Since long before I was a runner, I have been interested in yoga. I have practiced on and off for about 9 years, but most of that was decidedly “off.” I have always seen my workout time as precious and if I was going to spend it on anything it would need to be on cardio or strength training. Yoga was always the first thing to get pushed to the side when time got tight.
However.
Because of my scoliosis, and as i have gotten older, I struggle a lot with muscle tightness. My back is never at rest–when I’m laying down there’s always a muscle tensed somewhere to make up for the imbalances in my spine. So I wake up in the morning tight everywhere, because I change positions a lot in my sleep. Add to that miles and miles of running, and twice weekly, intense BodyPump sessions, and I have gone from the point to where yoga is a luxury, and it is now altogether a necessity.
I have finally, after much searching, found a class I enjoy at the gym where I belong, and have been going weekly for about six weeks now. I absolutely love it. It’s a more athletic class than some I’d found before, but not entirely hardcore, either. The instructor also teaches Spin and BodyPump so she has the intensity I crave but also knows the benefits of a some active downtime. I’d do yoga in a class more if I could–but my workout schedule, homeschooling schedule, and other responsibilities mean that my other mindful stretching sessions happen at home. So far, it works. The class makes me stronger–I can feel it in my quads and abs the next day. It also introduces me to new stretches, and keeps me accountable for the other stretching I do during the week. I do not have the prettiest-looking poses because of my scoliosis, but man, do I feel good afterward–so energetic!
I know that, decades from now, what awaits me is likely lots of time in the pool and lots of yoga. And maybe, if I play my cards right, a delicious run every now and then, or maybe even more often than that. I look forward to whatever running I am able to do. I look forward to the pain relief and injury prevention I’ll continue to get from the yoga. Maybe one day, I’ll look forward to the swimming too. 😉