You may have seen your partner or friend do yoga before. While it can sometimes look difficult and inaccessible from the outside, it can be quite easy to get into with the right guidance. What’s more, is it isn’t a “chick only” thing, either. Plenty of guys can benefit from yoga. Yoga for men is full of bonuses for those willing to take the plunge.
Better core strength, a calmer mind, and improved mental health are only a few examples of the benefits yoga can bring to men of all ages.
There are tons of different positions, and it’s friendly for beginners, too. You don’t even need much time, as you can do yoga anywhere, even with online instruction. It’s flexible, fun, and great for mental health – which is something plenty of us could use help with.
What are you waiting for? You deserve the benefits of yoga, too. Read our guide below and stay open-minded.
What Yoga Equipment Do You Need To Get Started?
Read Our Guide: Yoga Equipment For Beginners
Table of Contents
Improve Flexibility, Strength, and Overall Health
Let’s face it, as guys, most of us are about as flexible as a two-by-four. Yoga for men is a real thing that helps with flexibility and core strength. It can keep our muscles strong and our joints loose, and it is even good for digestion.
You’ll notice the effects when playing sports or doing physically demanding tasks. Yoga also lets you target muscles that are usually ignored. Those who are serious about their health and strength can use yoga to supplement lifting.
Studies also suggest men who do yoga have better sex. They also worry less about their physical fitness and bodily health when doing everyday tasks. Yoga helps you be more conscious of your physical movements, too.
This makes you less likely to throw out your back or pull a muscle from awkward movements or heavy lifting. It makes you less stiff too. Great yoga poses that help with core strength includes the boat pose, various plank poses, and the bridge pose.
Uttanasana, commonly called standing forward bend, is also good for improving health. This one is a staple in many yoga practices and helps with organs in your abdomen, leading to better digestion and lower-body comfort.
Emotional Stress
Tough guys cry too, and there’s no shame admitting it. Mental and emotional stress can get the better of anyone, and it’s important to recognize that. Whether it’s work, your personal life, or the state of the world, taking a break is crucial.
This is actually one of the greatest and most underappreciated benefits of yoga for men. It’s proven to help lower anxiety and aid in relaxation. This is especially true if you opt for poses that focus on breathing.
For many people, hitting the gym or going for a run helps clear their heads. However, for some people, it gets them amped up and might make relaxing harder. Yoga is more calming and less intense, but you can ramp it up if need be.
Unlike the gym, where you need to count your reps, or running, where you check your heart rate, yoga lets you meditate. You get to calm your breathing and focus on deliberate self-improvement – inside and out.
Yoga at Work or On a Busy Schedule
People think they don’t have time for yoga and that they must make time for it. Plenty of guys have busy schedules and don’t feel like going to a class or a studio.
In reality, you can do yoga anywhere and anytime, for as long or short as you’d like. There are tons of yoga poses for men that you can even do at work.
You don’t even have to go anywhere, an instructor can come to your office, or you can do the whole thing online.
It’s a good idea to try booking an online private yoga class to work one-on-one with an instructor. They can help teach you poses that are special-made for men and their individual needs.
It’s also less intimidating than going to a studio and as effective at introducing you to the benefits of yoga for men.
There’s an overwhelming number of yoga asanas for men that they can show you. Asanas mean “poses” or “positions” and range from sitting to more demanding poses. You can do yoga anywhere and for any purpose, so why not at work?
Physical Pain
One of the best ways for men to use yoga is for dealing with physical pain and injuries. Stretching your muscles and strengthening them means they’ll heal faster after an injury.
Yoga can help prevent injury and speed up the healing process during recovery too.
It depends on the nature of the pain, its location, and its severity, but there are several poses that can help you. The bridge pose and warrior pose are two that come to mind for joint pain.
Those suffering from stiff muscles can also consider the forward fold.
Many exercises a physiotherapist may recommend can be usefully incorporated into yoga. Pairing the two together, with advice from your doctor, could work wonders.
Keeping up with the yoga after recovering can help prevent relapses or future flareups.
Yoga for hips is super beneficial here, and anyone can do it. This can make a big difference for those suffering from chronic pain.
Yoga for older men is a thing too, so there’s no excuse not to give it a try. If you can do physio stretches, you can do yoga.
Sciatica pain is another great example that yoga can improve. Sciatica and hip pain, in general, is common and occurs from everyday tasks. These include sitting for long periods at an office job or carrying uneven heavy bags.
Beginner Yoga Poses for Men
We’ve compiled a set of articles that include poses that you can do at home, at work, or really anywhere.
- 6 Beginner Yoga Poses for Lower Back Pain
- Yoga for Anxiety: 7 Poses That Can Help Center You
- 9 Beginner Yoga Stretches for Hips
- Yoga For Neck Pain: 10 Poses to Try at Home
Remember, Yoga can be good for your body but also your mind.
In order to get the mental benefits of yoga, we recommend trying a private yoga class with a highly-experienced instructor that will help you ease into yoga.
The Benefits of Yoga for Men
The simple fact is yoga is good for men. It helps with flexibility, core strength, and your love life.
Yoga also makes you healthier and helps with physical pain and mental stress. There are near-infinite ways to practice yoga, so you’re sure to find one that works for you.
You don’t even have to go to a studio or a gym because personalized online Yoga instruction is also a thing.
At Yoga Beyond the Studio, we connect you with highly experienced private yoga instructors who guide you through your yoga practice with a personalized approach.
Contact us today and realize the benefits of yoga for men.
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