5k Training Program

Week 2 | Day 8

Breath &
Mobility
 

“R-E-L-A-X” —Aaron Rodgers

Welcome to Week 2 of the 5k Program!  Your first task for this week is to

R-E-L-A-X

After the great work you did last week, we hope you get a lot of benefit out of putting the running shoes away, dialing back the effort and focusing on breathing and mobility. And relax.

Again, we’ll connect breath with movement in a way that helps improve range of motion in areas of your body that are key to running – your shoulders, spine, and hips.

Now that you’re somewhat familiar with the movements, we encourage you to take the opportunity to explore the positions more fully, to see if you can achieve greater ranges of motion and relaxation than you did last week.

Take a deep, relaxing breath, grab your yoga mat, and let’s get to it!

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Workout

  • Downward Dog to Upward Dog

    Starting on your hands and knees, take a few deep breaths, then when you’re ready, on your next inhale push your hips back and up to transition into Downward Dog, settling into steady, even breathing.

    When you’re ready, after a deep inhale, exhale slowly and swoop down low to transition to Upward Dog. Inhale and settle back into easy breathing.

    When you’re ready, take a deep inhale, and on the exhale transition push your hips back and up into Downward Dog.

    Repeat 5 – 10 times

  • 3 Legged Dog to Long Lunge

    Start in Downward Dog, breathing steadily.  Raise one leg off the ground and start to rotate it back and behind you like a scorpion tail. Settle into steady breathing and feel the stretch from your fingers to your toes.

    When you’re ready, slow your next inhale and on the subsequent exhale transition to Long Lunge. Settle back into an easy breathing rhythm.

    When you’re ready, take a deep inhale, and on the exhale transition back into 3-Legged Dog, this time with your other leg extended.

    Repeat the breathing and transition from 3-Legged Dog to Long Lunge and the return to 3-Legged Dog. Alternate the extended leg on the return to 3-Legged Dog.

    Repeat 3 – 5 times

  • Pigeon Pose

    Starting in Downward Dog, Ease into Pigeon Pose with your right leg forward. Use a yoga block or some other prop to elevate the hip of the forward leg, or use another form of modification if necessary. The focus here is to open and relax your hip in an external rotation, so choose a variation that allows you to be in the pose, breathing comfortably, for 10 – 20 breaths. Relax more deeply into the pose with each exhale.

    Ease out of the pose, relaxing into Child’s Pose if you need some time to recover.

    Repeat Pigeon with your left leg forward, following the same instructions for modification as before. Again, breath comfortably for 10 – 20 breaths, relaxing deeper into the pose on each exhale.

  • Forward Bend

    Start standing with your feet hip-width apart and ease your breathing. With your back straight, hinge at the hips and move into a Forward Bend. Grab your opposite elbows and breath slowly and easily, trying to extend further into the Bend on each exhale.

    Stay in this position for 5 – 10 breaths.

    Release your arms, and vertebra by vertebra, slowly roll back up into a standing position.

    Namaste!