For Camille, running began as a way to experience freedom, challenge herself, and spend time outdoors. Yoga entered her life much later through recovery, eventually transforming the way she moves, trains, and approaches endurance sports. Today, she shares how yoga can help runners improve mobility, recover more effectively, and build a healthier relationship with their practice.
From Running to Yoga
Running has been part of my life since I was 17. I was drawn to the freedom it offers and the sense of wellbeing it brings. Beyond the physical benefits, running became a way to clear my mind, reflect, and spend time outdoors. Alongside running, I also practiced sports like handball, football, cycling, and swimming, developing a lifelong love for endurance sports.
I discovered yoga much later, during lockdown, when a friend started teaching online classes. Unlike the other sports I practiced, yoga invited me to slow down, connect my breath with movement, and become more aware of my body. That awareness became even more important after a back injury. During my recovery, mobility work completely changed the way I understood movement, teaching me that recovery and consistency are just as important as performance.
Wanting to explore yoga more deeply, I travelled to India to complete my first Yoga Teacher Training before going on to teach in India and Sri Lanka. Along the way, yoga transformed not only how I moved but also how I approached endurance sports. I no longer see recovery, mobility, and rest as secondary to performance. They are essential parts of sustainable progress.
Today, I combine yoga, mobility, and breathwork to help runners build strength, recover more effectively, and develop a healthier relationship with training. Looking back, I no longer see yoga as something separate from running. It is a practice that helps us move better, recover more effectively, and continue doing what we love for years to come.
As my own approach evolved, I realised I wanted to share it with people who love endurance sports and help them develop a more sustainable approach to training—one that balances performance, recovery, and long-term well-being. It eventually led me to create an online program for runners, combining yoga, mobility, and breathwork to help them find a better balance between performance, recovery, and body awareness. As I developed the program, I also invited several physiotherapists and osteopaths to test the concept and share their feedback, which helped me refine and strengthen the approach. The program is currently available in French, and I hope to make it available in English in the future.
How Yoga Supports Runners
Running is an excellent way to build cardiovascular fitness, endurance, and mental resilience. But because it is a repetitive, forward moving activity, it places consistent demands on the body. Over time, this can lead to stiffness through the hips, hamstrings, calves, and lower back, while posture and breathing may also become less efficient.
Yoga complements running by introducing movement patterns that running rarely explores. It improves hip mobility, develops core strength, supports spinal mobility, and encourages better posture, helping runners move more efficiently while reducing unnecessary tension.
Breath is another important connection. Through movement and pranayama, yoga develops greater awareness of the breath, encouraging slower, deeper breathing that can improve coordination, support recovery, and strengthen the mind body connection.
Perhaps one of yoga’s greatest benefits is the awareness it cultivates. It teaches us to listen to our bodies, recognise when we need intensity and when we need recovery, and adapt our training accordingly. This does not mean training less. It means training more intelligently.
Running builds endurance, while yoga develops mobility, strength, breath awareness, and resilience, creating a more balanced and sustainable approach to movement.
Yoga Poses for Runners
The same yoga poses can support runners in different ways depending on when they are practiced. Before a run, the focus is on preparing the body through mobility, activation, and movement. After a run, the practice shifts toward releasing tension, restoring mobility, building strength, and supporting recovery.
Pre-Run: Dynamic and Preparation Focused Stretches
Before running, the goal is to prepare the body for movement rather than stretching deeply. Dynamic movements help mobilise the joints, increase circulation, and activate the muscles needed for an efficient run.
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Standing hip circles help bring fluidity to the hips and prepare them for the repetitive demands of running.
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High Lunge variations with a lower and lift action, or Utkatasana (Chair Pose) with heel lifts, activate the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves to prepare the body for impact.
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Malasana (Yogi Squat) variations with knee taps further improve functional mobility by mobilising the hips, knees, and ankles.
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Flowing between Malasana (Yogi Squat) and Uttanasana (Standing Forward Fold) mobilises the hips and ankles while preparing the posterior chain for running.
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Vajrasana on the toes (Toe Squat) activates the feet, improves proprioception, and prepares them for repeated ground contact.
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Cat Cow (Marjaryasana Bitilasana) gently mobilises the spine and increases awareness throughout the back body.
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Gentle arm swings, shoulder rolls, and thoracic rotations mobilise the shoulders and support efficient posture, breathing, and arm swing.
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Kapalabhati (Breath of Fire) gently stimulates the respiratory system, increases alertness, and promote a sense of readiness before movement. As with any breathing technique, it should be practised comfortably and avoided if it causes dizziness or discomfort.
Post-Run: Recovery, Mobility, and Strength Focused Stretches
After running, yoga becomes an opportunity to release accumulated tension, restore mobility, and gradually rebuild strength and stability. Ideally, practice a few hours after your run, once the body has cooled down.
Rather than simply stretching tired muscles, the goal is to restore movement, strengthen supporting muscles, and help the body recover more efficiently.
Stretches to Restore Hip Mobility
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Utthana Pristhasana (Lizard Pose) releases the hip flexors, quadriceps, and adductors while restoring mobility through the front of the hips. For a deeper quadriceps stretch, bend the back knee and reach for the ankle.
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Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (Pigeon Pose) releases the glutes and deep hip rotators, creating more ease through the pelvis and lower back.
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Supta Kapotasana (Reclined Figure 4) is a gentler alternative to Pigeon Pose, releasing the glutes while supporting the pelvis and lower back.
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Malasana (Yogi Squat) restores hip mobility while improving ankle mobility.
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Skandasana (Side Lunge) introduces lateral movement, opening the adductors while simultaneously developing lower-body strength, stability, and ankle mobility.
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Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Fold) or Ardha Hanumanasana (Half Split) help gently release posterior chain tension accumulated during running.
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The contract-relax (PNF) technique improves flexibility while building strength and control within your new range of motion, and it can be applied to a variety of yoga poses.
Stretches for Lower-Body Strength and Joint Stability
Strengthening the muscles around the knees, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves, helps absorb impact and support proper alignment while running.
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Virabhadrasana I, II, and III (Warrior I, II, and III) develops strength, stability, and muscular endurance throughout the legs.
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Utkatasana (Chair Pose) and Ardha Utkatasana (Half Chair Pose) strengthen the quadriceps, glutes, and calves while improving endurance.
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Shiva Squat develops balance, single leg stability, hip control, and coordination, closely reflecting the demands of running.
Stretches to Improve Core Strength and Spinal Mobility
A strong, mobile trunk supports efficient running mechanics and posture.
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Phalakasana (Plank Pose), Vasisthasana (Side Plank), Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose), and Navasana (Boat Pose) develop deep core strength while improving the connection between the upper and lower body.
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Supta Matsyendrasana (Supine Spinal Twist), Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Seated Spinal Twist), and Marichyasana C restore spinal mobility by reintroducing rotational movement that is largely absent in running.
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Salamba Bhujangasana (Sphinx Pose), Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose), and Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog) strengthen the back body, open the chest, and improve thoracic mobility.
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Balasana (Child’s Pose) gently releases tension through the back body while encouraging relaxation and downregulation of the nervous system after effort.
Nervous System Regulation
Pranayama (breathing practices) help regulate the nervous system and support recovery after physical effort.
Alternate Nostril Breathing encourages slow, controlled breathing, reduces physical and mental tension, and helps the body transition from effort to rest.
Through this combination of mobility, strength, and breath awareness, post run yoga becomes more than a recovery tool. It helps restore balance throughout the body, improve movement quality, and support a more resilient and sustainable running practice.
Practice with Camille
Whether you’re looking to improve mobility or recover after a run, this lower body practice will help you release tension, restore movement, and build resilience. Suitable for all levels, it is available in English and French and can be practiced as a recovery session, on a rest day, or at least two hours after your run.
Connect with Camille
Instagram: @yoga.avec.camille
Website: www.yogacamille.fr
Upcoming event: Yoga & Run Retreat, Les Thuits, Normandy, France, 5 days - 4 nights (French speaking)
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18/08/2026 - 22/08/2026
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24/08/2026 - 28/08/2026
Learn more about the retreat here.
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