After reading a recent article about the positive affects yoga has for runners (CNN Health online, by John Farah), it’s good to know I’m not the only runner who can’t just sit still and meditate. Mr. Farah is a marathon runner and confirms yoga has helped his flexibility and overall strength.

As our bodies age we lose a lot of flexibility and running on a regular basis compounds that. I love to run and know about the importance stretching. Since I’ve been training for a half marathon, my lower back hurts more than it should, even with the traditional stretching runners are taught.

There are many different yoga styles to choose from and here’s a short list of the popular ones:

(1) Hatha – very general, slow paced and gentle. Supposed to be a good introduction to different poses.
(2) Vinyasa – breath-synchronized movement, more vigorous than Hatha. Incorporates Sun Salutations throughout.
(3) Ashtanga & Power Yoga – fast paced and intense.
(4) Bikram/Hot Yoga – practiced in a room 95 to 100 degrees. Helps your muscles loosen, lots of sweating, and supposed to be cleansing.

I have vowed to check yoga out and incorporate it with my work-outs. Kind of a yin/yang thing for me…need to create some balance with exercise. There must be a style out there that suits my demeanor enough to make me stand still.