I am a marathon runner and I can say that yoga has undoubtedly made me a better runner! It's a the perfect counterpoint to the stress running puts on my body.

Obviously, this person never heard of Vinyasa. LOL

This writer is definitely incorrect. I do Surya Namaskaram before running because it's a great warm up before any workout. I also do active stretching before running. Pranayama helps me to run faster by helping me to keep my breathing steady. Tadasana helps me with proper running form, being mindful to have great posture so that I have more freedom to run without injury.

After my run, I do Surya Namaskaram very slow to cool down as well as the Warrior Series. It's a great way for me to cool down and stay grounded.

Before incorporating Yoga into my running routine, I would run 3.5miles in 45 minutes. Now, I can run the same miles in less than 28 minutes.

Dr. Wagner needs to learn a couple of things about Yoga before speaking. He can take my class! LOL

Om Shanti.

Wow! It sounds to me like Dr. Wagner is assuming that if a competitive athlete is practicing yoga that they are giving up some other aspect of their training. If that were the case, then he might be correct that yoga could hurt performance. I have never met anyone that thinks that yoga replaces the training necessary for fast twitch muscles. A runner is not going to replace all their running training with yoga and still expect the same results. However, a runner who adds yoga will benefit from stronger stabilizing muscles, longer muscle fibers which translates into more power, better alignment, and let's not forget, stronger lungs from all the deep breathing; not to mention a more peaceful state of mind, which also aids performance.

I find the title of his article offensive "Have you ever seen a fast yoga instructor?" Yes, I have - personally - competitive triathletes, cyclists, and runners that are also wonderful yoga instructors. Judging by the article, it sounds to me as if Dr. Wagner has no first-hand knowledge of yoga, and I think he does a great disservice to athletes by recommending they not practice yoga. The correct and professional reply would be something like "I am not experienced or familiar enough with yoga to make a recommendation one way or the other."

Teresa, RYT, Triathlete

Apart from the obvious benefits of stretching and increasing range of motion, I could see where this argument might work. If I were wanting to get better at, say, soccer, I would probably be much better off spending my time running and improving my soccer skills.

But, there are certain sports which require slow twitch muscle stregth, and do require holding positions similar to yoga. I'm thinking of rock climbing here, specifically, which is a competitive sport and yoga is a perfect training tool. Also, gymnastics, dance, figure skating and even skiing require huge amounts of slow twitch strength.

So, certainly, beware of sweeping generalizations, my friend.

I practice yoga 5 times a week and running 4 times a week. When I started to practice ashtanga (about 3 years ago), my running did suffer a lot --at the beginning. As the ashtanga yoga practice was a lot stronger than the hatha yoga I did before, I started slowly, 2 times a week, but still was very tired.

For the first 4 months (when I was doing ashtanga 3 times a week), my running was very weak, I started to run slowly, lost the "explosion", speed and stamina. I gained more muscles too, so I was heavier and it was harder to speed up. But my teacher said it was part of the process of my body getting used to ashtanga and to be patient. I waited, and he was right.

Not only I recovered my old scores --mu running improved A LOT. With a great plus: I never had any running injuries anymore.

So, to me, yoga + running is the perfect match. Yoga as a way of life, a practice, and running as a sport.

I have a vested interest in the topic as a coach, yoga teacher, and creator of books, DVDs, and articles on yoga for athletes, but I'll echo the comments above, and point out that many athletes rely primarily on their slow twitch muscle fibers. Any endurance event (by which I mean anything beyond the 400m on the track, as well as any road event) relies on the strength of slow twitch fibers, making yoga a great complement (not substitute!) to training.

And yes, yoga is much, much more than static holds. But we insiders know that, right?

I have been doing Yoga with my sports for a long time and so long as you don't sacrifice your training for your sport it will only enhance your efforts through the mental clarity and body awareness.

I have not do a huge amount of yoga but have done many types of sport all my life from individual types of exercise to team stuff. I have trained alot on many different levels including leading groups in mountain areas fro weeks at a time.

The yoga i have done can only comlpement different types of sports as long as it is all done with thought and knowledge and precation at times. Its all about knowing your bodys limits and knowing when to push more and when to stop and to know what is dangerous for your body and what is not. Some people have injuries and with injuries you have to listen to yur body. From what i can see is that yoga in most cases can only compliment any sport or activity, and you always have to listen to your body to know what you can do next.

It cant be a bad thing and i cant see any reason why it can be a bad thing in my experince.

Just the mere thought of yoga HINDERING athletic performance makes me cringe. How could anybody say that? I am a long distance cyclist and before I discovered Tony Horton's P90X system, yoga was my sole method of keeping in shape during the long New England winters. Thanks to yoga I maintained my lung capacity and strength and was ready to ride in the Spring. And speaking of Tony Horton and P90X, he explains the difference between static and ballistic stretching and yoga is an integral part of his overall strength training system.

I am middle-aged person with chronic sports injuries brought about in part by chronic stiffness in my hip and shoulder areas. I am coming late to yoga to help with these issues and keep me going as long as possible. So far I have experienced some improvement in symptoms, and in only several weeks of modest practice am already feeling more "lubricated" through my torso -- feels wonderful.

One of my sports is climbing (rock and mountain), and yoga is perfect cross-training, as it develops balance, power and control at the end ranges of motion, core strength, and also mental focus and calmness under stress

The famous basketball player Kareem Abdul Jabar extended his professional years well past what was typical with yoga practice -- see http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/spotlighthealth/2003-09-26-jabbar_x.htm

I used to be a trainer, and I played in competitive sports. Yoga helped me with gaining discipline in concentration, and it strengthened my core (key to performance in tennis and cycling). It's a great complement to pilates. In addition, I had spinal surgery several years ago to remove a tumor from the T5 area. "Baby" Yoga was part of my rehab for the same reason. As I explain all the time, flexibility is not the goal in itself; rather, you want range of movement and control. Regardless, while I agree that athletes need to train the "fast twitch" fibers for speed, I will also assert that slow twitch is essential for power, and just as important when performing certain movements where control is key (backhand, stopping and holding yourself in place for that forhand return, standing out of the saddle on a bike ride). I don't advise doing those without having the strength and power over those muscles.

This past summer I took a yoga class that was full of intense athletes. There were two individuals that were completely against yoga, from beginning to end, and swore that it hindered their abilities. The other three athletes swore that it helped their performance greatly. I believe that it all depends on how a person decides to approach yoga, and the specific form they are practicing.

I respectfully disagree as well. I practice advanced Vinyasa yoga at least twice a week and play basketball and spin at the gym too. I find that yoga keeps me limber and my quads strong. It also prevents me from injuring myself (I'm prone to ankle turns and back pulls).

Thank you for all the thoughtful posts in response to our article. Unfortunately, it seems as though some didn't read it. You can read the full article here: http://www.spartascience.com/inthenews.html

The second paragraph of the article detailed (with cited research) the mental, spiritual, and respiratory endurance benefits of practicing yoga.

At SPARTA, we train power athletes; baseball, volleyball, football players, as well as Olympic level sprinters and track cyclists. Their explosive efforts last for several seconds, as opposed the hours of effort required for triathlons, marathons and long cycling races.

Posters need to recognize the difference between real speed, and fast endurance times. Your body only knows energy systems, running a long distance requires aerobic energy as well and slow twitch muscle fibers. While a sub 4 hour marathon is a fast time, it requires no real SPEED. Real SPEED last for seconds, and explosive seed lasts for fractions of a second, requiring anaerobic energy and fast twitch fibers.

Lastly, posters need to recognize the difference between personal experiences, resulting in better times and "feeling better," and the physiologic and nervous system needs of different sporting activities. Posters who recommend that we "take my class, and see how hard it is," are failing to recognize the specific needs of elite level athletes, and are mistaking training modalities that are challenging, with modalities that are helpful.

Hmm - I read the article Dr. Wagner and while you do talk about the benefits of yoga you contend that "when it comes to athletes, [yoga] hurts much more than it helps." There was no mention of the kind of athlete.

Does this mean you think that triathletes and marathon runners are not "athletes"? If this is the case then I have to respectfully disagree. If it is not the case then the article could have been clearer about the type of athletes you were referring too.

It seems that the way it is worded might deter well meaning athletes of the endurance variety from trying out the benefits of yoga for themselves.

This is in reference to Dr. Wagner's last post, since I was the first one to say that he should take my class.

Let me say that I have been running since I was 10 years old. I participated in Track & Field for over 10 years, until a back/knee injury stopped me from running. Does that make me less than elite? No. Maybe in your eyes but certainly not in mine. I am definitely an "athlete", regardless of the caliber you are referring to.

At the same time, I can't speak for others. I can only speak for myself. As Hannah said, you may want to check your wordage to make sure that the audience you are referring to is known and your message is clear.

Please note that I have read your article and based on the findings that I have, I have to respectfully disagree. Not all asanas are ones that you "hold." The word "vinyasa" in Sanskrit means "flow" and when you do Vinyasa type asanas and this style of Yoga, there is no "holding" in the reference that you are referring to in your article.

What you need to realize is that no one here is saying that you're completely wrong. We all agree that the training that a runner (of any caliber) does to be a good one is sound and definitely necessary. But you saying that Yoga does not help an athlete seems really one-sided and is not true. Yoga is a great companion to whatever training you do and can only support you in whatever process you choose to use to maintain and excel in athletics.

Om Shanti and have a great day.
Bhairavi Andrea

First, let me say that I am not a competitive athlete. I love to hike, climb, and occasionally hit some balls at the tennis courts, but I am no tri-athlete. I teach a lot of people who are, though, and I am constantly encountering articles about professional athletes who are incorporating Hatha Yoga into their training regimen. So what does that mean when thousands of athletes all over the world choose to add yoga to their routine? When athletes like tennis star Andy Murray and basketball superstar LeBron James are using yoga to support their sport?
The author of the article identifies the disadvantage of yoga which is “harmful to athletes” as the fact that “yoga poses challenge the participant to hold a stationary position, requiring what's called isometric (static) strength.” This strength is different from the training that focuses on “ballistic or explosive movements (like the type found in competitive sports)… dynamic training has a much greater effect” on the muscles necessary for this type of action.
I can’t help but wonder how many vinyasa or Ashtanga classes the author of this article has attended. Dynamic, yet controlled movement is the essence of a vinyasa style yoga class. As so many of us know, yoga is rarely a static, still practice as often depicted, but most often a dynamic, intense, and aerobic form of physical training. Granted, in the classical sense, the physical training is geared toward extended periods of time in seated meditation, and the liberation of the mind.
Yes, yoga does not often give you the “bulk” that competitive athletes work to achieve, neither in the mind nor the body, but it can draw even the fiercest competitor in the direction of equilibrium. It encourages focus, calm and equanimity. Maybe customarily these aren’t the qualities that competition seeks to hone, but with refinement and clear intention, these qualities can be just as effective in competition as the old set of rules.
Again, I am no athlete, but I’m no chump either. So when the author asks if you’ve ever seen a “fast yoga teacher,” I say, “You should challenge one to a race.” Assuming that there are no yoga teachers who are also winning athletes seems a little slippery to me, sort of like assuming that athletes can’t reach the level of flexibility that more advanced practice of asana requires. So, may we all, yogis and athletes alike, move away from broad generalizations about our chosen paths and toward an appreciation of individual talents and experiences, and before we make any decisions based on others opinions, give ourselves the opportunity to experience it.

I run Ultra marathons and sky run uniquely thanks to the yoga I practice everyday day, before and after each run. See what I could do.www.tite.it