Yoga improves posture, concentration, and ultimately makes you a better athlete. So grab a mat and get ready to get down with the downward dog.

At the beginning of Madeline Grejda's Yoga for Athletes class in Lincoln Park, I am bent over uncomfortably, staring at my bright green yoga mat and trying to touch my toes. I hang here, rear end in the air, secretly pleased that there's no mirror in this room and trying not to notice the girl next to me who is so flexible she's nearly stepping on her wrists. The blood rushes to my head, and I wait for Madeline to announce it's time for my favorite pose thus far, the mountain pose--which is essentially standing up straight, as far as I can tell.

Instead, she calls for a warrior pose. I follow her lead, bending my right leg, extending my left leg, reaching my arms to each side and facing my hips to the side wall. My gaze goes over my right fingertips and across the street into the third-floor apartment of someone watching TV with the lights dimmed. "Not a bad idea," I think to myself, as the rest of the class transitions into the next series of poses.

After a few more warrior and downward-facing dog poses, everyone's face gets a little rosier, and a chorus of zippers drowns out the tranquil music when we toss our extra layers of clothing to the sides of the classroom. I'm feeling warmed-up and limber, and 45 minutes later, I'm surprised with my own abilities. One particularly challenging pose, parsva prasarita padottanasana, involves sliding your left arm underneath your left thigh and reaching your right arm around the back of your torso to clasp hands, and my thighs are quivering like I've just climbed a hill on a mountain bike. An unfamiliar muscle on the sides of my abs begins to burn (this muscle becomes increasingly more familiar throughout the class and when it aches for days afterward). My friend Jill, who completed a half marathon the previous weekend and ran eight miles earlier that day, glares at me from her twisted position and whispers, "I thought this was just about stretching!"

To some runners and bikers, yoga may look like the right workout for someone who wants to be able to do a human pretzel, not finish a three- hour marathon. Endurance athletes are a unique breed, fond of pushing our bodies for long, hard distances. Success is judged by the time on the stopwatch, and sweat, heavy breathing and a raised heart rate are just some of the rewards of a good race. But with another snowy Midwest winter already begun, it's hard to look forward to months on the treadmill and weight machines. Perhaps it's time to turn your winter workout upside down--literally.

Reap the rewards
"For me, yoga and running complement one another like chocolate and peanut butter," says Cathy Poynton, a yoga instructor at the Chicago Yoga Center and five-time LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon finisher. "The simple techniques we use in yoga make running much easier and more enjoyable."

Yogis and scientists alike assert that a strong yoga practice can enhance competitive endurance performances and keep injuries at bay. A 1994 study in the Indian Journal of Medical Research found that athletes who practice yoga breathing "could achieve higher work rates with reduced oxygen consumption" after two years. Research also shows that yoga can increase strength, flexibility and mental focus, all key aspects of moving out of your plateau and into a whole new level of competition.

Starting yoga is also easier than you might think: "People look at me the first week [of the Yoga for Athletes class] and say 'you're kidding me,' but by week 12 they are doing headstands!" says Grejda, a yoga instructor and running coach for Chicago Endurance Sports. "All it takes is time, energy, and focus."

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