A regular yoga practise is great for ‘pre-hab’, active recovery and strength and conditioning.

Most runners just want to run — it’s what we love. 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 injury and supports you getting stronger, more flexible and maybe faster too.

Yoga for Runners classes are designed and led by Rachel Pilling (Runner, yoga teacher, massage therapist and coach). You can expect a practical, runner-focused approach to yoga that prioritises how poses feel and function over how they look.

Here’s a quick insight to what my classes offer:

Functional, Accessible Movement

• The emphasis is on usefulness rather than aesthetics.
• Instruction is in plain, clear language.
• Your level of flexibility (or lack of) is not a barrier – this class is about moving in a way that works for you.
• I offer ways to modify and adapt poses as well as ways to progress and add challenge.
• You are encouraged to find your own way of doing things – I’m here to help rather than just tell you what to do.
• Questioned are welcomed throughout the class.
• The classes are designed with runners in mind, but non-runners are very welcome and will benefit from them.

What Are the Runner-Specific Benefits

• Flexibility & Mobility: this is the obvious one and usually the reason want to do yoga in the first place. It helps improve range of movement and functional flexibility. As runners we don’t need to be bendy, but we do need to make sure muscle tightness doesn’t restrict movement.
• Tension Relief and Recovery: When you feeling trashed or tightness and stiffness build up from regular training/racing, yoga is a brilliant way to make you feel better and ready to go again.
• Strength & Conditioning: It’s not just stretching! Yoga works your whole-body. Many movements and poses are hard work and are great for S&C.
• Balance & Proprioception: You’ll improve coordination and spatial awareness especially in flow classes when you move between poses and when you’re doing balances — this is key for good runner form and a big help for running over rough terrain or mud.
• Injury Prevention: This is not a guarantee, but all things benefits above help you improve your form which reduces injury risk and give you better awareness of your body, so you notice and can address potential injuries early.

The are several ways to enjoy the benefits of Yoga for Runners Classes – Online, videos, in-person and outdoors. I offer a variety of classes, some specifically designed for runners and planned to compliment how training and racing changes throughout the year and others that are functional movement or have a greater emphasis on general wellbeing. All of the classes are suitable for and open to anyone. Check out the Class Calendar to see what’s happening

Click the image below to find out more about my running and yoga story