Getting into a daily yoga apply can have quite a lot of advantages on and off the mat, particularly for hikers and backpackers. As a yoga teacher and avid hiker myself, I make it a degree to apply common fundamental yoga stretches to assist me keep injury-free after I’m out on the path.
But yoga doesn’t should imply doing issues like solar salutations, headstands, and chanting on the summit of a mountain throughout dawn. In truth, a yoga apply could be one thing a lot easier, like a set of fundamental stretches that may be accomplished wherever, even at base camp.
If you need to begin a yoga apply to assist maintain your physique ache and damage free, take into account incorporating these easy poses earlier than, throughout, and after your hike to assist defend your physique from the wear and tear and tear of lengthy days out on the path.
Why is Yoga Good for Hikers?
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Reduce the chance of damage
As a lot as I hate to confess it, the aches, pains, and accidents I’ve acquired over a lifetime of being exterior don’t all the time get higher after I’m climbing. Sometimes, they will even worsen.
Maybe you’ll be able to relate, however this can be a irritating place to be and as a lot as I’d like to push by way of these aches and pains, I do know from each schooling and expertise that pushing by way of isn’t the suitable method to cope with stress and accidents. Practicing yoga often helps maintain these aches, pains, and accidents at bay, so I can spend extra time exterior doing what I like.
Build energy
Yoga poses aren’t simply easy stretches. They truly assist construct energy and lengthen muscle mass, that are each essential for sustaining a wholesome vary of movement in your physique.
Improve stability and stability
Along with constructing energy, training yoga can even enhance stability. If you’re an avid hiker, you know the way necessary stability and stability could be on a path. Without stability, particularly with a heavy pack, you’re extra susceptible to falling, rolling ankles, and getting fatigued.
Increase flexibility
Lastly, training yoga for climbing can significantly enhance flexibility, which can assist scale back muscle aches and pressure on and after a hike.
However, it’s necessary to additionally embody strength-building poses along with stretching poses as a result of an excessive amount of flexibility with out muscle energy can truly result in damage.
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Can I Still do Yoga if I’m Not Flexible?
Yes! For some, the thought of doing yoga and even simply stretching is considerably intimidating in case you have “tight” or stiff muscle mass. One of the most important arguments that I hear from folks in opposition to stretching is, “I’m just not flexible!” and my reply to that’s, “forget about flexibility”. Everybody is totally different and it isn’t all the time the flexibleness half that issues. Some are born hyper-flexible, whereas others are usually not and plenty of are proper within the center — the secret’s to search out what works greatest for you.
It’s extra necessary to have a wholesome vary of movement in your physique that means that you can be exterior and pain-free for the long run. I don’t find out about you, however I’m aiming to be that 80-year-old on the market crushing it and I’m counting on my yoga apply to assist me make it occur.
I guarantee you that small modifications do make a distinction and add up over time, so attempt to make these stretches and yoga poses as routine as brushing your tooth or tossing an additional granola bar in your bag. It can actually be that straightforward.
Pre-Hike Yoga Poses
Before you head off in your hike, it’s a good suggestion to heat up and stretch your muscle mass with a couple of easy poses. Here are a few of our favorites to start out with:
Cat-Cow
- Start on fingers and knees in a tabletop place.
- Take a deep breath in and elevate your chest and chin to look ahead into cow pose.
- On the exhale, spherical your again up in the direction of the sky and drop your chin in in the direction of your chest into cat pose.
Low Lunge
- Step one foot ahead in between your fingers and decrease your again knee all the way down to the ground.
- Bend the entrance knee extra and convey your fingers up in your hips or stretch your arms overhead when you really feel regular.
- For a much bigger stretch that helps to strengthen your ankles and knees, elevate your again knee off the bottom right into a excessive lunge.
- Hold right here for 3 breaths and repeat on the opposite facet.
Standing Wide-Legged Forward Fold
- From standing, step your toes out broad and stretch your arms out to the facet.
- Fold ahead to the touch the ground and seize your ankles or large toes.
- Firm the muscle mass of your quads to guard your hamstrings as you fold all the best way ahead and gently launch your head down.
- Optional: add a shoulder stretch by clasping your fingers behind your again and reaching your arms overhead.
- Hold right here for 3 breaths.
Yoga Poses To Do During Your Hike
While you’re climbing, the calves, hamstrings, and quadricep muscle mass are doing many of the work and have a tendency to get actually tight. For some folks, this would possibly trigger some ache within the ankles, knees, or decrease again.
If you’re carrying a heavy load, your shoulders are additionally going to really feel tight or fatigued so use your break to search out some aid with these easy stretches out on the path. Here are our favourite yoga poses and stretches to do whereas out climbing:
Calf Stretch
- Place the ball of your foot on a rock or something barely greater than floor degree and draw your heel down towards the bottom to stretch your calf muscle.
- To intensify this stretch, step the opposite foot ahead and press your again heel down extra, leaning ahead barely.
- Hold right here for 3 breaths and swap sides.
Thigh Stretch
- Stand on one foot, utilizing a tree for stability when you want, and seize the opposite foot in your hand behind you.
- Gently lengthen your knee down in the direction of the bottom for a easy quad stretch and get up tall.
- Hold right here for 3 breaths and swap sides.
Standing Wide-Legged Forward Fold
- To stretch your hamstrings, repeat the identical pose from earlier than, standing wide-legged ahead fold for 3 breaths.
- By clasping your fingers behind your again you’ll be able to stretch your shoulders and chest and provides your head a delicate shake sure and no to launch the muscle mass of your neck.
Post-Hike Yoga Poses
Post-hike yoga poses ought to be mild, restorative, and enjoyable. Give these straightforward yoga poses and stretches a strive after hitting the path and see how you’re feeling!
This can be a good time to seize your foam curler, tennis ball, or different self-massage instruments to loosen up tight muscle mass.
Downward-Facing Dog
- Start in your fingers and knees.
- Engage your core and elevate your knees up off the mat then slowly press your heels towards the ground.
- Drop your chest down by way of your arms and elevate your hips to the sky.
- Stay right here for 5 breaths.
Foot Stretches
- Interlace your fingers in between your toes and slowly rock your hand forwards and backwards for a delicate stretch.
- Do this a few times on every foot.
- Then, sit in your shins and curl your toes beneath you for a fair greater stretch in your toes.
- Hold right here for 3-5 breaths so long as there isn’t a ache in your toes or toes.
- If you may have a tennis ball, roll it within the arch of your foot for a minute or two on all sides.
Low Lunge Thigh Stretch
- Stand a couple of toes away from the wall and fold ahead to the touch your toes. Do this a few times on every foot.
- Reach your left leg again behind you till it reaches the wall and slide your knee all the best way all the way down to the ground.
- Place each fingers on both facet of your proper foot and both keep right here or convey each fingers as much as the suitable knee. The nearer your again knee will get to the wall, the deeper the stretch, so do what feels greatest. If you may have delicate knees, use a blanket or a thick yoga mat for padding.
- Inhale and keep right here for 3-5 breaths then swap sides.
Legs Up the Wall or Couch
- If you may have open wall area, convey your legs up in opposition to the wall or stack a couple of pillows on the sofa to elevate your toes up overhead.
- Wherever you’re, be certain that your hips are all the best way up in opposition to the wall or sofa and permit your arms to calm down to the facet or seize reverse elbows overhead for a pleasant stretch within the chest, arms and shoulders.
- Hold right here for at the very least one minute, or longer when you like!
Are you an skilled yogi or are you simply beginning out? What are your favourite methods to apply yoga for climbing? Share with us within the feedback beneath!
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