Motivation

How to Slow Down to Run Fast with Yoga

Yoga and mindfulness will make you super aware of how you’re breathing, you’ll get used to improving the quality and depth of each breath, and by slowing this down, you’ll soon speed up on the road, track or pitch.

Founder of Fat Buddha Yoga, Jessica Skye, explains how the principles of mindfulness and correct breathing techniques can maximise the value of your run.

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MINDFULNESS – TAKING TIME FOR YOU TO CHANNEL FOCUS

To be mindful means to be fully aware of yourself, from your physical body (what are you feeling and where), your energy output (how your output affects the people around you) and the internal dialogue you have with yourself (mental patterns of thought).

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Mental activity burns a huge amount of your energy, and it only runs on glucose. This explains 4pm sweet cravings while sat at the desk, and why you can feel exhausted at the end of a working day, even if you haven’t moved.

A busy mind has other effects on the body, not only fatigue; it can create stress as you enter fight or flight mode with the release of adrenaline and cortisol, leading to more serious health issues.

Practising mindfulness means you can spot stress signals before they take effect. By taking steps to slow down, calming the nervous system and channelling your focus. You can be fully aware of how your mind and body is working, it strengthens neuro-path ways (that yogi mind-body connection stuff!) and ultimately you can recharge your mental batteries, allowing you to effectively speed up after you’ve taken the time to slow down and recharge.

Meditation doesn’t have to involve Tibetan chimes and sitting on cross legged at the top of the Himalayas. Think of mediation as a decoy, to distract you from busy thoughts.

Here’s a super easy exercise to try, it will teach you to channel your focus to a singular point, quiet the other busy thoughts in your mind, slowing down mental activity, recharging and make you aware and see how your own thought patterns – good and bad:

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MINDFULNESS EXERCISE TO TRY AT HOME

1. Sit comfortably with your eyes closed
2. Begin to count your breath: Count for 1 as your breath in, 2 as your breath out…
3. Count up to 10, once you get to 10, go back and start at 1…
4. Do this for 1-2 minutes

Notice how your mind might wander and you lose count? Or maybe you go on auto-pilot and count past 10? When this happens, acknowledge that other thoughts may have cropped up and that you’ve lost focus. Start the exercise over, starting at 1. Over time, you’ll be able to train your focus to drift less and less over time.

It’s normal for our minds to be busy, but this a great exercise to try and quiet that mental noise, and also become aware of that internal dialogue.

With regular practice these tools help you channel your focus and clarify what you want from life and help you realise how to do it. For any athlete in any sport - focus is key.

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BREATHING – BREATHING CORRECTLY CAN REDUCE STRESS AND MAXIMISE YOUR RUN

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Before practising yoga I’d never taken a mindful breath, I’d never thought about how I was breathing or consciously breathed for a purpose (even when I ran). As such a core factor of our entire existence it seems crazy, right?

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HOW BREATHING WORKS

• The inhalation breath ups your oxygen intake, feeding your working muscles

• The exhale calms your para-sympathetic nervous system, essentially mellowing you out – (this is why you sigh as a sign of relief or to off-load tension!)

Your parasympathetic nervous system relates to chemical reactions in the body, led by stress signals from the brain, namely the pre-mentioned fight or flight mode. Stress from work, urban life, and our relationships can put us in a state of fight or flight with the release of stress hormones (sometimes we don’t even notice and it becomes the norm).

By breathing deeply and taking our time (especially with the exhale!) you’ll calm the nervous system, sending your body from fight or flight, to rest and digest mode. Recharging your batteries and maintaining a cool calm mind, where nothing can fog your focus.

Here’s a simple technique to practise mindful breathing, get used to practising every day. Mindfully do this for 1-2 minutes a day, and soon enough you’ll train yourself to breathe more efficiently out of habit.

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IN PRACTICE:

1. Let each inhale fill the full capacity of your lungs, upping your oxygen intake and feeding your muscles oxygen (try to inhale to the count of 4 seconds minimum)
2. Take your time with the exhale (try to exhale to the count of 5 seconds minimum)

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• Follow Jessica on Instagram: iamjessicaskye

• Shop Jessica’s look from Nike: sportsshoes.com/nike/

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And for more inspirational tips to become stronger, better and happier, then check out our Motivation category. Because it’s no fun standing still.