To some men, “yoga is that soft and easy body movement exercise just for women,” ruling it out without ever giving it a try.
You may also be wondering, why would any man want to give up his tried and tested series of tough “go-go-go, push-push-push, more-more-more” exercises for yoga? This article lays out 10 good reasons.
It might be true that, with many forms of yoga, you don’t get such an intense workout (though Ashtanga and Power Yoga are just two exceptions to that). But the absence of that intensity and other ‘traditionally masculine exercises’ such as the lifting of heavy weights, doesn’t make yoga less beneficial to men.
Indeed, Yoga has many positives for men. In this article, we’re going to discuss 10 benefits you’ll get from yoga and show you reasons why you should consider replacing your regular exercises with yoga the next time you hit the gym.
Getting started with Yoga
But before we get into the reasons, here are some of the things you need to kick-off with yoga:
- Your own yoga mat. Get your own, one with a size, grip and cushioning that feels right for you – don’t rely on what’s available at the gym.
- Suitable yoga clothes. Shorts that aren’t too tight and a T-shirt that isn’t too bogus.
- An open mind. Be prepared to learn from everyone, and feel free to ask questions.
- A yoga instructor. A good instructor will help you find proper form, which helps ensure the best benefits for your body. If you can’t find one in your locale, online classes can be almost as effective.
Now let’s dive right in to the benefits:
1. Yoga helps handle stress
Typically, women tend to be more in tune with their emotions and are better able to handle daily stressors. Men often ignore signs of stress and rather try to “suck it all up.” In return, men experience high blood pressure, increased heart rate, and other stress-related conditions more often.
Stress doesn’t just cause physical issues. Subtle and not so subtle behavioral changes can also accompany stress, such as eating less healthily, exercising less, and engaging in more high-risk behaviors such as drinking and smoking.
Yoga helps create highly beneficial time to sit and be quiet, to notice our bodies, and to breathe deeply. Various forms of yoga will help you deal with many negative aspects of stress.
Yoga meditation time allows us to grow in awareness and understanding of everything going on in our lives and minds. We get to decompress and de-stress. And generally, yoga helps men deal with depression.
Everyone benefits from yoga, and as a man, we gain more.
2. Yoga helps build body strength and balance
Yoga is a must-do exercise that strengthens body muscles and promotes balance.
For instance, some common yoga poses involve balancing on a single leg, as well as arm-balancing techniques. Exercises such as headstands and even handstands that help in building excellent body balance and control are also common.
No matter how much time you’ve invested into muscle-building programmes in the past, engaging in yoga will bring a new experience and distinguishable benefits.
Again, yoga time gives your body room to exercise differently due to the unique routines that come with it. General body exercises are usually considered an excellent means to build one’s body structure. However, there is often a certain kind of risk that comes with regular gym-based exercises. It might be beneficial, but it can also be mildly excruciating.
On the contrary, you often hear people who have switched to yoga make comments like, “Usually my back hurts like crazy, but after practicing yoga that changed. It soothed the pain.”
Yoga strengthens the body while giving it flexibility – and in a safer, less riskier way than squatting at the rack.
3. Yoga helps improve mobility and posture
If you’re still a young guy and have no business with stiff and achy joints and muscles then this might seem less of a priority… for now. However, after a number of years sitting for long periods at a desk, or repeating the same rigid workout routines, you will start to feel some negative consequences.
Your lifting routine might be one vital factor you’re overlooking, especially if you’re not countering your added muscle gains with mobility moves. Spending all those hours bulking up your arms, abs, chest, and not skipping leg day, stiffens up your body.
Yoga helps counter the results of sitting in an office chair all day and breathes new flexibility into tight muscles.
4. Yoga helps you sleep better
If the experience of lying awake in bed is familiar to you, yoga can help you both fall asleep easier and sleep better.
Not only does the full body nature of a yoga session leave you with an all over sense of satisfied exhaustion that readies your body for a great night’s sleep, but the breathing exercises that you’ll become familiar with through yoga practice can also help relax your body and calm your racing mind, more effectively than counting sheep.
5. Yoga helps increase productivity
Adding yoga to your workout routine can boost your productivity.
The quiet time you spend alone on your Yoga mat and focus on your breath gives your mind the rest it needs to spark creativity and create better strategies to improve your work. It’s the same phenomenon as why we come up with great ideas in the shower – our minds work wonders when we focus on something else for a bit and let them make connections in the background. Like how it’s hard to do your best work when your boss is peering over your shoulder.
The mental rest also helps reduce chances of mental burnout.
Meanwhile, the physical aspects of yoga stimulate more energy to tackle your tasks. At the end of a yoga session you’ll come out better prepared, physically and mentally, for whatever work throws at you.
Taking a look at mindfulness among the US workforce, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted that yoga helps reduce issues like burnout.
6. Yoga will benefit your sex life
Not only does yoga help make our bodies stronger and more flexible, the slower, deliberate movements and holds help us understand our bodies better and grow in self confidence. Anxiety levels drop too.
Add all of these together and you can already begin to imagine a better sexual experience for yourself and your partner. Yoga can also help increase blood flow to the genital area, which helps in boosting arousal.
Just to double assure you, in 2011 the Journal of Sexual Medicine published a study which showed that men who had practiced yoga for 12 weeks experienced better sexual desire, orgasm, and satisfaction.
7. Yoga helps develop a balanced body and mind
Some yoga poses are extremely challenging and push you to your limit, putting multiple muscle groups to work at once for a complete body workout, unlike weightlifting, which often isolates one part of your body at a time.
All the work you put into yoga also gets your digestive systems working effectively. Some of the stretches serve to massage your internal organs, and move food along through your digestive tract.
Your mind isn’t left out either. Even the least challenging yoga poses require concentration and focus. That’s in addition to the time you spend in meditation, and developing healthier breathing habits.
All these factors add up to a highly balanced experience.
8. Yoga helps with other exercise and sport
Even if you’re not considering completely quitting your current workout routine, yoga can still be a great help for practically every other form of exercise.
During yoga, you build stamina, improve flexibility and develop stronger muscles. You need all of these for all other gym-related activities and sports.
Because it involves every part of your body and improves flexibility, it can significantly reduce chances of injuries associated with other forms of workout and sport.
This is why the most elite athletes and sporting teams factor some form of yoga into their training routines.
If it’s good enough for Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi – two men still at the very top of their game into their late 30s – surely it’s good enough for you?
9. In Yoga, there’s no competition
In yoga, everyone is focused on themselves, and working to improve their own personal growth. In a yoga class, nobody is competing to do a better headstand than anybody else, more working on their own technique and focus.
There are no comparisons with who is the most flexible, or how fast people are developing. Every body is different, so these comparisons are futile and only cause unnecessary stress.
It’s truly an activity where you place your own wellbeing above all other factors.
10. Yoga feels good
Each time you complete a yoga session you feel really good about yourself. That feeling of satisfaction comes from knowing you’ve invested time and energy in yourself: In your body, in your mind and in your own personal growth.
Conclusion
Yoga is anything but “‘just’ a light, body stretching exercise that’s better left for women’. Men, as well as women, can gain many benefits from practicing yoga.
It doesn’t take so much to start, and you can practice anywhere. All you need is a mat and some focus. Even if there’s no yoga instructor in your gym, Youtube is a fine place to start.
Want to see if everything we’ve said stands? Why not start your yoga journey today?
The Author:
Charles Normandin writes unique articles as a contributor for RushEssay. He is a professional in writing unique texts and also speaks three languages at a high level. He is fond of volunteering, drawing, and rock climbing. In his view, days spent helping animals at the shelter make life better. Connect with him on Twitter @Charles60104524
