Yoga Cool-Downs for Hikers, Bikers, Runners and Golfers
by Hannah Moran, Director of Marketing and Operations / Yoga Teacher
Ahhh summertime… ☀️😎So much sun to catch, so little time! Here in Wisconsin, we have a few beautiful months to enjoy our favorite summertime activities before the winter comes back around.
But how do we keep up with our yoga practice, as well? The answer might be more obvious than you think…
Yoga can be many things: a workout, a meditation, a stretching routine, a sacred 60-90 minutes of “you-time,” etc… But how about using it as a cool-down for your favorite summertime activities? In this blog, I’ll share a few mini-sequences to help you recover from your hike, bike ride, run, or golf outing. Enjoy!
Hiking Cool-Down
#1: Tree Pose
Be one with the trees! Bring one foot to the inside of the opposite leg (left above) or into half lotus position (right above) and place your hands at your heart. If you’d like, lift your arms above your head. Focus your gaze straight forward and concentrate for 10 breaths, then move to second side. If you fall out, just get right back in and refocus.
#2: Low Lunge (with optional backbend)
This one is great for stretching the hip flexors (which often get tight after hiking). From a down dog, step one foot between the hands and drop the back knee onto the mat. Hands can start on the ground, then eventually work your way up above your head. Focus on dropping your hips, while your heart and fingertips reach high. I like a variation with a gentle backbend to open up the heart: tip your gaze up, stretch your arms back slightly, and enjoy this front body opener.
#3: Lizard Pose
Lizard is a GREAT pose for opening up the outsides and backs of the hips after a repetitive walking motion. From a low lunge position, bring both hands to the inside of your front foot and angle your front foot outward, just a bit. It might feel good to come down to your forearms or a block, or let your knee fall open a bit. Play with it and enjoy the sensations in your hip!
#4: Yogi Squat
Yogi Squat is another great hip opener. This one targets the insides of the hips and thighs. Step your feet slightly wider than hips width, toes out, heels in. Bend your knees and drop your seat as low as is comfortable for your hips. For support, place a block under your sit bones.
#5: Seated Spinal Twist
A twist is a great way to decompress the spine after a long day of hiking. For the seated variation, sit with your legs extended in front of you. Bend your right knee and place the right foot on the outside of the left leg. Place your right hand behind your seat and hook your left elbow on the outside of the right knee. Inhale to lengthen the spine and sit up tall, exhale to twist.
Biking Cool-Down
#1: Camel Pose
Nothing like a big front body opener after hunching over your handlebars for a while! Start standing on your knees about hip width apart. Bring your hands to your low back, fingertips down. Squeeze your elbows towards one another behind you and press your hips forward as you start to gaze up. Lift the heart and keep pressing the hips forward as you go back, deepening on every exhale until you reach your edge. Breath with your mouth open and your head hanging backwards. If accessible, reach back for your heels and push the hips forward again. To come out, support yourself with your hands at the low back and inhale back up. Sit back on your heels and receive the benefits! (Optional: counter with an embryo pose by folding over your thighs and relaxing your arms at your sides, forehead on the mat, hands back by your feet).
#2: Half Pigeon
Half pigeon or another similar hip opener is a *must* after a long bike ride. For half pigeon, start in a downward facing dog. Bring your right knee up to your right wrist and fold the leg down onto the mat so your whole lower right leg is grounded. The right heel might start very close to the groin, but over time you can work on bringing it closer to the top left corner of your mat. Once you find your alignment, breath and release. Let go of tension everywhere and let gravity do the work. With the upper body, you might stay upright on the fingertips, or you might come down to your forearms or even all the way down to the mat for a deeper experience. For support, place a block under the right hip. Take at least 10 slow breaths on each side.
#3: Yogi Squat
I recommend this one for bikers as well, as it targets some of the same muscle groups you’ll use during bike rides. Step your feet slightly wider than hip width, toes out, heels in. Bend your knees and drop your seat as low as is comfortable for your hips. For support, place a block under your sit bones.
#4: Low Lunge
Biking is another activity that works our hip flexors, so a low lunge will feel GREAT after a bike ride. From a down dog, step one foot between the hands and drop the back knee onto the mat. Hands can start on the ground, then eventually work your way up above your head. Focus on dropping your hips, while your heart and fingertips reach high. I like a variation with a gentle backbend to open up the heart: tip your gaze up, stretch your arms back slightly, and enjoy this front body opener. Repeat on second side with a down dog in between.
#5: Half Splits
From a low lunge, ground your hands on either side of the front foot. Start to straighten through the front leg and pull the hips back. Do not move the heel – let it remain grounded in place. Upper body can be lifted with the spine extended, or you can round over the front leg and bring your forehead towards your knee. If you choose the latter, be sure to keep the low core engaged to protect the lumbar spine from excessive tension (recommended in all forward folds).
Running Cool-Down
#1: Half Pigeon
Half pigeon is absolute heaven after a long run! Start in a downward facing dog. Bring your right knee up to your right wrist and fold the leg down onto the mat so your whole lower right leg is grounded. The right heel might start very close to the groin, but over time you can work on bringing it closer to the top left corner of your mat. Once you find your alignment, breath and release. Let go of tension everywhere and let gravity do the work. With the upper body, you might stay upright on the fingertips, or you might come down to your forearms or even all the way down to the mat for a deeper experience. For support, place a block under the right hip. Take at least 10 slow breaths on each side.
#2: Ragdoll Forward Fold
This one is great for releasing the back and spine after all that compression caused by the repetitive running motion. Come onto your feet, about hip width apart (narrower or wider is okay – just do what feels best in your body here). Fold forward with a slight bend in the knees. Grab your elbows with your opposite hands and let your arms hang overhead. Release your neck and dangle your head. If it feels good, sway back and forth. And remember to keep your low core engaged to keep your low back from straining.
#3: Downward Dog
From your forward fold, ground your hands with your fingers spread wide on the mat. Step back about 4-5 feet to form an upside-down V shape with your body. Bring a gentle bend into your knees (you can work on straightening the legs over time, but this bent-knee variation feels great on the spine!). Don’t worry if your heels aren’t on the mat – they don’t have to be to receive the benefits of this pose. As you exhale, melt your heart and shoulders down towards your toes to open the chest. Release all tension in the neck – just let your head hang. Feel your spine lengthen as you press your shoulders away from the ears. If you’d like to bring some movement into this: lift your heels high as you inhale, and drop them towards the mat as you exhale as the backs of your legs release.
#4: Lizard Pose
From a low lunge position (which will also feel GREAT on your hip flexors after a run), bring both hands to ground on the inside of your front foot. Angle the toes of your front foot outward, just a bit. It might feel good to come down to your forearms or a block, or let your knee fall open a bit. Find an alignment that feels good and hold for 5-7 breaths on each side.
#5: Half Splits
Hamstrings can get insanely tight after a run, so this one targets that area. From a low lunge position, ground your hands on either side of the front foot. Start to straighten through the front leg and pull the hips back. Do not move the heel – let it remain grounded in place. Flex the front foot for a deeper stretch on the back of the leg. Upper body can be lifted with the spine extended, or you can round over the front leg and bring your forehead towards your knee. If you choose the latter, be sure to keep the low core engaged to protect the lumbar spine from excessive tension (recommended in all forward folds).
Golfing Cool-Down
#1: Cow Face Arms
Time to open up those shoulders after hitting the links all day! You’ll probably want a strap or towel for this one. Come to a seated position with your sit bones on your heels or a block (this shoulder stretch is often practiced with cow face legs, hero’s pose, or an upright fixed firm seat, but any comfortable seat will do). Hold your strap or towel in your right hand. Bring your right arm straight up, then bend the elbow so your right hand ends up behind your head or neck. Your strap or towel will simply dangle down your back. With your left hand, reach behind your middle back and grab the strap. With the strap in both hands, slowly work your fingertips towards one another until you reach your edge. Hold for 4-6 breaths, then switch sides. Note: Some people have the ability to clasp fingertips and forgo the strap completely, but many of us will need a strap to extend the grip so as not to strain or tear our shoulder joints.
#2: Sphinx Pose
Sphinx pose is a passive backbend that opens the chest and nurtures the natural curve in the middle and low back. To start, lay down on your belly. Prop up your upper body by bringing your forearms to the mat, elbows about shoulder width apart (you can measure this distance by bringing your hands to opposite elbows). Elbows should be positioned below and slightly in front of the shoulders. Hands can be clasped in front of you, or palms can be down on the ground. Now here’s the best part: relax everything. Relax your glutes, legs, feet, and back. The only engagement should be the forearms gently pulling back towards your sides (elbows and forearms will not move from their position on the ground, but this gentle pull will open the chest. Head can be lifted, softly hanging forward, or supported with a block beneath the forehead. Hold for 10-15 breaths. It might feel good to press back to a child's pose after this long hold.
#3: Boat Pose
Any good golfer knows the importance of core strength. For boat pose, start sitting on the ground with your knees bent, feet on the ground. With your hands behind your thighs for support, lift your legs until your shins are parallel to the ground. Then extend your arms straight forward. Hold and breathe, keeping the heart lifted and the spine as long as possible. To bring more intensity to this pose (optional), lift your arms higher and extend the legs straight. Other optional boat pose variations include Rowboats (twist upper body side to side in a rowing motion), or High-Low Boats (lowering upper and lower body to hover inches off the mat on each exhale).
#4: Reverse Plank
Another great shoulder opener, and an awesome counter to boat pose. Start in a staff pose, seated with your legs extended straight forward on the ground, hands grounded next to the seat (or hands on blocks if you can’t flatten your palms), fingertips facing forward. With an inhale, lift your hips to the sky, coming onto your heels and palms. If it feels okay, let the head fall back and take some deep breaths into your shoulders and core.
#5: Supine Twist
Golfers rely on the ability to twist the spine in order to follow through on their swings. A spinal twist is a great way to restore and maintain the spine’s natural range of motion. Laying down on your back, pull your knees into your chest. Give yourself a hug (because why not) then let both knees fall to the right. Extend your left arm to the left, keeping your left shoulder and arm grounded (if your knees don’t make it all the way to the ground with your shoulder grounded, place a block under them for support. The grounded shoulder takes priority over the knees reaching the ground). Gently shift your gaze over your left shoulder without straining the neck. Soften your whole midsection: belly, core and back. Hold for 5 breaths each side.
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