Yoga for Bike Touring

19 Mar Yoga for Bike Touring

One of my favorite exercises off the saddle has been yoga. I have been practicing it on and off for about a year now and feel that it is complementary to bike touring. I asked a good friend of mine, Joni Yung, who has been a long-time yoga practitioner and an avid cyclist in Los Angeles to share with me some common yoga poses to help address common bicycle-related pains.

Before I go through and provide you with these yoga tips, I want to make sure I let you know that neither Joni nor myself are liable should anything happen to you. I am simply writing about my experiences with the help of Joni. If you are concerned about your own well-being, please consult your doctor before doing anything suggested here. With that squared away, this is what she told me.

Wrists & Hands

When you’re out touring, you’ll most likely be riding with your body weight pressed down against your wrists for a long period of time. If you have drop bars on your bicycle, you can adjust position or wear gel padded gloves to help alleviate discomfort, but there will be days when you’re going to need more than just that.

To help with this problem, Joni recommends that you loosen up your wrists by circling your hands both clockwise and counterclockwise. You can also use one hand to flex the other hand up and down at the wrist for about 10 seconds each, alternating sides. This should do the trick to open up your wrist and hands after a long day of being on the handlebars.

If you would like more ideas, here is a page explaining different variations.

Hips

With the constant rotation, your hip flexors are going to get sore, so one way to stretch that out is to do lower lunges.  Bring one knee up, bent, and the keep the other knee on the floor. Alternate each legs to get equal stretch in.

For more details, click here.

Back & Legs

Your legs and back are other parts of your body that you may find to be sources of pain. Being hunched over your bike for several hours while spinning your legs non-stop can lead to some soreness. For that, Joni recommends that you stand with legs hip width apart and bend / fold forward and just hang there. If you’re not too flexible, slightly bend your knees, so as not to strain your back and hamstrings.

If you want a deeper hamstring stretch, widen your stance and get into a pyramid position by grabbing your arms behind you and dipping to each side of your legs. For more details and variations of this position click here.

To get the kinks out of your back, get down on your hands and knees. Begin to curve and counter-curve your back. This position is commonly called “cat-cow” because you arch your back like a cat, then drop your belly like a cow. Do a few of those. For more details, click here.

To counteract being hunched over the handlebar all day, Joni recommends that you do bridge poses on the floor to open up your chest and shoulder area. Lie down on the floor with your knees bent, then raise your hips up, keeping your shoulders on the floor. Lift your hips up and down a couple of times. Again, more details can be found here.

If you find a wall, fence, or a tree, Joni suggests putting your legs up against it while you lie on the ground. Your legs will certainly love the feeling. Spend some time to stretch out your calves and enjoy your down time while you lie on your back. I would recommend using your camping mat or your towel for more padding. Click here for more details.

Final Thoughts

The important thing about yoga is to listen to your body and breathe. By honoring your body and honoring your own limitations, you will fully enjoy the benefits of a post workout stretch for both the body and for the mind. I intend to use these tips that Joni gave me on my journey across Europe. I am confident that these poses will allow us to recover from our long days of riding.

If you want to find out more about Joni, you can follow her on Instagram or Twitter. She is also the host for Yoga Chat with the Accidental Yogist radio show. This weekly show is broadcasted live on Tuesdays from 5PM to 7PM on Killradio.org.