Category: Recovery
“Race” Report: Francesca’s Unvitational Forty-Miler
As I alluded to in my Active Yogi post today but didn’t explain clearly on social media, even as I was posting photos last weekend, I traveled to Memphis last weekend for a special event: Francesca’s Unvitational Forty-Miler. (Unvitational, as virtually no one wants to be invited to run 40. And for the acronym FU40.)…
Connection and Recovery
There’s so much eloquent writing on yesterday’s events in Boston and how to begin to understand them, it feels presumptuous to add my voice. But here are two things I work on in my teaching, research, and writing. 1. Connection. Yoga connotes union, joining together, connection. In response to the question Why?, certainly the first question my…
Sage Advice: High Hamstring Strain
A student asked me about what yoga to do and to avoid while nursing a high hamstring strain. This is a common injury in both yoga and running, so those of us who do both should be especially careful to protect this vulnerable area where the hamstring attaches to the pelvis, just south of the…
Read: The Best Yoga Pose to Jumpstart Recovery
Here’s my first post for MindBodyGreen, on my favorite topics: recovery and legs up the wall! The best athletes know that recovery requires just as much serious attention as the rest of their training. It’s during rest that we grow stronger, as the body super-compensates by adapting in response to the stresses applied in training.…
The Athlete’s Guide to Recovery, Spanish Edition (La Recuperación del Deportista)
The second foreign-language edition of The Athlete’s Guide to Recovery is now available—La Recuperación del Deportista, published by Ediciones Tutor. While it’s missing the fabulous fresh art of the German edition, it does contain all the original art. You can buy it from the publisher or on Amazon. I’m delighted to spread the message of…
The Athlete’s Guide to Recovery, German Edition (Regeneration für Ausdauersportler)
The unexpected joy of my year thus far has been the utter delight I’ve taken in the German edition of The Athlete’s Guide to Recovery—or Regeneration für Ausdauersportler. I knew it was coming, but I didn’t know how wonderful it would be. The English edition of this book—which focuses on what to do when you aren’t training…
Sage Advice: Compression Socks vs. Legs up the Wall
Myron wrote me wondering about the difference between legs up the wall and compression garments, wondering whether there have been any studies comparing the two. Here’s my answer. I haven’t heard of any direct comparison, but I can speak from personal experience to the benefits of both. Obviously, compression garments are useful for wearing when…
Finding Comfort with Comfort
It was lovely to find specific praise of Durham Yoga‘s restorative class on our Facebook page. (I’m a big fan of praise; here’s a post at the prAna blog on ways to deliver it liberally.) A great phrase emerged: Jeff, the teacher, wants his students to develop comfort with being comfortable. This really struck me…
Read: Legs Up
Continuing my advice over on the prAna blog that we avoid sitting as much as possible, I have a new post up on lying down with your legs up. Click on over! This could be a new trend like planking . . .
Read: 10 Yoga Poses for Runners
It was fun to work with the nice guys at Men’s Journal to come up with ten yoga poses of special benefit for runners. We worked with yoga instructor and endurance sports coach Sage Rountree, which is actually her real name, to identify 10 yoga poses that will improve your running game. Rountree, herself an accomplished athlete,…
Serious Recovery: Supported Child’s Pose
My latest entry for Serious Recovery describes one of my favorite unwinding poses: supported child’s pose. When your lower back is sore, your neck is tired, and your legs are shot, there’s little better than coming into supported child’s pose, a restorative version of a familiar yoga posture. You’ll receive a gentle stretch for your…