Running x Yoga in Paris
Believe it or not, it’s one of the only salubrious side effects of Covid-19
Running has always been popular in France, but it exploded in Paris during Covid-19.
With gyms and yoga studios closed, and feelings of isolation growing, Parisians laced up their shoes and sprinted outside for their government-allotted one hour of exercise.
What began as something to do to break up the monotony of online life has completely transformed the city: you see people running at all hours of the day, in every meteorological condition, at every fitness level, in every neighborhood. It’s no longer just the pompiers in their teeny tiny shorts out for their morning jog!
Running has also changed how people socialize
Run clubs have exploded (up 59% globally in 2024, according to Strava), as have races and hybrid events (running and pâtisserie tastings?) Even Paris Men’s Fashion week saw brands like Saucony, Brooks and Optimistic Runners descend on the city for sporty activations during the collections:
Yoga and Running
If you do yoga and run then you know how complementary the practices are, and how well they work together to balance strength with flexibility, range of motion and better recovery. I’m a fan of a pre-run sequence of active yoga poses to warm up the hamstrings, adductors, abductors and glutes and I always throw in some side stretches since I have a tendency to twist my torso when I run. While I don’t do the full Victor Campanaerts (one of my favorite professional Belgian cyclists because he never misses a chance to be in the breakaway), my series does borrow some elements from his pre-race workout and takes about five to 10 minutes to complete. Post-run, I’m all about longer holds in Yin poses, especially those that release the psoas.
Don’t believe me? Even super hype French running brand Satisfy begrudgingly complimented yoga in its January newsletter. “It’s awful, it sucks, and unfortunately, it’s one of the best things you can do as a runner.” 😂
After the jump: A weekly Yoga for Runners class; a Yoga for Runners workshop to prep for the Paris Marathon; weekly social runs and a downloadable map to Paris’ 10 best trails for running outside the lines…
HIT THE (PARIS) GROUND RUNNING… BUT FIRST, YOGA.
This event is waitlist only, but I still want to tell you about it because Slowe Wellness House is a cool place for fitness and yoga: Run Club Slowe has partnered with Veja for a morning program that includes a run, speed intervals and a sneak peek at Veja’s new Condor. Event is FREE. Join the waitlist here.
Baba Yoga Club in the 10e offers a weekly Yoga for Runners class that focuses as much on strengthening as on stretching. Thursdays, 13h30-14h30.
If you’re looking for welcoming Community runs, check out KAH Studio and Coffee near the canal Saint-Martin. Designed for avid runners and those new to the discipline, these social shake-outs happen on Tuesday evenings (5-6 km) and Saturday mornings (7-10km). They’re FREE!
From February 15th through March 30th, the Saturday Community Runs will be sponsored by Circle Sportswear and will feature post-run coffee and a few surprises. Register here.
I rarely recommend workshops at Gérard Arnaud’s studio because of a not-so-ahimsa-but-farcical experience I had in class with him HOWEVER this Yoga for Runners workshop with Kiyomi (who is a runner and a yoga teacher) sounds like solid prep for the Marathon de Paris. Saturday April 5th, 14h-16h15.
Ragtag running crew Jolie Foulée partnered with Vibram during Paris Men’s Fashion Week a few weeks ago to create this “Paris is Running” guide with the 10 best trail running spots in Paris. Didn’t think there were trails in Paris? Think again! Download the map and go explore…
