Your Training Plan tests more than your mileage – it tests your mindset.
Some runs might leave you feeling drained or frustrated. On those days, showing up consistently is the achievement.
We spoke with Colly, Studio Manager at Hotpod Yoga Brixton, to learn how yoga can help you stay kind to yourself during training and create those much-needed reset moments. A two-time London Marathon finisher who specialises in yoga for athletes, Colly knows exactly what runners need.
Give your nervous system a chance to reset
Yoga allows you to self-regulate, build awareness of how your body feels and how your breath is influencing your mental state.
“Better self-awareness equals more chance of understanding how you're feeling, how your breath is doing and gives you a better chance of being able to self-regulate by slowing down or taking a moment to reset," Colly explains.
“In yoga, you spend a lot of time getting out of your head and into your body. You also open up and release tension in certain areas, your nervous system will thank you for taking the time to sit and be with the sensations rather than being in forced overdrive we sometimes succumb to whilst running.”
Use breathwork to refocus
Breathwork and meditation are core elements of yoga – and incredibly valuable tools for runners. By slowing your breath and being present in the moment, you can counter any negative or critical thoughts.
“Breathwork gives you the ability to be in the present moment,” says Colly. “Slowing down the breath can soothe the nervous system and encourage a calmer state of mind. If done regularly, it will have a positive effect on how you feel and be in a moment.”
Train holistically
Yoga isn’t just moving through poses – it’s a mindset. Colly emphasises that a holistic approach encourages self-compassion and appreciating the experience, rather than fixating solely on times or distances.
“Strength, flexibility, regular hot baths, nutrition, and sleep. Treating yourself to a massage, even. All of those are just as important as just clocking up the miles.
“It’s about being able to step away from the grind and that sympathetic nervous system overdrive, and actually realising it’s a beautiful day and you are doing a great event in an amazing setting. It gives you that holistic approach to the why and how.”
Coming from a family of long-distance runners, Colly spent years navigating the highs and lows of training and racing. Yoga helped him shift his focus from chasing times to training mindfully.
“Over the last seven years, my attitude to exercise has changed quite radically. I used to be into getting times in races and training intensely, and I still aim for intensity, but I do it in a mindful, balanced way. It’s the approach to running that’s changed for me. I appreciate longevity, staying injury-free, and enjoying what I’m doing,” he says.
Curious to give it a go?
For runners, Colly recommends Hotpod Yoga's Nurturing Flow class – an hour dedicated to decompressing, resetting, and enjoying deeper stretches. Even one weekly session, he says, can make a noticeable difference, especially when balancing a busy running Training Plan. Hotpod Yoga has more than 60 studios across the UK. You can find the one closest to you on their site.
