Men Are Missing Out on Yoga
Why do men shy away from yoga? Perhaps it is because they are conditioned to view exercise as an exhausting, time-consuming activity that requires heavy equipment and an even heavier diet.
This mindset does not include yoga and results in men missing out on a crucial part of their mental and physical development. Learning yoga might at first seem difficult or intimidating. Fortunately, with the aid of technology, yoga is now accessible to everyone.
Personal yoga lessons are the perfect introduction to this treasure-trove of gender-neutral advantages. Let’s take a closer look at three common benefits of yoga for men.
1 — Strength
Do you need to do yoga if you’re already training? Absolutely. Athletic bodies can be tense, and stiffness limits your range of motion, balance, and strength. Yoga for athletes helps with flexibility, posture, and alignment.
If you’re training, add yoga to your active days off. Stretching and breathing allow your muscles to recuperate and you’ll be able to push your body further the next time you work out. Plus, the meditative aspects of yoga will result in improved breathing, timing, and focus — three crucial components of a productive training session.
In recent years, LeBron James has become an advocate of yoga along with his team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. They incorporate yoga into their regimen focusing on key attributes that help prepare them for the game, such as core strength and balance.
Yoga is a total body workout that can benefit any athlete and can even prevent injury. Yoga’s calming effects are an added advantage, for instance, when decompressing from strenuous activity.
2 — Stress relief
Stress is an all too common challenge for people these days. If you are searching for a great, natural way to combat stress then look no further than yoga. Yoga has been credited with relieving stress, anxiety, insomnia, and even depression.
Practicing yoga reduces blood pressure, lowers pulse, and eases respiration, these elements combined help to reduce stress and anxiety. Yoga is also known to enhance your mood and overall sense of well-being.
A Harvard Mental Health Letter discusses the influence of yoga on stress and explains that people practicing yoga show better resilience to stressors. They conclude that yoga is a low-risk, high-yield approach to improving overall health.
Mental and physical strengths are closely linked, yoga is an incredible activity that actively combines the two and can be useful when dealing with pain management and recovery.
3 — Recovery
A personal yoga session that addresses your physical limitations, injuries or pain will help improve physical well-being and mobility. Yoga will tackle your weakness and regenerate overall strength.
Years ago, I experienced knee pains and avoided any exercise that caused discomfort. A personal yoga instructor explained that in order to protect my knee, I would need to strengthen the muscles that support it. Considering my condition, he devised a set of moves that engaged the muscles around the knee, stretched, strengthened, and increased blood flow to the area.
I noticed firsthand the rehabilitative benefits of yoga, not only did the low-impact activity help alleviate my pain and strengthen my legs but also the accompanying breathing exercises served as great emotional boosters.
Yoga can be tailored in countless ways to a variety of needs. Any person, no matter what age, gender, fitness level, or special requirement can benefit from working yoga into their schedule.
In a fast-paced world, we could all use an activity that allows us to slow down and devote time to our minds and bodies.
Men should not miss out. So, take an active part in improving the quality of your life, set aside any misconceptions, and do yoga.
