When most men think of yoga, they might conjure up images of guys in turbans with a loincloth attempting to put his foot behind his ear. Most yoga classes are filled with women but as their wives and girlfriends come home after yoga class looking and feeling incredible, more men are starting to take note of the benefits of this practice. It’s proven benefits that 3.5 million men already enjoy. Yoga’s got 5,000 years road testing behind it proving that it:
- improves flexibility and endurance
- makes you stronger
- relieves back pain
- charges up your sex life
- helps improve your focus, concentration
- helps you off the mat by improving ability to manage stress, anger and anxiety
- helps improve your performance in other sports
- helps you deal with life challenges with more calm and control
Yoga is a rejuvenating form of exercise with many ways of creating a healthy body and also a healthy mind. This versatile Yoga system creates results that you were least expecting such as improved focus and powers of concentration as well as relaxation and stamina that will support every aspect of your daily lifestyle. Yoga is not just stretching or doing poses but it actually is a set of holistic lifestyle practices that also help with training the mind and body.
A regular Yoga practice possesses several wonders for the human body and mind and by incorporating this discipline into your daily schedule, a dramatic change can be observed over a period of a few months or even less. If you don’t have time to do a 90 minute practice, start with just 15 minutes a day and gradually work up to longer periods. It is better to do a little bit each day and make it part of your lifestyle, then do a long practice sporadically.
Men are sporty creatures and generally enjoy all types of physical exercise on a regular basis. Therefore, the practice of the yoga poses will create and restore balance after these physical workouts. It must be remembered that different types of sports require the use of different muscle group, for example, in the game of golf and football, the leg and arm muscles come prominently into play to enable those movements to be made, and the practice of Yoga for men would enable those tired and stressed out muscles to relax and heal themselves after a vigorous game.
Weight training is good for the body as long as it is not too severe as it enhances the bone density and muscle tone which not only enhancers the fitness levels but also plays a part in combating arthritis. Weight training combined with Yoga for men would provide even better physical results, as relaxation together with vigorous training would result in even better muscle flexibility.
The controlled breathing practices (pranayama) in Yoga for men creates excellent health and these energies are able to travel throughout the entire body, improving the general level of vitality and central nervous system. The deep breathing involved in the different poses of Yoga delivers oxygen to every part of the body which in turn creates energy. Whenever the person is feeling energized and invigorated, there is a general improvement in the emotional and mental well being as well. Men who practice Yoga would experience a higher concentration and laser sharp focus which would enable them to perform at their best in their daily responsibilities.
Yoga for men is particularly great for active men who loves sports and partake in active and strenuous activities on a regular basis. Sportsmen would definitely appreciate the healing power of yoga after a day of intense training. Yoga for men produces supple muscles and improves flexibility and endurance, which is a great advantage when out in the playing fields. Stretching and moving those muscles would also help repel lactic acids which would otherwise be accumulated in the body causing general muscle fatigue and muscle pains.
Apart from achieving and improving great strength and better flexibility, the joints will become less stressed out and the person would be able to exert even more pressure when playing. As the awareness of the benefits of Yoga for men who is active in sports grows, the number of men practicing Yoga on a daily basis grows as well. The improved flexibility that is gained by doing Yoga also improves the condition of the tendons and the ligaments. As a result, the practitioner of Yoga would experience superior and improved performance the next time he is out there in the playing fields.
As if I hadn’t given enough reasons already, yoga can be a very useful tool when it comes to your sex life. Not only will you find yourself more limber and flexible but you will notice a great difference in your endurance and performance times. A lot of yoga poses work not only muscles but organs as well, thus giving you more blood flow to certain parts of your body, helping you last longer in bed. Your heart is also given lots of extra help by doing yoga which transfers over to the endurance side of things, so you will notice you don’t peeter out so fast when your making your moves.
Men are interested to partake in this beneficial activity should always consult a doctor before embarking on this exciting journey, yoga for men promised more than just a simple workout. It is a whole new experience with plenty of health benefits to be discovered.
The older generation will also be pleased to know that Yoga for men is not only for young and healthy male athletes but partaking in this activity can assist in diseases such as osteoporosis, prostate conditions, heart problems as well as impotence. Therefore, irrespective of your age or physical fitness, Yoga for men will benefit males form all age groups, socio-economic levels and cultures.
Sporting activities practiced over the years actually shortens the tendons which eventually pulls the spine completely out of alignment thus causing chronic back problems. If these activities included stretching in the form of Yoga, this problem could have been avoided as Yoga allows the fluid to flow back into the stressed joints and helps to loosen the ligaments. Additionally, Yoga releases the build-up of stress in the spine and with regular Yoga practice the alignment of the spinal column can be corrected together with overall posture. Due the corrected alignment of the spine, the posture will be better and you will appear taller and more attractive.
If you are brand new to yoga, you should start off with a class designed for beginners or an introductory class. Ask other yoga practitioners about various teachers, styles and studios. There is a wide range in yoga styles that range from extremely challenging (some might even saying grueling) to very gentle and restorative (where you can even fall asleep in some poses). Research reviews on the internet first to get a sense of the teacher’s style and difficulty level.
You might want to also watch some YouTube videos of beginner hatha yoga or buy a DVD if you are concerned about your performance in the class. It’s Yoga Practice and not Yoga Perfect so see if you can let go of striving and competition in class. Let the teacher know privately that you are new to yoga. Teachers often go around the room adjusting and assisting the students so no need to feel self-conscious if the teacher adjust your posture. They often do this so you can receive more benefits from the pose or to avoid injury. Avoid going to an Advanced class or All Levels class or a Hot Yoga class if you are new since you might feel intimidated. As your stamina and strength increase you can take on more athletic and challenging kinds of yoga.
