Yoga Routine for Hikers/Backpackers: Stretches For Before, During and After Hiking
The Best Activities for A Balanced Body and Mind
So I might be biased being the owner and founder of a company that combines yoga and hiking, but I really do believe the two activities are highly complimentary and contribute to more consistent health and happiness.
Hey y’all! My name is Miranda and I’m a RYT500 yoga teacher, entrepreneur and avid hiker based in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville, North Carolina, USA.
After doing my first 200 hours of yoga teacher training in India and hiking thousands of miles through the Himalayas, the Alps, the Andes and my native Appalachian mountains, I came up with these (and more) free yoga videos on youtube to help your body and mind feel happier and healthier through yoga, hiking and meditation.
If you’ve landed here you probably already enjoy hiking or yoga or both. But just in case you or someone you know needs more convincing, here are 108 health benefits of yoga, meditation, hiking & nature (with sources).
All my friends that have trekked the full length Appalachian Trail said they could not have made it without some sort of yoga or stretching routine.
In fact, many ancient yogis and monks would retreat to the mountains and forests of nature to practice yoga and meditation.
Hiking (or trekking) and doing yoga improves strength and muscle tone, increases flexibility, logs cardio time and lets you enjoy the great outdoors! But it’s also a highly repetitive motion.
How to Avoid Common Injuries from Repetitive Motion
According to WebMD, “Repetitive motion injuries are among the most common injuries in the United States. All of these disorders are made worse by the repetitive actions of daily living.”
Repetitive motion injuries make up over 50% of all athletic-related injuries seen by doctors and can be caused by any activity but especially walking since we do that every day.
Prevention is always worth more than a cure so two ways to prevent injuries are to do adequate warm ups before and cool downs after the main activity and to practice range-of-motion exercises.
Why Warm Up Before Hiking?
Warming up best prepares your muscles, tendons and joints for physically strenuous activity, including hiking moderate to strenuous trails or backpacking for several miles.
Warming up increases your body’s core temperature as well as muscle temperature, which keeps muscles supple, loose and pliable.
Warming up also increases your respiration (breathing) rate and heart rate, which improves blood circulation and the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to your muscles.
I came up with this short 10 minute sequence that especially targets hips, legs and shoulders. No mat needed. ;)
Why Cool Down After Hiking?
Health experts recommend at least 150 minutes of cardio (cardiovascular) exercise per week to reduce health risks, lose weight, get fit and feel healthier in general.
Cardiovascular (aka aerobic) exercise - like hiking - causes your heart rate to increase. After exercising, it’s important to slowly let your heart rate return to normal. This is where “cooling down” comes in.
A cool down is generally a series of gentle movements and stretches (like Yoga) that decreases your heart rate, slows your breathing back to a normal rhythm and helps the rest of the body relax.
The video below is intended to help you stretch, balance and feel lighter but also works well as a cool down stretch after a hike. The other videos below: Gentle Yoga for Healthy Joints and 20 Minute Hip Opening Yoga for Hikers can also help you cool down.
Read more about the benefits of a warm up at stretchcoach.com and the benefits of cooling down on verywellfit.com.
Why Your Range of Motion Matters
Range of motion (ROM) is the measurement of the amount of movement around a specific joint or body part.
Stretching and moving the body in different ways that explore the range of motion in different areas helps counteract injuries from repetitive motions that lead to tight muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments and fascia.
Having been a lifelong athlete that has competed in a variety of ball sports, board sports and solo sports, Yoga is the best way I’ve found to work and explore the range of motion throughout my body.
Prevent & Reduce Joint Pain from Hiking
You most likely first start to feel pain from hiking and walking in your joints. It can be tricky to find the right balance of movement in the joints here because if you don’t use them, you lose them (or at least the range of motion in them). But, too much activity can wear them out.
I swear by this sequence of anti-rheumatic movements I learned in India and did it every evening during my trek on the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal.
It systematically lubricates all of your joints by going through simple ROM movements. This include the joints in your toes, feet, ankles, knees, hips, shoulders, elbows, wrists, fingers and neck. The movements are simple. Simple, but not always easy. You may even start sweating before you finish the sequence!
I’ve even taught it to both my parents, who suffer from arthritis (my dad’s is rheumatic) and they both say it helps reduce joint pain.
Enjoy this gentle yoga series of anti-rheumatic movements to keep joints supple and lubricated. (Usually I film in and around North Carolina but this was filmed on holiday in Martinique.)
Prevent & Reduce Hip Pain from Hiking
If you’re like me, you’ll start to feel it in your hips after several miles on the trail. Or maybe it only takes a few minutes.
I’ve struggled with my hips my whole life because I was born with hip dysplasia. This means my hip sockets don’t fully cover the ball portion of the upper thighbones. My hip joints can become partially or completely dislocated. I even had to wear a cast from the waist down when I was a baby! (Which made it way harder to change my diapers - my poor Mom!)
That’s why I’m extra passionate about helping people with hip health and happiness. (Say that 5x fast, lol!)
This 20 minute yoga sequence will help you open up tight hips from hiking, backpacking, running, trail running or walking. It's also great to open up your hips from too little movement after time spent sitting or driving.
Mindfulness Hiking Meditation
OK so I’ve discussed what to do before and after a hike, but what can you do during the hike, itself?
Anytime I start feeling stiff, I’ll stop on the side of the trail and do all or some of the stretches from my 10 Minute Yoga Warm Up for Hiking video above.
Yoga is not just physical movements but also about mindfulness.
Mindfulness basically means you are aware of what you are seeing, sensing and feeling in the present moment. Meditation is more specific applications or techniques of mindfulness in different ways. I find it much easier and more enjoyable to practice mindfulness and meditation outdoors.
Both meditation and mindfulness reduce stress and anxiety and help your mind AND your body to relax. Guiding yourself into a calmer (parasympathetic) state and spending time outdoors in nature can strengthen your immune system.
Below, I will share two techniques I learned while practicing mindfulness and meditation with Buddhist monks in Thailand and Myanmar.
While it is generally the first image that comes to mind, sitting cross legged on the floor with your eyes closed and chanting OM is not the only way to meditate. Many people actually struggle with this and give up.
An alternative to seated stillness is a walking meditation where you take silent, slow and mindful steps. You can do this in your backyard, in a park or even on a trail!
What’s even better than reaching the summit or finally finding that waterfall you’ve been looking for? Meditating on that mountain summit or near that waterfall. You already invested all that time and effort into preparing, driving and hiking so you might as well enjoy the fruits of your labor with all the senses.
Next time you have a few moments to sit down surrounded by nature, try this sensory meditation that brings awareness to each of your five senses.
Thank you so much for taking this journey with me into yoga, meditation and mindfulness for hikers. Don’t get discouraged if these activities feel weird or difficult at first. We call it a yoga practice, because it takes time and energy to feel the full benefits.
Bookmark and return to this page any time you need:
• to loosen up with some yoga poses after hiking
• a short, pre hike yoga flow
• meditation/mindfulness techniques for hikers
Above all, please love and listen to your body and avoid anything that feels unusually painful or unnatural. Every body is different and every movement may not suit every body.
Namaste & Have A Great Day!
💖 Miranda
Join me and my team for a uniquely Asheville experience that combines yoga, hiking and meditation with the most beautiful mountains and waterfalls in Western North Carolina. We offer a variety of trails, views and times of day including morning hikes, sunset hikes and full moon hikes!
Disclaimer: Yoga and meditation provide great benefits but only you know your own body and limits. Please consult your health care professional with any questions or concerns before starting any physical or exercise program. When participating in any physical activity, there is the possibility of injury. The creators of these videos, its distributors, and performers are not liable for any injury, accident, or health impairment befalling and viewer of this program or any individual utilizing the techniques suggested in this video.
