Deep Stretch Yoga for Runners

Thirty minutes for the days your legs have had enough. Katie frames it as a recovery-day practice, though she says up front you can do it after a run too — “if you have 30 minutes to really give yourself some TLC.”

Longer holds than a cool-down

This is where it separates from the ten-minute post-run stretch. The opening Child’s Pose alone is two minutes, and that pace carries through. Two minutes is long enough that the first minute is the body arguing and the second is it letting go, which is exactly the point.

Katie says so directly in the opening hold: settle, then notice. “You might start to notice your mind is drifting away and you might be engaged in some thoughts — if that’s happening, that’s completely normal.” That’s the honest bit. Nothing here needs you to concentrate hard.

What you’ll do

Wide-Leg Child’s Pose to open, big toes together and knees wide. Then the same chain down each side: Downward Dog, a Low Lunge into the front of the hip, Pigeon for the glute and outer hip, a Quad Stretch, and Half-Shoelace for the outer hip and hamstring together. Windshield Wipers to unwind, a long Standing Forward Fold, and a seated rest to finish while the blood settles back down.

Have a cushion or a block nearby. Katie offers them repeatedly — under the hips in Child’s Pose, under the forehead, under the hip in Pigeon. Using one isn’t a compromise; it’s what lets you stay long enough for the hold to work.

If thirty minutes is more than you have

Most days it is. My free 15-Minute Post-Run Reset is the short version — four shapes covering the same chain, with a hold timer and written cues so you can practise screen-free once you know them. Yours to keep.

For the Yin version of a rest day, try Runner’s Yoga to Boost Recovery.