Pilates/Yoga For Marathon Runners.

Q. I am training for my first half marathon. How can incorporating Pilates into my conditioning routine help?

Sally Belanger, Project Specialist, Education & Master Instructor Trainer responds: Running involves the utilization of large power generating muscles such as the gluteals, hamstrings, quadriceps and hip flexors. These muscles propel the body forward and are able to generate speed, power and sustain substantial aerobic effort for long durations of time. The utilization of these muscles, and their ability to push the body for long periods of time at high speeds, is increased when the skeleton is stable. Large muscles are not built to stabilize the hips and spine. But if the small stabilizing muscles are not strong enough to hold the spine in correct alignment, the large muscles try to align and support the skeleton which decreases biomechanical efficiency. This in turn can slow the runner down, decrease their endurance and aerobic capacity or over time can lead to repetitive strain or chronic injuries.

STOTT PILATES® exercise works the small stabilizing muscles that hold the skeleton in the correct alignment. The exercises can target all the joints of the body. Often we think of Pilates as only working the abdominal muscles which are important, however, the exercises can also target hips, knees and ankles to ensure that the joints are in proper position to transfer the forces that the body experiences during running. If these small muscles, which Pilates exercises target, can do their job properly then the large muscles will not try to take over and they will be able to generate the power and speed required.

Pilates will also provide a mind-body connection that the runner can integrate in their running. The small muscles need to be trained and are as important as the large muscles that are targeted in hill repeats, intervals and distance runs. When the runner can fire the small muscles it can help alleviate the pain that comes from overtraining or poor biomechanics. Teaching the runner how to engage the core musculature through STOTT PILATES exercise can assist with adding mileage without pain, as well as increasing the focus and awareness of working the proper muscles throughout the run as they begin to fatigue.

Yoga For Runners

During the course of an average mile run, your foot will strike the ground 1,000 times. The force of impact on each foot is about three to four times your weight. It's not surprising, then, to hear runners complain of bad backs and knees, tight hamstrings, and sore feet.

The pain most runners feel is not from the running in and of itself, but from imbalances that running causes and exacerbates. If you bring your body into balance through the practice of Yoga, you can run long and hard for years to come. Although Yoga and running lie on opposite ends of the exercise spectrum, the two need not be mutually exclusive. In fact, running and Yoga make a good marriage of strength and flexibility.

Adventures in India Part 4 - Bodhgaya

"Bodhgaya is the place where Gautama Buddha attained unsurpassed, supreme Enlightenment. It is a place which should be visited or seen by a person of devotion and which would cause awareness and apprehension of the nature of impermanence".

Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha-to-be, had been dwelling on the banks of the Nairanjana River with five ascetic followers for six years practicing austerities. Realising that austerities could not lead to realisation he abandoned them. His five ascetic companions disgusted at his seeming failure, deserted him and left for Sarnath.



He then moved towards the village of Senani where he was offered rice milk by a Brahmin girl, Sujata. Accepting from a grass-cutter a gift of kusa grass for a mat, the Bodhisattva took a seat under a pipal tree facing east. Here he resolved not to rise again until enlightenment was attained.



"Here on this seat my body may shrivel up,
my skin, my bones, my flesh may dissolve,
but my body will not move from this seat
until I have attained Enlightenment,
so difficult to obtain in the course of many kalpas".



As Gautama sat in deep meditation, Mara, Lord of Illusion, perceiving that his power was about to be broken, rushed to distract him from his purpose. The Bodhisattva touched the earth, calling it to bear witness the countless lifetimes of virtue that had led him to this place of enlightenment. When the earth shook, confirming the truth of Gautama's words, Mara unleashed his army of demons. In the epic battle that ensued, Gautama's wisdom broke through the illusions and the power of his compassion transformed the demons' weapons into flowers and Mara and all his forces fled in disarray.

Learn How to Increase Your Flexibility In 28 Days With Yoga !

Who Needs Flexibility Training ?

Everyone needs to stretch their muscles. Balance is everything when it comes to fitness. Many women practice yoga and follow rigorous cardio programs, but never lift weights. At the same time, many men lift weights but do little cardio and often don't bother to stretch properly, if at all.

If you live a sedentary lifestyle and are stubborn, time cramped, inconsistent, or just plain lazy about exercising, you should at least include a gentle stretching routine somewhere in your day. Even if it's just taking a break from the office or television to stretch and walk around to get the blood moving and the oxygen flowing through your body. It won't necessarily increase your flexibility, but it will at least keep your legs from falling asleep

Immediate Benefits of Flexibility Training:

* Reduce the risk of injury caused by working your muscles
* Encourage blood flow to muscles, helping to distribute oxygen throughout the body. When stretching after a workout, this will help your body cool down and prevent pooling in the veins after you stop moving (eg. in your legs after a cardio workout).
* Reduce muscle soreness the following day
* It feels awesome

Long-Term Benefits:

* Helps to improve your posture
* Gradually increases the range of motion in your joints so that you can bend, reach, or stretch further.
* Keeps your body feeling good as you age
* Encourages you to take time to relax and focus on your body, which will help to improve your stress levels and how you cope.

Fancy a Pilates & Yoga Retreat in France ?

Join Northwest Pilates & Yoga for wonderful Pilates Holidays & Yoga Retreats in Southwest France. Improve your core strength and flexibility along with re-education of the body's musculature, fascia, and movement patterns; allowing your body to achieve its natural alignment and support. Set amongst the rolling countryside of the Charente participate with daily Yoga/Pilates practice, pranayama, meditation, swimming, gentle strolls or bike rides, truly delicious food and the occasional siesta... Plug in, renew and relax.

Who should go ?

Pilates Teachers, Yoga Instructors, Dancers, Actors, Singers, Profesional/Semi-Profesional & Amateur Sports Enthusiasts, Public Sector Workers & Joe Bloggs

Sample Timetable :

Friday
3.00-6.00pm - Arrival &Lunch
7.00pm - Dinner
9.00-10.30pm-Relaxing Yin Yoga followed by Yoga Nidra

Saturday
8.00-10.00am -Fusion Flow class
10.15am-Breakfast Free Time - For Massage,walks,bike ride etc
2.00pm-Lunch Free Time-For Massage etc
4.00pm-Chai & Tiffin
5.00-7.00pm Relaxing Yin Yoga,Pranayama,Meditation
7.30pm-Dinner 9.30pm -Yoga Nidra

Sunday
8.00-10.00am -Fusion Flow class
10.15am-Breakfast Free Time - For Massage,walks,bike ride etc
2.00pm-Lunch
3.00pm-Departure

Cost :

£195 per person based on sharing with 1 or 2 others.

Limited single occupancy is available for a supplement. Please enquire regarding availability.

The cost includes:

* Full board
* Accommodation (2/3 people sharing)
* Light breakfast
* Buffet brunch/lunch
* Dinner
* Fruit and drinks available throughout the day
* All daily Yoga & Pilates (mats etc provided)

The cost excludes:

* Insurance
* Travel and flights
* Airport transfers

I have 1 Male place left for the May Retreat.

Indian Army Replace Military Drills With Yoga Workouts

Dear Nisha,

Yoga does not have a hard man image, it is difficult to envisage a troop of soldiers doing daily yoga practice as part of their military training. However, the recent experiment by the Indian Army showed that after three months new soldiers of the Bengal Engineering Group who did 50 minutes of yoga a day combined with 40 minutes of traditional exercise had steadier hands, stronger grips and leaner muscles than peers who underwent a 90-minute military workout instead.

Click Here To Watch Our Latest Yoga Photo Shoot



"The yoga group showed an improvement in activities requiring co-ordination and concentration as well-as muscular strength and endurance," according to the project analyst, Shirley Telles. "This would be especially useful for activities such as shooting."



The interest of the Indian Army, which is the the second largest in the world after China, comes at the same time as a renewed interest in yoga throughout India. The military's routine is based on the teachings of Baba Ramdev, a guru who has championed yoga across the sub-continent through a combination of plain speaking, fierce diatribes against Western lifestyles, fast food and cable television.



The study is being carried out at Patanjali Yogpeeth, a yoga research centre in northern India led by Ramdev. His results showing that yoga helps soldiers back up anecdotal evidence from those already using yoga to combat soaring levels of stress in India's military. India's military is in difficult times, with more soldier suicides occurring across the country over the last few years. Incidents of fragging, an event where soldiers from the same force turn on each other - are soaring in the Indian miliatary. Indian troops serving in the disputed region have a standing order to engage in a weekly one-hour yoga session. They are taught 14 poses to help calm nerves which have been frayed by near-constant low levels of military action

So, yoga helps them both mentally and physically. It provides them with mental strength to continue to operate rationally in stressful conditions, and it also helps improve their martial skills. One of the easiest ways to incorporate yoga into a daily routine is to perform the sun salutation. Ashtanga yoga, which is practised by Madonna and Sting, starts with up to 10 repetitions of the sun salutation, before the main yoga postures are done. Therefore aiming to complete 10 sun salutations each day is an excellent way to incorporate yoga into your daily routine, without having to join a yoga club and follow an teaches instruction all the time.

Increase Your Flexability In 28 Days With Yoga !

Paticipate in two weekly Yoga classes for one month to increase your flexability

Wednesdays 6.30-8.00pm, 90 minute session - £7

St Helens United Reformed Church
King Street
St Helens
Merseyside
WA10 1BQ

Thursdays 6.30-7.30pm, 60 minute session - £5

Fives Football
Alexandra Warehouse
Ravenhead Rd
Saint Helens
Merseyside
WA10 3LR

Dont forget to bring your own Yoga Mat