Yoga and Walking: the Best Pairing for Your Longevity
Do both, you’ll feel better!
Spring is almost here, and with it comes the desire to get outside! I love walking outside when the weather gets warmer and the snow finally melts. As I age, however, I know that my body needs more preparation and post-walk care than it did when I was younger. In order to stay active for the long term, it’s important to give attention to the “warm up” and “cool down,” no matter what form of exercise you choose to do.
Many injuries come from ignoring the warm up, cool down, or both. Gone are the days of hopping into your car after tennis or sitting on the couch after a run. Even 10 minutes of warming up and cooling down can keep your body from rebelling. That’s where yoga comes in.
Yoga
Yoga can be done anywhere you place your mat. Inside, outside, in the woods, on the beach, really anywhere. Yoga asana (the physical practice of yoga) gets you in touch with your body, and helps you understand it better.
When you focus on your breath and the sensations in your body, it brings you into the present moment. This can also be a moving meditation as you move and flow from one pose to the next. When you hold poses, you relax and your body adapts to what you are doing to it. I always feel more grounded and connected to myself when I practice yoga.
It is the perfect way to warm up and cool down. Intentional movements prepare the body for other activities, and the deep relaxed stretching after the activity cools you down to avoid muscle soreness and tightness. I often say that yoga is the best way to cross-train, both for sports and for life.
Walking
The Value of Walking as Meditation and Walking Meditation
Yoga and walking together
Walking and yoga are both types of movement that you can do anywhere at any time. They require little if any equipment and you can practice them for the long term. Both walking and yoga build muscle and bone while reducing cortisol levels (a stress hormone).
So why do both? They complement each other in different ways.
When you practice both yoga and walking, you get the benefits of two exercises that leave you feeling calm and energized. They are both meditative, and offer two different ways to improve strength and balance. They are both movement that you can continue to do throughout your life. Both activities are easily adaptable to the needs of your aging body. Combining yoga and walking is a recipe for long lasting fitness of both body and mind.
Practicing yoga for about 10-15 minutes before you go out for your walk warms up your body and prepares it for your walk. After you walk, another 15-20 minute yoga practice helps you cool down and stretch out. This will keep tightness and soreness to a minimum.
If you are going on a long walk, there are many yoga poses that you can do along the way if your hips, hamstrings, calves, or lower back start to feel tight. Here are a few that I like:
Standing Ankle to Knee pose
Stand in front of a tree or pole, holding onto it with your hands. Place your right ankle over your left knee making a #4 with your legs. Bend your left knee and reach your hips away from the tree or pole. Use your hands as resistance to the pull of your hips. You will feel a nice stretch in your right hip/glutes.
Hold for 5+ breaths then repeat on the other side.
Leg on a tree (or rock, or log)
Place your right foot up on the trunk of a tree as high as it will go. Alternatively you can place your foot on a fallen log, rock or a bench. Keep your spine straight and tip your pelvis forward until you feel a hamstring stretch. Make sure you aren’t rounding your spine, but that you move from the pelvis. It doesn’t matter how close your head is to your leg. You want to feel the sensation you behind your right leg.
Hold 5+ breaths then repeat on the left side.
Foot up a tree (or rock, or bench)
This stretch is good for any foot or lower leg discomfort. Stand next to the base of a tree. Keeping your heel on the ground, place the ball of your right foot up the tree. That might be plenty of stretch. If not, gently press your hips closer to the tree until you feel a pleasant stretch.
Hold 5+ breaths, then repeat on the other side.
Post Walk/Run Stretch classes
I created a couple of stretching routines to do after you run or walk. These are meant to be used as a cool down. You never want to stretch when the body is cold. Move first, then stretch.
Post Walk/Run Stretch (9 min)
Post Walk/Run Stretch #2 (13 min)
Join me online on the mat!
I teach yoga for active adults over 50 who want to stay active! My online classes are available live over Zoom Monday through Friday, as well as on demand. I teach 30 and 60 minute Vinyasa yoga classes, 45 minute Beginner yoga classes, 30 minute Mindful Core and Stretch classes, as well as Meditation classes. Click the button below to get the 10 Day Free Trial at Purple Room Yoga!
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