The 10 Best Yoga Poses for Runners

Running can be hard on your body. Complementary exercises that build strength, flexibility, and balance can help prevent injuries and improve your performance. Does anyone around here know of a practice that might help with that…?

Yes, that’s right, yoga for runners is a wonderful addition to any training regimen. Running is a very repetitive motion, so it’s useful to mix things up with practices that encourage your whole body to move in entirely different ways. Stretching is essential for all athletes, but yoga is unique in the ways it accesses and strengthens not only the major muscles, but also the small ones that support your joints.

Best Pre-Run Yoga Poses

When stretching before a run, go gently. Prepare your legs for activity by including poses that loosen your quads, hips, groins, and hamstrings.

Downward Facing Dog Pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

Sanskrit Meaning: Adho (Down) Mukha (Face) Svana (Dog) Asana (Pose)
Yoga Level: Beginner
Pose Type: Standing
Why this Pose: It’s a classic for a reason! Down dog stretches your whole body. Calves, hamstrings, back, shoulders, it’s all there.
Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Come to a hands-and-knees position.
2. Curl your toes under and press into your palms to lift your butt toward the ceiling and straighten your legs as much as you can.
3. Keep pressing into your palms.
4. Peddle your feet a few times to warm up the calves and hamstrings.

Low Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)

Sanskrit Meaning: Bhujanga (Cobra) Asana (Pose)
Yoga Level: Beginner
Pose Type: Backbend
Why this Pose: Low Cobra warms up your back muscles and activates your core for greater stability and injury prevention.
Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Lie down on your stomach with your palms under your shoulders and your elbows close to your body.
2. Press into your pelvis and the tops of your feet to lift your chest away from the floor. Do not press into your palms.
3. Repeat at least three times, lifting on your inhales.

Standing Quad Stretch

Yoga Level: Beginner
Pose Type: Standing
Why this Pose: Maybe not technically a yoga pose, but a vital part of a running warm-up. Standing on one leg at a time also improves your balance and core strength.
Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Begin in Mountain Pose.
2. Take your weight onto your left leg, keeping your hips level.
3. Bend your right knee and lift your right heel toward your right buttock.
4. Keep your knees aligned and close together.
5. Hold your right foot with your right hand.
6. Gently pull your right foot closer.
7. Repeat on the other side.

Crescent Lunge Pose (Anjaneyasana)

Sanskrit Meaning: Anjani (Hindu Goddess) Asana (Pose)
Yoga Level: Beginner
Pose Type: Standing
Why this Pose: Now it’s time to stretch your hip flexors and groin.
Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Come into a low lunge with your left foot at the front of your mat and your right knee on the floor.
2. Keep your hands on the floor for this variation.
3. You can bend deeply in your front knee or keep it over your ankle if that feels more comfortable.
4. Try placing a Yoga Pad under your back knee for added support.
5. Repeat on both sides.

One-Legged Chair Pose (Eka Pada Utkatasana)

Sanskrit Meaning: Eka (One) Pada (Foot) Utkata (Powerful) Asana (Pose)
Yoga Level: Intermediate
Pose Type: Standing
Why this Pose: Stretch the outer thighs and fire up your glutes at the same time. Back up to a wall if you feel wobbly.
Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Begin in Chair Pose.
2. Without changing the position of your hips, take your weight into your left leg and lift your right foot off the floor.
3. Cross your right ankle over your left thigh.
4. Release your right knee toward the floor.
5. Repeat on the other side.

Side Lunge Pose (Skandasana)

Sanskrit Meaning: Skanda (Hindu War Deity) Asana (Pose)
Yoga Level: Intermediate
Pose Type: Standing
Why this Pose: Get in some lateral stretching. You don’t need to go into the full pose if that seems like a lot. You can take a wide stance and alternately bend each knee instead.
Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Take your legs wide apart with the feet parallel.
2. Bend your left knee.
3. If you want to go deeper, turn your left toes out 45 degrees and squat toward the floor while keeping your right leg straight.
4. Your right toes may come away from the mat.
5. Repeat on both sides.

Best Post-Run Yoga Poses

After a run, you want to cool down and stretch in a way that helps your body recover. This can be an appropriate time to go a little deeper into the same group of muscles you focused on in your warm-up.

Eye of the Needle Pose (Sucirandhrasana)

Also Known As: Reclined Pigeon Pose
Sanskrit Meaning: Suci (Needle) Randra (Opening) Asana (Pose)
Yoga Level: Beginner
Why this Pose: Eye of the Needle Pose offers a gentle yet effective hip opener by revisiting the Figure-4 stretch while lying down. It’s a more accessible alternative to Pigeon Pose, allowing for controlled release of tension in the hips and lower back.
Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Lie on your back with your feet flat on the mat and knees pointing toward the ceiling.
2. Bring your left ankle across your body to rest on your right thigh. Your left knee will point to the left.
3. Lift your right foot away from the floor and draw your right thigh toward your body.
4. Reach your right hand around the outside of your right thigh and your left hand through the space between your legs to hold onto your shin or the back of your right thigh.
5. Gently pull your right thigh closer.
6. Repeat on the other side.

Head-to-Knee Pose (Janu Sirsasana)

Sanskrit Meaning: Janu (Knee) Sirsa (Head) Asana (Pose)
Yoga Level: Beginner
Why this Pose: A classic hamstring stretch, yoga style. That means keeping a long spine and using your breath to deepen the pose on each exhalation.
Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Come to sit with your legs outstretched and your spine long. Take a blanket or bolster under your seat if that helps you sit up straight.
2. Bend your right knee and bring the sole of your right foot to the inside of your left thigh.
3. Inhale to lengthen your spine and exhale to forward fold over your left leg.
4. It’s not necessary to reach your foot with your hand. Use a strap or a towel around your foot or take your hands to the mat on either side of your leg.
5. Do both sides.

Supine Spinal Twist (Supta Matsyendrasana)

Sanskrit Meaning: Supta (Supine) Matsyendra (Lord of Fishes) Asana (Pose)
Yoga Level: Beginner
Why this Pose: Unwind your spine and get a last stretch in for your hips.
Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Lie on your back with your left leg extended and your right leg bent with your knee pointing toward the ceiling.
2. Extend your right arm to the right.
3. Bring your right knee across your body toward the left side of the mat.
4. Keep your right shoulder pressed down on the floor. That may mean your right knee doesn’t come all the way to the floor. It can hover, or you can take a block or a blanket under it for support.
5. Gaze at the ceiling or over your right shoulder.
6. Repeat on the other side.

Legs Up the Wall Pose (Viparita Karani)

Sanskrit Meaning: Viparita (Inversion) Karani (to do)
Yoga Level: Beginner
Pose Type: Inversion, Supine
Why this Pose: Nothing feels better than putting your feet up after a run!
Precautions: Avoid inversions if you have glaucoma.
Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Sit next to a wall with your knees bent and one side of your body in contact with the wall.
2. In one movement, roll onto your back and take your legs up the wall.
3. A bolster or a blanket under your butt can also feel good.
4. To come out, bend your knees and roll to one side.

Benefits of Yoga for Runners

Builds Balance and Stability

Running mainly works the big muscles, but yoga targets the smaller, often-overlooked muscles that stabilize your hips, knees, and ankles. Strengthening these areas helps you stay balanced and reduces the risk of injury.

Improves Flexibility and Mobility

Tight hips, calves, and hamstrings are a runner’s nemesis. Yoga gently stretches and loosens these muscles, helping you move more freely and comfortably. This increased range of motion can lead to smoother strides and less discomfort both during and after your run.

Promotes Muscle Recovery

Yoga isn’t just about the body; it trains your breath and mind, too. The mindful breathing and relaxation techniques help calm your nervous system, reduce stress, and help with muscle recovery.

Now, Do More Yoga!

Stretching before and after running is a no-brainer, but if you delve a little deeper into the practice of yoga, you’ll soon experience even more benefits. A consistent practice of a few classes a week will improve your whole body’s flexibility and strength, which will help you stay healthy so you can keep running. Here’s how to get started.

Yoga for Runners FAQs

Which yoga is best for runners?

For runners, styles like Hatha and Vinyasa yoga work really well. They focus on building strength, flexibility, and balance, which complement running perfectly. You want a practice that targets hips, hamstrings, and core. Try a few yoga styles and see what you like.

Is yoga good for runners?

Absolutely! Yoga can help improve your flexibility, strengthen supporting muscles, and prevent injuries.

How often should runners do yoga?

Aim for two to three sessions per week if you can. Even 15–20 minutes of yoga before or after running can make a big difference. Consistency helps keep your body balanced and resilient over time.

Can yoga help prevent running injuries?

Yes! Yoga strengthens the smaller muscles around your joints and improves flexibility, which reduces the risk of common running injuries.

Should runners do yoga before or after running?

Both! Yoga before running is great for warming up and loosening tight muscles gently. After running, yoga helps with cooling down and recovery by stretching out worked muscles and calming the nervous system.