Welcome to posture three of the 26 postures in the Bikram yoga series. This blog is brought to you from the sunny surroundings of South Beach, Miami, where your intrepid reporter is researching Bikram as practised over the pond and running up

patience, concentration and a strong set of knees, which as a runner, you might not possess. Don't fret, however, you can build up to Toe Stand in stages, strengthening your knees as you go. If you've got tight hamstrings/ calves, take this pose slowly

't fidget!Savasana: The BenefitsNumerous, according to Olga Allon, Director of Hot Bikram Yoga in London. "Taking the time to completely relax every single part of you – all your facial muscles, your body, your mind, your consciousness – is extremely

.Garudasana: The benefitsIt's a bit of a super-pose when it comes to helping runners, says Olga Allon, Director and Head Teacher at Hot Bikram Yoga in London.'Runners know that their joints are one of the parts of the body that take the biggest pounding when running

Our first two blog posts introduced Bikram yoga, and now we're getting into the nitty-gritty of how the 26 specific postures in the Bikram sequence can improve your running performance.Practising yoga in the heat brings huge benefits

Kerry McCarthy is senior writer for Runner's World magazine. He has run 10 marathons, raced Usain Bolt and trained with Paula Radcliffe - but he hasn't been able to touch his toes since he was a child.Hello and welcome to our new Yoga for Runners

Alexandra Rees is a qualified sport and exercise scientist, ex-club runner and Bikram yoga devotee of six years, who can now touch her toes with sickening ease.Like Kerry McCarthy, who in our first blog admitted that he thought yoga was solely

this whole set a second time.General BenefitsThere are no end to the benefits of this pose according to Olga Allon, Director and Head Teacher at Hot Bikram Yoga in London. "It's good for a whole heap of everyday complaints," says Olga, "including frozen

.As regular followers of this blog will know, yoga is a valuable training tool for runners in the fight against injury.It provides a counterpoint to the shortening, tightening and weight-bearing practice of running, increasing the elasticity of the muscles

posture in the series requires concentration, patience, determination and self-control, which leads to increased mental clarity and reduced stress.   Bikram is perfect for those who are inflexible (like many runners!) and those who have never tried yoga