yoga together. Lifting the hands to the forehead to go forward with kind loving thoughts. Hands to the mouth to go forward with kind loving words. And then back to the heart to go forward with kind loving actions. Lift the gaze, Eyes open, Big smile. Thank you very much for choosing to practice with me in the forest today. I'll see you soon.
