Having done a 13.1 mile run last weekend, plus speedwork the following Tuesday, my body and soul was in need of some love. And so I headed off to my new favourite studio, Another Space for a yoga class. As I mentioned previously, I got a few free classes through work, I’m a bit in love. It’s legit fancy with proper Cowshed toiletries and fluffy towels in the changing rooms. Swoon.
Like I said: yoga time!
I have to say I was really impressed by the yoga at Another Space. Firstly, the studio itself; mats were already set up, each accompanied by a yoga block, belt and towel, in an OCD-porn way that satisfied my inner neat-freak. And I have to mention the yoga mats- they were really great quality, and for once I didn’t spend the majority of my class slipping and sliding around. It made a huge difference to actually be able to remain in the poses and clear my mind, as opposed to constantly worrying about a face-palm situation.
The instructor may have been my favourite yoga practitioner to date. An Irish guy called Chris, he was bearded, muscular, and looked more like a rugby player than your typical yogi. He was absolutely fantastic- just the right amount of zen for me- and definitely pushed us by making us hold the poses for longer than you usually would in a vinyasa-style class. I found myself able to open up and get a lot more from the poses than in previous classes, and even managed some really satisfying binds.
Do you have those exercises classes where you really have to psyche yourself up to do them? This isn’t one of those at all. It was really strenuous on my upper and lower body, but yet it didn’t feel like a lot of effort psychologically- I felt very calm throughout, not rushed or constantly comparing myself to other yogis in the class. 
And the next day, I could feel- specifically in my legs and shoulders. But this time it was in a good way, like I could feel myself getting stronger and my muscles growing. So it was a good kind of pain!
What’s your favourite way to cross train?
Any specific yoga pose you love for those post-run pains?
Lots of love,
Pippa
Pip in Motion 
I just incorporated yoga back into my training routine as well! I’m training for a triathlon and a half marathon after that. My body was in rough shape! Yoga has been wonderful! Namaste.
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Yoga does you so much good- it works all those little ‘in-betweeny’ muscles that are so important for stability in running. I have to remind myself of that every once in a while, otherwise I just skip yoga for something more intense!
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I need to do more yoga I think it would change me totally as a runner x great blog x
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Thanks love! I do find yoga really helps me- cos you’re stretching and doing strength/conditioning work without really thinking about it!
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That sounds good to me will
Do some tomorrow – thank you! X
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i love the slower yoga where you spend more time in the poses…i dont know what its called but thats the class i used to take and loved it. runner flexibility stinks, gotta supplement with that yoga!
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Haha I know-it’s slow but it does give you a killer workout! My problem is that I’m actually hyper-mobile, so I need to work on strengthening all those little muscles so I don’t end up doing some damage. But yeah, even with the hypermobility, I get horrifically tight calves and usually limp around after a long run!
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My favourite cross training is reformer Pilates, but I can’t do it at the moment. My house is mid-renovation and there’s no space for my reformer. So I’ve actually just tried yoga. I tried it years ago and didn’t like it at all, but I’ve found that now I think I do like it. I like the challenge of trying to get into the poses and the idea that if I keep going with it I will eventually get better. Sort of why I like running!
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I’ve never tried reformer pilates! I’d love to give it a go, since i have quite a bad back injury that’s really affecting my running at the moment.
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It is great, and it’s a good workout for back problems. I first heard of it because my mum started it to be able to exercise with her bad back. There’s even low impact cardio you can do with one, which helps keep fitness up if you can’t run as much as you’d like.
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