For those among us whose dorkiness spans the exercise gamut into long distance running (not us, we don’t have the will to torture ourselves like that), and who think that yogis and runners are of a different breed listen up. A yoga program specially designed for runners can be your ticket to conditioning your body and mind to go that extra mile. Think about it, both running and yoga are alike in that they are not just physical activities, but require true mental stamina as well.
Angie Stewart takes the position that redefining a yoga practice so that it suits runners would allow for them to see yoga as a more accessible means of conditioning and training. However, we see this as another commercialization of a practice that hardly needs any tweaking. We will say that being a runner and having an instructor who is well-versed in the ways of the marathon and also in the study of yoga can be quite beneficial. But does changing the program make for a better class? We tend to doubt that.
At the end of the article editor in chief of L.A. Yoga magazine, Felicia Tomasko, makes a comment about the “mainstreaming of yoga.” While “mainstream” is quite a dirty word connected with fads and passing trends, it is actually one of the goals of Yoga. Either way we agree with the idea that yoga can be for all, even those who would rather meditate on running 26 miles than actually attempting it.
Running to embrace yoga [LA Daily News]
