Hello Jennifer,

I think Philip is right, give the yoga a go to maintain the flexibility you must have had as a dancer.

Sounds like the reason for this new tightness may not be the lack of dancing but the start of running also. What's your running technique like? You must have good functional control to be a dancer but your symptoms do sound similar to someone who has a slight lordosis and tight hip flexors therefore giving you an anterior pelvic tilt and putting the posterior chain (hamstrings, claves) under stress. Maybe look at some lumbo-pelvic exercises, hip flexor stretches and check your running gait out.

Also if you are not used to the constant pounding of running, you may have some stiffness in your plantar fascia, Achilles and that area of the deep back lie of fascia. Try using a tennis ball to massage the bottom of your feet, see if it relieves any tension in your caves and hamstrings.

Hope this helps.

Ben