Triangle

How to do it

Step the feet about a leg's length apart. Turn the front foot to point straight ahead and turn the back foot in slightly, pressing down through its outer edge. Keep both legs straight. Reach the front hand long over the front leg, keeping both sides of the waist equally long, then lower that hand onto a block, the shin, or the floor. Reach the top arm straight up toward the ceiling and turn the chest open toward the long edge of the mat. Hold and breathe, then switch sides.

Why it's good for runners

Triangle is the most complete standing shape in the method: the back of the front leg, the inner thigh of the back leg, the outer hip, and the whole side of the body from hip to hand, all in one position. That side-body reach matters more than it sounds — running and lifting both load you almost entirely front-to-back, so the side of the body is the part of you that never gets asked for anything. It is also where the connection from hip to shoulder actually runs, which is why opening it shows up in both.

Common mistakes

Don't reach for the floor. Dropping the bottom hand as low as it will go collapses the top side of the waist, which is the half of the pose people came for — put a block under the hand and keep both sides long. Don't let the chest roll down toward the floor; the shape opens sideways, not forward. And don't lock the front knee hard — straight is right, jammed backward is not.