Seen as our Yoga Wellbeing theme is Yoga for Runners this week. We thought we would include a great all round stretches for alot of runners weaknesses. The pyrmaid pose stretches your spine but mostly stretches and strengthens the hamstrings. 

Step by Step

1.Stand in the mountain pose. With an exhalation, step or lightly jump your feet 3½ to 4 feet apart. Rest your hands on your hips. Turn your left foot in 45 to 60 degrees to the right and your right foot out to the right 90 degrees. Align the right heel with the left heel. Firm your thighs and turn your right thigh outward, so that the center of the right knee cap is in line with the center of the right ankle.

2.Exhale and rotate your torso to the right, squaring the front of your pelvis as much as possible with the front edge of your mat. As the left hip point turns forward, press the head of the left femur back to ground the back heel. Press your outer thighs inward, as if squeezing a block between your thighs. Firm your scapulas against your back torso, lengthen your coccyx toward the floor, and arch your upper torso back slightly.

3.With another exhalation, lean the torso forward from the groins over the right leg. Stop when the torso is parallel to the floor. Press your fingertips to the floor on either side of the right foot. If it isn’t possible for you to touch the floor, support your hands on a pair of blocks or the seat of a folding chair. Press the thighs back and lengthen the torso forward, lifting through the top of the sternum.

4.In this pose the front-leg hip tends to lift up toward the shoulder and swing out to the side, which shortens the front-leg side. Be sure to soften the front-leg hip toward the earth and away from the same-side shoulder while you continue squeezing the outer thighs. Press the base of the big toe and the inner heel of the front foot firmly into the floor, then lift the inner groin of the front leg deep into the pelvis.

5.Hold your torso and head parallel to the floor for a few breaths. Then, if you have the flexibility, bring the front torso closer to the top of the thigh, but don’t round forward from the waist to do this. Eventually the long front torso will rest down on the thigh. Hold your maximum position for 15 to 30 seconds, then come up with an inhalation by pressing actively through the back heel and dragging the coccyx first down and then into the pelvis. Then go to the left side.

Here at Yoga Wellbeing we seem to be getting a huge amount of professional runners come to us asking for a little bit of help with flexibilty. One of the main questions is how clients can improve their classic runner’s hamstring tightness. We take classic yoga poses and alter them to take limited flexibilty into account. We play to runners strengths and adress the weaknesses.

One of our clients has ran five London Marathons and has found yoga an excellent cure for the hamstring problem. Yoga postures can correct the muscle imblances that result in high impact training. They help to realign the joints abd stretch and strengthen the muscles to prevent pain and injury. Yoga for runners is about felxibilty, so we’re not running with the brakes on and increasing the chance of injury.

A huge part of the programme is breath. Breathing through all of the stretches is key and yoga helps you to breath through some of the more challenging stretches. Running is wonderful but is not an all rounder. While most runners can run 25 miles comfortably they have difficulty touching their toes. This is because running only works mostly in one plane of motion - forward. In yoga we work in all directions. It brings balance to a running regime, strengthening to the muscles underused in running (such as the back extensors and the abs) and stretching those that get overused like the calves and the hamstrings.

If you would like to know more about our Yoga for Runners programme then please just click here.

One of the world’s largest yoga classes proved also to be one of the shortest. An estimated 10,000 people showed up for yoga in Central Park on Tuesday only to find–mid Surya Namaskar–that lightning and rain would cut the solstice celebration short.

Legendary yoga teacher Elena Bower lead the mass of yogis. Participants on the scene say even the rain and thunder could not dampen their moods or destroy their inner peace.

One of the greatest things about yoga–and New York City–is its ability to unite young and old, and people from all parts of the city proudly waited in long lines for a chance at this great coming together of community in the park. As they waited, they did what yogis often do: yoga.

You just can’t stop New York Yogis at the moment . Thousands of mats covered the streets in Times Square and shut down the city center in order to salute the sun  and share a AUM!

Hundreds of fellow yogis celebrated the Solstice in Times Square. Dana Flynn from Laughing Lotus and Alanna Kaivalya taught to hundreds of eager yogis in the heart of the city that never sleeps. If one can yoga here, one can yoga anywhere.

You probably heard at least something about the record breaking three-day tennis match between the US John Isner and France’s Nicolas Mahut, but you may not have heard about the interview with Isner where he clearly qualifies himself as a yogi–immersed in intention without concern for results.

“Especially once the match got past, you know, 25-all, I wasn’t really thinking,” said Isner. “Hitting a serve and trying to hit a forehand winner is the only thing I was doing.”

Many Wimbledon players, including Murray admit that yoga plays a huge part in maintaining there overall Wellbeing.

Yoga has been known to help athletic endeavors in a host of physical ways: it strengthens core muscles (which protected joints), it increases ability to use oxygen, and it keeps the body loose and open long training sessions.

But the most significant benefits from yoga were mental. Yoga taught me how to approach a challenge with equanimity, how to breathe through discomfort, and how to stay centered even when things got rough.

New York went yoga crazy for a second day running as thousands of practitioners gathered on Central Park’s Great Lawn.

Under the guidance of acclaimed yogi Elena Brower, the masses assembled for a calming session under the open skies.

Jennifer Lobo, from organisers Times Square Alliance, said it was an amazing sight as peace descended on one of the busiest places on the planet.

She said: ‘If you could create tranquility in the most crazy, high energy place in the world that is a really great oxymoron, or a great opposite.

‘New York City is known for being a city that never sleeps. With all the city noise other imaginable source of noise, it is often hard to find a quiet corner anywhere outdoors.

‘New York yogis are some of the best in the world because they can bring that eternal peace to their practice and disregard anything going on outside, noise or whatever it is.’ commented Jennifer.

It’s great to see that Yoga outdoors is spreading across the globe. Yoga Wellbeing Yoga in the Park classes are only going to keep on growing. If you would like to know more about Yoga in the Park classes then just click here.

How long have you been going to your yoga class? Do you ever do any practice at home? For many students of yoga, making the leap from yoga class to home practice is not an easy one. To start with, many of us do not understand how to create a sequence that makes sense, and has a beneficial effect. There is the well-founded concern that, without our teacher to guide us, we may create a sequence, or perform individual
postures in such a way as to produce a unhealthy result. Then there is the fact that we need a little self-discipline. When we go to class, all we have to do is make sure we get there, and the rest is taken care of. We are there for the duration of the class, and we do all of the practices asked of us.

Making time, and sticking to, a home practice can be a challenge. When we create a time to do our own practice, we enter another dimension on our journey with yoga, and the ultimate journey of self discovery. A home practice can be a special time which we give to ourselves, creating a buffer between the demands and responsibilities of our lives and what we know, on a deeper level, our true goals and values are. Beyond all of these benefits are those which cannot be expressed in words, but which need to be experienced.

What is the aim of the practice?

You need to consider your goals for your practice. These may be general goals such as moving towards greater health and vitality, or perhaps
greater strength or flexibility. Or you may have specific goals such as working towards a particular asana, or creating a particular mental or physical effect. With regard to the latter, the time of day that you choose to do your practice, and what is to take place directly afterwards, is vital. If you are doing a morning practice, you may feel the need to build energy and stamina for the day ahead. If you are doing your practice after a stressful day at work, and are going to be eating and sleeping afterwards, you will want to create a more calming practice.

Children experience many of the same physical benefits adults do from practicing yoga.

The benefits of yoga for kids

Yoga for kids  enhances self-awareness. Children who practice yoga learn early on to tune into their bodies. Self esteem is bolstered as the children gain control over their bodies and minds.

Yoga for kids enhances imagination and empathy. Children are asked to strike poses from nature. They might assume the pose of a snake, or a tree, or a dog. Then they are asked to imagine what it would be like to be those life forms. In this way, children learn early on to connect with all the life on the planet and realize that similarities far outweigh differences.

Yoga teaches children to have fun and move their bodies in a con-competitive environment. Yoga isn’t about being right or wrong, or being best or worst. It is about bringing unity to one’s own life. Children can work together to help each other reach this goal.

Yoga for kids teaches self-discipline. As part of the practice of yoga, kids need to slow down, hold certain postures, breathe or think in a certain way. Yoga encourages children to master themselves rather than wait for an adult to control them.

Yoga for kids can also be a way to strengthen families. Yoga is an exercise that parents and children and even grandparents can practice and talk about together. As children participate in yoga with their families, they feel closer to their loved ones.

Through practicing yoga, children can learn ways to relax and get control of stress in their lives. A child worried about a test, for instance, might use the meditation or breathing techniques of yoga to help her calm down and focus.

By teaching self awareness, self control, and concentration, yoga can also help to manage children who have been diagnosed with ADHD - attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder. Yoga has also been used with some success to help children with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and autism. Yoga for kids has also been used to help kids with cancer cope with their diagnosis and with scary medical procedures.

Overall, children seem to derive great benefits from doing yoga. The next time you put on the DVD for your own workout, think about including your little one in the fun. Chances are you’ll be glad you did.

Many adults practice yoga not only for the ways that it benefits the body, but also for its well proven effectiveness in improving mental clarity and emotional balance, and now growing numbers of children are discovering that this type of exercise can be good for them, as well. Some schools have begun to incorporate “yoga for kids” classes into their curriculum, recognizing the positive effects that yoga can have on students.

Benefits of Yoga for Children

The benefits of yoga are far-reaching, with participants in yoga classes for children experiencing all sorts of physical and emotional changes. Yoga is calming and is a wonderful stress reducer, which can be quite helpful for today’s generation of over-scheduled, high stress kids. Unlike a generation ago, modern kids are often kept busy with a number of organised activities, allowing them very little time to simply unwind and relax, but yoga helps them to do just that. While all kids can benefit from yoga, those with hyperactivity or anxiety conditions may be especially well suited to yoga classes.

In addition to the emotional benefits of yoga, kids who enrol in yoga for children classes reap a number of physical rewards. Increased strength, flexibility, better balance, improved coordination, and heightened body confidence are common for those who practice yoga regularly, and with continued practice, many people notice an enhanced spiritual connection to the exercise.

As kids get older and are better able to take direction, parents may want to consider enrolling them in classes specifically labelled “yoga for children” or “yoga for kids.” Children are not simply small adults, so they need to have instructors who are educated in paediatric physiology and have the personality to offer patient, positive, and careful direction.

Incorporating Yoga into a School Curriculum

When presented with options, many parents would choose to include yoga as part of the physical education programmes at their children’s schools. Some schools haven’t made changes to their curriculum in years (in some cases, it may even have been decades!), but today’s forward-thinking educators are often enthusiastic about offering children a well-rounded educational experience. Interested parents may wish to contact their children’s teachers about incorporating yoga instruction into their kids’ school days.

Yoga is an age old practice, but has enjoyed a resurgence of interest in recent years. Today’s busy lifestyles often require that people of all ages (kids included) actively seek healthy ways to relax and release stress. Yoga is an ideal choice for many, with benefits that are far reaching. Additionally, yoga teaches a respect for the body and spirit, encouraging participants to look at their overall health and lifestyle choices to see that they are making sound decisions regarding their nutrition, environment, and relationships. Such thoughtful introspection is an especially good habit to install in childhood, when many lifelong attitudes are being developed.

Those are the calming whispers of Miss Carr, teacher at Quarry Brae Primary and newly trained yoga instructor, who has a class of 10 and 11-year-olds huddled in front of her with their legs crossed, eyes closed and thumbs and index fingers forming the yoga Mudra.

The lights are dimmed, a lavender candle is burning nearby and, with a Glaswegian twang, the children chant “Ommmm”.

It is not what you might expect from a classroom in Glasgow’s east end.

Quarry Brae is in Parkhead, a stone’s throw from Celtic football ground, and by the head teacher Sara Adam’s own admission is a deprived area that is finally getting much-needed investment.

In October 2009 the area of Parkhead West and Barrowfield was identified by the Scottish government as the most deprived in Scotland.

Things are on the up though, and rusty swings and litter-strewn parks sit next to new housing developments.

For Quarry Brae Primary teacher Ms Carr and head teacher Mrs Adam, yoga is bringing a calming influence to the children and helping to get them in a mood to learn.

“Perhaps they haven’t got that support for education at home,” explained Mrs Adam.

“They may not be coming out to school ready and settled, which contributes to children    learning.

“Yoga combats those issues because lots of children need movement and breaks in the day when they can get their self-discipline back.”

Peace island

Yoga being incorporated into the classroom, with breathing exercises sitting between math and English lessons, is the dream of Scottish Indian couple Sam and Sunita Poddar.

They moved to Glasgow in the 1970s and, after making their fortune in care homes, last year bought an island in Ayrshire called Wee Cumbrae (now Peace Island), which they are busy turning into a yoga retreat.

I used to have a quick temper and yoga has calmed that Quarry Brae Primary school child Brandon

The project to bring yoga to schools is a collaboration between the Poddars’ charity - Patanjali Yog Peeth UK Trust - and Glasgow City Council, with 15 schools in the city involved so far.

The scheme involves Mr Poddar giving a taster lesson to pupils and then inviting teachers to free training so they can deliver the yoga classes without him.

Ms Carr is one of the first to complete her training and says it is helping both her and her pupils.

“We have a laugh and we have good fun with it,” she explained. “It’s really improved my relationship with the children, their concentration levels and their attitude to one another.

	Yoga hits those hotspots because lots of children need movement and breaks in the day when they can get their self discipline back Quarry Brae Primary head teacher Sara Adam

“Teaching can be quite stressful and the yoga class is a nice time for me and the children to connect.”

Brandon, 11, is quick to back her up and just as quick to try and give yoga tips.

“I got hit in the face with a ball,” he explained. “Usually, I’d go up and start a fight with whoever did it but I don’t any more. I used to have a quick temper and yoga has calmed that down.”

When we think of inverted poses, we tend to think of poses such as the Sirsasana (headstand) and Sarvangasana (shoulderstand). These are often described as the “King and Queen of poses”.

What is an inverted pose?

An inverted pose – or inversion - is a pose in which the head is lower than the heart.

A list of some inverted poses:

• Viparita karani - Legs up the wall
• Ardho mukha svanasana - Downward facing dog
• Sasankasana - Hare pose
• Prasaritta padottanasana A,B, C, D

Other inversions (not usually for beginners) include:

• Halasana - Plough pose.
• Karnapidasana - Ear pressure pose
• Urdhva padmasana - Inverted lotus pose
• Urdhva dandasana - Upward staff pose
• Adho mukha vrkasana - Full arm balance
• Pincha mayurasana - Elbow balance

Inverted poses are said to have many benefits on the body, which include:

• Giving the heart and lungs rest
• Increased blood circulation
• Fresh oxygenated blood to the brain
• Hormone balancing
• Flush and drain the belly
• They both calm the mind and enhance the ability to focus
• Inversion will give you a whole new perspective on life and give you the chance to view things from a different angle and perspective.

Pregnant women and people with high blood pressure should consult a doctor before practising inversions