Featured Yoga Practice: Mindful Movement & Athletic Recovery
Explore my approach to yoga—from deep stretches for runners to community flows that build strength and balance. It is practice, not perfection.
As a runner, I know how important targeted stretching is. This video guides you through five essential yoga poses to release your hips, quads, and hamstrings, helping you prevent injuries and improve your stride.
Hip pain can be a major barrier to movement. Here is a sequence of gentle exercises focused on improving hip mobility and preventing joint issues, using props like blocks to support your practice.
It was an honor to lead this large outdoor yoga session for CISF officers and their families. Moments like these remind me that yoga is a powerful tool for bringing people together and fostering community wellness.
This is where yoga meets strength training. Here I am practicing Mayurasana, or Peacock Pose, with a 10kg plate to build core stability and arm strength, showing how we can adapt classic asanas to build power.
Finding my balance with the rising sun. This is Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana, a standing balance pose that challenges focus and strengthens the legs, captured during a peaceful morning by the sea.
The joy of practice is multiplied when shared. Here, my students and I explore the Mermaid Pose together after a session, a beautiful heart and hip opener that we modify for every body.
A proper warm up is key for a safe and effective run. This is my go to routine, featuring dynamic movements like lunges with twists and hip rotations to prepare your muscles and joints for the miles ahead.
About this collection
My practice is built on the reality that life is messy and movement should be the balance to that chaos. Whether you are a runner looking for deep hamstring relief or a new mother navigating postpartum recovery, we don't just hold poses; we use props like blocks and foam rollers to make yoga work for your specific anatomy. It is about understanding your own body's limits, not forcing it into a shape you saw online.
Finding Your Balance
Yoga is not just about the mat; it is about the sukoon (peace) you carry with you throughout the day. My sessions are designed to meet you exactly where you are today.
Athletic Recovery & Mobility
As a runner, I know that tight hips and sore hamstrings are the biggest barriers to movement. My athletic recovery sessions are not standard yoga flows. We focus on:
- Functional Stretching: Releasing the IT band and opening the hips to keep you running longer.
- Prop-Assisted Mobility: Using foam rollers and walls to achieve deep releases that static stretching often misses.
- Injury Prevention: Teaching you to move smarter so your body recovers faster.
Supporting New Mothers
Pregnancy and postpartum are significant transitions. My prenatal and postnatal sessions are gentle, focused on:
- Core Restoration: Assessing for diastasis recti before jumping back into fitness.
- Pelvic Floor Health: Using specific breathwork and gentle postures to prepare for labor or recover after delivery.
- Shoulder Relief: Addressing the tension caused by nursing and carrying your little one.
A Community Approach
I love bringing people together. From intimate home sessions to large group workshops in Bengaluru, the goal is always to create a space where we learn together. Some days we flow, some days we wobble, and that is exactly how it should be. The mat is our conversation—a place to practice abhyaas without the pressure of needing to be perfect.
Richa Kumar
I am Richa. My mat is my *sukoon*—a place where I find balance amidst the chaos of life. Whether we are unlocking tight hips or building core strength, I am right there with you, learning and wobbling too.
Not finding what you need?
Search for specific yoga styles or recovery flows in Bengaluru.
More from Pre/Postnatal & Athletic Yoga by Richa Kumar