When it comes to injury prevention and better running performance, you need to add cross-training into your workout mix—and yoga is a top option for improving mobility and enhancing your miles.
Yoga provides tremendous benefits for athletes, including strength, flexibility, faster recovery time, and focus by connecting mind, body, and breath, according to certified yoga teacher and Pilates instructor Jessica Schatz.
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The way yoga focuses on breath so deliberately can help athletes with concentration during workouts, she adds, as well as improve breath control—which Schatz says can ramp up your power.
“Any endurance athlete can benefit from the way yoga trains the body to take slower, deeper breaths, maximizing oxygen intake to the muscles,” she says.
In terms of how to get started, that’s the best part: As long as you have a sliver of floor space at home, you’re ready, thanks to a breadth of yoga apps available and no equipment required. All of these apps have options for beginners, so choosing one often comes down to what added component you want most—both in the short term and looking ahead. Here, top contenders to try.
Best for Peloton members: Peloton
Cost: $13/month
If you’re already tapped into the Peloton scene, then try out the yoga hub they offer on their app. The focus here is on five major elements: foundation, power, focus, recovery, and unity. These areas bring together the basics for beginners and gives you a path to progress in your practice over time. Plus, you'll have the option to still take class alongside your virtual classmates.
Best for Community Support: Daily Yoga
Cost: $21/month
If you thrive most in studio settings and want that experience at home, Daily Yoga might be your groove. You can meet fellow classmates on the app, ask questions, post photos, and be part of a group. The app also has a series of beginner-friendly tutorials so you can break down a sequence pose by pose and ensure you have the right form.
Best for Cultivating Joy: The Underbelly
Cost: $10/month
Yoga teacher and author of Every Body Yoga, Jessamyn Stanley brought some much-needed fresh air to the yoga world a few years ago with her emphasis on body positivity, authenticity, and inclusion. Her site and app, The Underbelly, has the tagline, “You are the yoga you need,” and every class features Stanley’s joyful and empowering approach. With a strong focus on breath, grounding through postures, and creating heat through guided yoga flows, you get plenty of mental uplift here along with physical benefits.
Best for Fitness Variety: Alo Moves
Cost: $20/month
Maybe you want a range of yoga classes but you’re also up for some major core work, strength training, balance work, and other exercise options. Alo Moves has a wealth of fitness classes including structured programs, like a 21-day strength series, and skills classes to help you refine specific techniques like arm balances or specific yoga poses. You can progress though four levels of yoga as well, from beginner to advanced, and also pick your intensity and class duration.
Best for Short Classes: Glo
Cost: $18/month
Most apps have a range of class times, but many have 30 minutes as their shortest option. With Glo, the app offers plenty of classes that last just 10 or 15 minutes. There are also 16 styles of yoga represented and thousands of classes if you want to keep expanding your practice and trying different types of yoga to see what clicks best for you.
Best for Learning Each Pose: Pocket Yoga
Cost: $3/one-time fee
The highly affordable Pocket Yoga app features a comprehensive pose dictionary that breaks down each posture based on category, difficulty, benefits, and alignment. For example, if you’re wondering precisely how to adjust your ribcage and thighs in Warrior II pose, Pocket Yoga has an extensive description of those tweaks. The classes also have detailed guidance in a way that allows you to follow the voice instead of the screen.
Best for Free Content: YouTube
Cost: Free!
Although it's not an app, YouTube offers numerous yoga videos, with some specifically geared toward runners. The best example is the very popular teacher Adriene Mishler, who produces the Yoga With Adriene series, including her Yoga for Runners video. If you’re starting from zero yoga experience, trying a few free videos can give you an idea if you like the practice enough to invest in an app subscription.
Elizabeth Millard is a freelance writer focusing on health, wellness, fitness, and food.
