A regular yoga practise is not only great for ‘pre-hab’ and active recovery but provides strength and conditioning too.

Most runners just want to run — it’s what we love. But often, it’s not until injury strikes that we start looking for ways to address the imbalances, tightness, or weaknesses that running alone can create.

The aim of Yoga for Runners is to offer accessible yoga that reduces the risk of you being side-lined by injury and may make you stronger, more flexible and faster too.

From Yoga for Runners classes, you can expect a practical, runner-focused approach to yoga that prioritizes how poses feel and function over how they look. Here’s what the classes typically offer:

1. Functional, Accessible Movement

• The emphasis is on usefulness rather than aesthetics — there’s no need to be super bendy or to be able to do complex poses.

• Modifications, adaptations and options to add challenge are provided so participants of all flexibility and experience levels can join.

2. Runner-Specific Benefits

• Flexibility & Mobility: YfR classes help improve range of movement in the joints and elongate muscles that are shortened as a result of overused from running regularly.

• Tension Relief: Reduce tightness and stiffness that build up from regular training.

• Strength & Conditioning: YfR classes provide whole-body and focused S&C to offer stability for the joints and strength for the core, glutes and legs to provide power and support good posture/form.

• Balance & Proprioception: Improve coordination and spatial awareness — all key for better form and reduces risk of falls or injury due to tripping/slipping.

3. Injury Prevention

• Helps correct muscular imbalances and poor posture.

• Improves body awareness so you can notice tightness or potential injuries early.

4. Supportive Environment

• Classes are relaxed but purposeful, designed by someone who truly understands the demands of running.

• Open to non-runners too — anyone looking for a physically focused yoga session can benefit.

Expect a down-to-earth, athlete-informed yoga practice that supports your running by keeping you mobile, strong, balanced, and more in tune with your body.

About Me

I’m Rachel

I’m a runner through and through — these days you’ll mostly find me on the fells, whether I’m training, racing, or just enjoying time in the hills. I also love yoga and can’t speak highly enough of the benefits it’s brought to my running and overall well-being.

I started running as a junior in 1989, alongside doing gymnastics.  In hindsight this was the perfect training combination of strength, flexibility and work well for injury prevention. Since my late teens, yoga has been a consistent companion to my running. What started as a hobby with friends became an essential part of my toolkit as my training and racing intensified.

Yoga has been key to keeping me relatively injury-free, aiding recovery, and making strength and conditioning feel more manageable and enjoyable. Most importantly, it’s allowed me to train consistently over the years, which has led to results I’m proud of, including becoming the BOFRA Champion in 2019 and taking Bronze in the British Fell Running Championships in 2022 and Gold in the female over 40 category in the English Fell Championships in 2024.

A few years ago, I decided I wanted to offer dogma-free, functional yoga that was accessible to people who don’t consider themselves yogis, but also enjoyable and not excluding those who practice yoga regularly.  I trained as a yoga teacher, specialising in yoga for runners and athletes. I qualified in 2017 and have since taught regular classes to runners, cyclists , climbers, hikers and to running clubs and groups in West Yorkshire and online. Teaching yoga is something I absolutely love — it’s incredibly rewarding to help other runners build strength, resilience, and longevity in their sport.

To deepen my knowledge, I completed a Yoga for Athletes course in 2018, trained in Yin Yoga, and qualified in Level 4 Sports Massage Therapy in 2020/21. These tools allow me to support athletes from all backgrounds in moving well, recovering better, and enjoying what they do for longer.

You can check out my qualifications and training here

-Rachel