Yoga for Hikers, Backpackers and Trail Runners

Why should backpackers, hikers, and trail runners practice yoga? Yoga is a great complement for backpacking, hiking or trail running. While many athletic activities tend to shorten and tighten muscles, yoga lengthens muscles and improves flexibility. Plus, yoga is also a great way to develop the core strength and balance essential for backpacking, hiking or trail running.  A consistent yoga practice can bring your body into better alignment, stretch tight muscles, and minimize overuse injuries. Through yoga, you can become more aware of what your body needs to sustain you through any challenge. 

This course consists of a 2-hour online workshop and 2 outdoor 60-minute yoga classes

During the workshop, you’ll learn alignment principles of some foundational yoga poses and explore the physical and mental benefits of yoga for outdoor athletes. You’ll discover how yoga can:

1. Help you warm-up before a hike or trail run
2. Help your body recover after a long backpack trip, hike, or trail run
3. Prevent and treat overuse injuries common in backpacking, hiking, and trail running
4. Serve as a great strength and endurance cross-training workout.
5. Develop the mindfulness and awareness to take both your performance and training to the next level

The outdoor yoga classes are ‘Yoga for Athletic Recovery’ and ‘Yoga for Strength.’  

Course registration also includes priority registration for a series of 5 yoga hikes between August 17 and August 31.  

Yoga for Athletic Recovery
There’s nothing better after a long day on the trails than some active recovery time. If your outdoor activities are leaving you sore the next day, then give yourself the gift of recovery with this yoga class that will help you stretch your hips, shoulders, glutes, lower back, and hamstrings. Recover better and faster with yoga so that you’re even stronger for your next adventure.

Yoga for Strength
It takes a lot of strength to carry a backpack up a tall mountain or run on a steep, rocky trail. Many of us need a little extra help to build and maintain that strength. This class features long holds in yoga poses that target major muscles groups, including the core, to help you develop the strength you need to meet your next outdoor challenge. 

Course registration also provides priority registration for a series of 5 free yoga hikes between August 17 and August 31.

About Lori Heath

Lori Heath, owner of Morning Glory Yoga, LLC, has been practicing yoga since 1999. She earned her 200-hour Hatha Yoga Teacher Training Certificate in 2002 and studied Iyengar Yoga for many years with Jyoti Hansa. Lori began teaching yoga in 2002 and appreciates any opportunity to share the joy of yoga with others. In addition to yoga, Lori also enjoys hiking and trail running. She has been a member of The Mountaineers since 2016. Lori is a hike leader for the Foothills Branch and participates on the Foothills trail running committee. 

As an active hiker and trail runner, Lori has met many outdoor athletes who love to physically challenge themselves and push their bodies to the edge. She has also met many people who aspire to a more active lifestyle but feel they may not have the strength or fitness to participate in some outdoor activities. Yoga can provide many benefits to active or aspiring athletes, but many yoga classes feature a fast flow or advanced postures. These classes may reinforce an active athlete’s inclination toward a physically challenging workout or seem overwhelming to an aspiring athlete. Lori’s yoga classes are designed to help people develop the mindfulness, strength, and balance they need to enhance athletic recovery, minimize injury, and improve athletic performance, regardless of fitness level or yoga experience.