Striking a conversation between body and mind with Yoga
Covering the miles over the years has helped our Runmonk, Yuvaraj Patil create a special connection with his inner self. The fitness bug bit him pretty early in his life and since then there has been no looking back. He took up running 7 years ago to tone his muscle but in no time, it became a passion. He started training fellow runners and he knew he wanted more.
“I certainly had to graduate from 10k to half marathons to marathons and so did my regime took a major revamp to get those miles under my belt and develop the endurance which could only be built with consistent dedication towards my goal.”
But life never goes as planned, does it?
“As I approached my debut marathon an unfortunate incident led to a disc bulge, reveals the MRI. I was bedridden for 2 months with minimal body movement.”
He knew he was not ready to give up on running. Enter Yoga. Yuvaraj religiously took up Yoga to improvise his core and back strength and as a result shortened his recovery time.
“The marathon was an eye-opener as I completed it with excruciating pain but giving up was not an option and I have never looked back.”
Yuvaraj believes that, with the right conversation between the body and the mind, every task, no matter how physically and mentally taxing, is possible, something he achieved with the right combination of yoga and meditation.
Yoga – An essential Part Of Running
The flexibility component of Yoga is a game-changer when it comes to strengthening muscles that are used in running and it provides Yuvaraj the much-needed freedom for muscle movement.
When we asked him if yoga is an essential part of running for him, he said, “Absolutely, the strength you develop in the core, hamstrings, and hips over time, doing Yoga can help you stay injury-free.”
He further added, “Meditation being an important part of yoga helps me build the willpower to go that extra mile, set higher goals for myself, and be in the best possible form.”
Yoga – An Important Contributor To Overall Health Of A Runner
One of the popular myths around running is that it is all about muscle strength whereas, in reality, running has so many different components. And for you to become a good runner, you need to work on all these components individually as well as together.
While every day being a new running day for Yuvaraj , he does suffer from momentary setbacks. To this, he shares how yoga helps him maintain his overall health, “When I suffer from a disc bulge, core and back exercises are my go-to workouts to keep me off the pain. With reduced stiffness, I see myself less prone to injuries, especially during ultra runs. The breathing exercises have helped me improve my lung capacity and indeed helped a lot while running in the thin air at a higher elevation.”
Yoga – To Improve Endurance, Speed, And Stamina
By adding Yoga to the running schedule, you can actually improve your endurance, speed, and stamina. Runners should add Yoga routines post their regular workouts.
According to Yuvaraj , Muscle endurance is boosted when you hold the yoga pose for longer. This helps you in retaining the pace you thrive to achieve.
“Yoga also does wonders when it comes to recovery mechanisms helping you avoid muscle soreness or fatigue and gets you going for your next runs. While you continue to do yoga, your stamina levels not only increase physically but mentally as well thus helping you to keep pushing your limits every day.”
Yoga – To Reduce Downtime And Injuries
Yoga can work well especially in the recovery period as it gets you going without putting too much strain on your body. It relaxes your mind and soul and encourages you to come back stronger.
When we asked our Runmonk, Yuvaraj if yoga has helped him with his injury, he said,
“Yes, Indeed! After my injury, I have religiously taken up Yoga to improvise on my core and back strength. The injury has been an eye-opener for me since I ran with it and completed the run with excruciating pain. Since I couldn’t let go of running, I had to ensure that the recovery period is short and focused. Yoga has helped me develop strength in my muscles. Since the day I hit the tar again, I haven’t suffered any major injury yet thanks to Yoga.”
Yoga – A Catalyst To Overall Fitness
Yoga has now become a crucial part of Yuvaraj’s life. He says,
“Not a week passes by without the Yoga mat. I have had issues with frequent headaches and they are reduced over the period of time. When you indulge in Yoga, you are inclined towards developing the right eating habits.
When you ask yourself, you may be physically fit, but is your mind healthy too? The answer will always be a YES. And that’s how your body and mind complement each other and share a mutual understanding.”
Yoga – From An Overall Mental Aspect
When you run, you not only run with your body but your mind too. Mental strength is as important as your physical capacity. We asked Yuvaraj how yoga helped him in the mental aspect and his answer is enough for any runner to start doing yoga for running.
He says, “Once you hit the threshold of your physical capability to run any distance and you still want to continue, this is where the conversation between your mind and body begins. And so a healthy mind helps you decide that you can push your body more than what you have been doing so far. If your mind is fit enough to make those decisions, you are going to achieve any milestone conveniently. Yoga has helped me achieve those levels of mental strength where my body gets into complete harmony with what the mind is telling it and thus helps me achieve what I set my mind to.
Yoga & Meditation – An Important Ingredient To Be A Better Athlete
Yoga and meditation go hand in hand. It helps expand your physical capacity and gives you the much-needed mental strength especially while running at higher elevations. No matter how prepared you think you are, when in the mountains there will always be surprises, and having a healthy and positive mind can make all the difference.
Yuvaraj, our runmonk, dedicates 4-5 hours to Yoga in a week in addition to his strength and weight training. He says, “My goals in ultra running could not have been possible without this effort. I continue to increase my mileage and keep myself injury-free during my ultra runs. I eat and sleep well as it is also an important aspect to give your muscles all the components to build ahead.”
As a part of the RunMonks community we wholeheartedly salute Yuvaraj Patil for keeping the focus and making adversities into opportunities and learning from his injuries to make bigger strides towards his ultramarathon dreams.
RunMonks a platform powered by 505 Circle created by Kushagra Sharma is proud to be associated with Yuvaraj Patil for being the flag bearer of our philosophy which is “building the congruence of Mind, Body, and Soul and find Stillness during injuries and downtime and to come out fitter and better” and GETTING INTO THE #ZENMODE & TO BE THE #RUNMONKER
