This article was written by Yoga to Cope’s guest contributing editor Jordan Smith. Her background includes writing and editing health and fitness content for major publications such as Health and Runner’s World. She is working toward a personal training certification and hopes to inspire others to find the health journey that works best for them.

For all my life, I’ve been a runner. As early as elementary school, I was always running or participating in some high-speed sport. And as I got older, that meant I’d seek out a running trail or spin studio wherever I went, never bothering to take time to properly stretch after, or in truth, give my body the break it needed.

As a result, I never took time for myself. And, I wrote yoga off as too boring or not a “real” workout. (Which I later found couldn’t be further from the truth.)

While I dabbled in a hot yoga class here or a class at a local studio there, I couldn’t really make it stick. Between finding Yoga To Cope and making use of the yoga classes featured in the Peloton App during quarantine, I realized that yoga is exactly what my body —and mind— need.

As was the case for most of us, as an already anxious person, 2020 left me with all sorts of stress and sleepless nights. I attempted to turn to my usual runs and workouts for my mental health but that wasn’t cutting it. During my workouts I would still find myself doomscrolling during my rest. And, I became sidelined with an injury, thanks to not taking time to properly stretch, so my daily runs were now out of the question. So I knew I needed to do something else.

I finally gave in and tried yoga because I figured I needed something to pass the time. And I finally got it. Sure, I always enjoyed the Savasana at the end of class, but following along with some Yoga To Cope classes made me realize the power of the entire practice. And, as for my preconceived notion that yoga “wasn’t a good workout” — wrong. I just wasn’t doing it right before.

I made it a goal to do yoga twice a week, but that soon turned into me doing a quick practice either before I started my workday or at lunch, depending on how I was feeling. And it made a huge difference for my stress levels and mental clarity. It also helped work out any kinks from sitting at a makeshift desk all day. And oh yeah, my running injury seemed to subside.

And, it turns out that doing yoga is actually so beneficial for my other workouts. It helps keep me flexible, recover better, and strengthens muscles that I wouldn’t normally use. I’ve even connected with friends that I haven’t seen in a while via online yoga classes. And if I know I’m not in the mood for a calming practice or can’t calm my mind enough to get into a quiet space, I know I can turn to the 90s yoga classes featured on the Peloton app, crank the music and just flow. Yoga always has exactly what I need, whenever I need it.

How a Running Injury Finally Led Me to Yoga