Yoga for Runners: Injury Prevention

Thank you for your excellent cues and thoughtful insights....."let go of any judgments and just be"..... wonderful.....

This is a class I've returned to again and again. I keep coming back to this one when I finish a run as it stretches out exactly the muscles I need and I always feel great afterwards. Perfect post run yoga/stretch out. Thanks Fiji.

Love this short practice with some deep stretches. Perfect way to prepare for or stretch after a run. Thank You Fiji!

If you are like me, a humble 5k runner and a beginner-to-intermediate yogi, this class may take a couple times before you feel at home in it, but it is WORTH IT. (If you are not familiar at all with pigeon pose, my advice would be to stay with the prep that Fiji offers first and not even to attempt the full pose. I remember the first time someone had me go into pigeon pose – I thought she was crazy and something was going to break.) I too do it as a post-run class, alternating with Fidji's other post-run, and though I have come to feel the benefits of both, I would say time flies quicker with this one (though it's slightly longer) and I get up in a true state of well-being, my entire lower body feeling *oiled*.

I love Fiji, but I was a bit confused by this class. It goes through a series of pretty deep poses in rapid succession, and almost feels like it should be called "bonus postures for runners" or something. I'd want to hold such deep postures for significantly longer and relax into them rather than quickly go from one to the next... I went into this cold, and it felt pretty dangerous honestly. I did a good 30 minutes of additional postures afterwards to finish my own session. From the comments it seems like people do this after a workout, and that seems like a reasonable thing to do. But as a stand-alone set of postures, I'd have to recommend against it. Maybe change the name or description to let folks know how to use this?

I've done this practice several times after long walks, lots of time on my feet, skiing, etc. and I know I will come back to it again. My running days are behind me but I appreciate the opportunity to deeply stretch the muscles of my legs and hips. Plus, there are a few vinyasas to mix things up.

Thank you, Fiji, for this practice, which is helping me continue to train for a marathon with a hamstring/glute
injury. So soothing!

I do a short warm up, go jogging and then do this practice (or the other post-run one). I'm paranoid of incurring injuries due to knee and feet issues, so I feel this is the best way to prevent them.

Another great discovery! So glad I found this. Thanks Fiji!

I really enjoy this practice after a run. Have done it multiple times. Great stretches.

That was a lovely, deep stretch and twist that can work for anyone who wants to go deep into the connective tissue and neutralise the lower back area. Thank you very much. Namaste from Ireland.

Very helpful for runners with tight hips or SI joint issues. thank you!

Loved this!

This is THE BEST. Thank you so much.

Beautiful! Did this after a bike ride. Just wonderful. Thank you.

I would definitely do to unwind / stretch out my lower body again! super....

I agree that it seems a bit more than beginner level, but I was surprised at some things that stretched I didn't even know needed stretching! Love it and will use it a lot.

Maybe it's more intermediate than beginner, but this was wonderful for me post-run. I feel great. Will be doing this class again and again, I think. And Fiji is a great teacher, always giving instructions on how to execute a pose at just the moment when I need to be reminded.

Difficulty of poses, terminology, and brisk pace this too much for me.

Time flies when you're relaxed. It was over before I knew it; but it definitely felt effective. Starting off very tight and was carefully going partway into some of the poses. Looking forward to following this class again.

Scary if that is for beginners. That was super hard for me.

Great yoga class between runs, thanks!

Slightly too quick for me at the beginning but once we got to pigeon pose I was fine. Gave me a good stretch.

Can this be uploaded to a Android device?

I love the combination of a fast pace with relatively easy poses. It's a very energising session, it feels great in the middle of the day.

I took my first strenuous, lengthy hike of the season yesterday, and woke up this morning with horribly stiff and sore legs and hips.

After this practice, everything feels functional again. Still sore, of course, but I can move at a normal pace instead of in slow motion.

I started running distances almost ten years ago at around age 30. I was born with a rotation in my hip and it turn rotates my legs and knees, and running distances on hard surfaces was too much for my joints: I ran one full marathon and a couple halves and have since then been dealing with injury after injury. I thought I was done with running until I started doing yoga a couple weeks ago, starting with this. First, I've tried a number of routines since then and this is the absolute best for my hips, legs, and lower back (which I've had separate problems with). Second, I've tried a number of different instructors on this site, and Fiji is unparalleled. She is the most descriptive and creates a calming environment to go deeply into poses with (as a beginner I also do her 45min Intro to Power Yoga). I now do this every other day and I feel great. THANKS TO FIJI!

I'm working into longer distances and am now more than ever prone to injury, so I gave this a go. The flow is too fast for me and I found myself losing form to keep up with the pace of the course. I'm sure over time though I will get better and more used to this video. Thank you Fiji!

I run quite long distances most days, and when I feel a twinge in my knees or hips, I do this video. I always feel on top form again on my next run. Thanks for keeping my running on track Fiji!

I run quite long distances most days, and when I feel a twinge in my knees or hips, I do this video. I always feel on top form again on my next run. Thanks for keeping my running on track Fiji!

This was the first class I tried on DYWM, and it made me a follower of this site! I've been doing this about once a week for the past 6 months. This class has really helped open my hips and loosen my IT bands. As a bulky guy, I love this class because it is light on bends and folds and (when necessary) modifications were intuitive for me and I continue to work toward the full stretch that Fiji demonstrates. Also a great video if you've never done any yoga before. Thank you, Fiji!

I thought this would be good for me as I'm beginning running with an old knee injury. However there was too much pressure put on individual knees at times and I had to stop. I think, though, that if you do not have previous injuries, this would likely be an excellent class. There are a lot of good strength moves in here.

First yoga session I ever did and first ever on this site. Really good and simple and easy to follow along. I surprisingly feel better than I thought I would - was sort of anti-yoga before. Excited for the next video I try.

Thank you Fiji for such a wonderful class. I feel stretched and relaxed.

Absolutely love this. I can see why some people feel the moves were a little advanced, but that leaves me with plenty of room to progress. Not too difficult but completely worth it! I needed this to help counter act the repetitive-ness of my longer distance runs. This really allows me to slow down, focus on my breath, and non-judgmentally stretch my extremely tight hamstrings/legs. Thank you!!!!

I agree with previous comenters; the positions themselves aren't particularly hard but the pace was a lot faster than what I'm used to. Maybe simply changing the description to warn of this, while still keeping the video in the "beginner" category, would be helpful.

Man, that was tough going for beginner level. I'm not very flexible but sheeeeesh.

High quality, though.

I am real new to yoga, I've only done it for a few weeks. I found this to be really challenging for me and maybe not good for newbies. I really enjoyed the instruction and I know that the movement will be beneficial. I'm also new to running, so I look forward to being able to complete the whole video.

I am a runner, but a beginner with yoga. I did this class the evening before my long-run (8 miles), and it made me feel invincible during my run. Great stretch for the hips, back, and legs, while building the strength I need to push myself during my long run. I'll be doing this every week now before my long runs!

I am a beginner when it comes to yoga AND running. Tried this video last night and I will definitely do it again! I didn't realize how tight my hips were, but these poses really helped to open me up :)

It looks like a great class so I wanted to try it out. But as an actual yoga beginner, I found this way too advanced for me.

Easy Flow and very simple movement. Felt great in my hips after a week of long miles!

Thank you for this class! I have some lower back pain due to a recent car accident, and this class felt so good I almost cried!

A great class, I feel my kneecaps stretched, and the tension flow free... thanks

Thank you guys ... this keeps me inspired to keep on going. So good

Excellent moving stretch - nice flow ending with a relaxation.

WOW!!! I feel so stretched right now. What a great class. She makes it easy to follow and incorporates the whole body. I really liked this class.

What a perfect class for runners! I have been feeling so much tension in my lower body and this targeted those exact areas and helped the tension flow free!

I recently started commuting on my bike and have noticed how tight my IT band is by the end of the week. Even though I'm not a runner, I found that this class offers a huge relief to my hips. I also am partial to Fiji's style. The constant talking helps keep me on task. Thank you so much!