Stretch it out with yoga

While running is great for outdoor aerobic fitness, striking some yoga poses at home brings extra balance.

WANT to keep running injuries at bay? Try striking a pose with yoga. Yoga is particularly good for helping to rebalance a runner’s body and protect it against the repetitive strain of pavement pounding. But often it’s hard to find the time to do an hour’s yoga class on top of all your regular running sessions, too.

However, if you want to keep niggles down to a minimum, and make your runs far more enjoyable and pain-free, then the stretching, strengthening and lengthening aspects of yoga are definitely worth investing in. Lexie Williamson, author of Yoga For Runners, has put together this sequence — that’ll take under 15 minutes to complete in the comfort of your own home — to make sure you’re getting the most out of your yoga session.

Try this sequence three times a week for best results.

HOW TO DO IT: Work your way through each pose, holding for 5-10 slow breaths or 30-60 seconds.

1. CRESCENT LUNGE

Areas trained: FRONT THIGHS, HIPS, BACK, SHOULDERS

Technique — From all fours step your right foot up between your hands, lining up your fingertips and toes.

Drop your back knee down and raise your upper body. Sit back and — perform a gentle backbend by lifting your chest and joining your hands above your head.

Repeat on the other side.

SAFETY TIP: If this is too difficult, place Both hands on your front thigh.

2. DANCERS POSE

Areas trained: FRONT THIGHS, HIPS, CALVES

Technique — Spread the toes on your right foot and shift your weight onto your right leg.

Slowly bend your left leg and reach back for your foot with your left hand.

Breathe in and raise your right arm up. As you exhale hinge forward from your hips while drawing your left leg back.

Repeat on the other side.

SAFETY TIP: Tuck the pelvis under, lengthen the spine and level the knees

3. MOUNTAIN WITH ARMS RAISED

Areas trained: BACK, SHOULDERS

Technique — Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Lift and spread your toes and lay them back down. Imagine you are being pulled upwards by a puppet string attached to the crown of the head.

Sweep both arms up with your palms facing each other.

HOT TIP: Try arching mountain pose by leaning into a gentle standing backbend

4. PIGEON

Areas trained: BOTTOM, HIPS

Technique — Start on all fours and slide your right knee up behind your right hand.

Push your left foot back behind you.

Walk both hands back and lift your chest.

As you exhale lower slowly down and rest on your forearms or stack one palm on top of the other and rest your forehead on your hands.

5. TRIANGLE

Areas trained: THIGHS, BOTTOM, SIDES, CORE

Technique — Step your feet wide and turn your left foot out 90 degrees and your right foot in 45 degrees.

Sweep your arms up in line with your shoulders, palms facing outwards.

Breathe in.

On an exhalation, tip into a side bend lowering your left hand to rest lightly on your left leg, or if you can, on the floor.

Raise your right arm up and reach to the ceiling. Spread your fingers.

Rotate your head to look upwards.

Repeat on the other side.

HOT TIP: If this is too difficult, try it with your back against a wall first