Too many prejudices persist about the practice of yoga, considered too feminine, too spiritual, even too gentle for some.
For men resistant to the idea of doing a yoga session because of all the reasons mentioned above, it is worth remembering that many athletes, and not the least, have opted for yoga: LeBron James, Novak Djokovic, Tiger Woods, … to name but a few! Because yes, yoga also improves your physical condition, in addition to the many benefits on the mental aspect. In order to convince you definitively, we have listed the 5 best reasons that should push every man to start yoga now :
1. IF YOU ARE AN ATHLETIC MAN, YOGA WILL BE YOUR BEST ALLY!
And yes, if you practice a physical activity during the week you should reserve some time for a yoga session. Indeed, yoga will allow your muscles to recover more quickly. Certain postures will accelerate the elimination of toxins and lactic acid (responsible for cramps). This is the case of the posture of the “Recumbent Hero” (or Supta Virasana) which will stretch your whole body from the abdomen to the ankles through the hip flexors. You will find many tutorials online to teach you in detail how to perform this posture.
As a sporty man, yoga will also allow you to improve your performance, whatever your sport. Indeed, with yoga you will develop your balance and work your deep muscles, stabilizers. Your abs, your lower back, and your knees will be strengthened, giving you the opportunity to increase the intensity of your sports sessions while preventing you from potential injuries.
2. YOGA WILL MAKE YOU A LESS STRESSED MAN.
Men are not spared from stress. It must be said that there are many sources of stress in modern society: work, children, couple, relationships with others, illness, etc. And its repercussions can really alter daily life: headaches, stomach aches, loss of energy. appetite, or sleep disorder for example. Thus, working against this daily stress must be our priority to improve our quality of life.
Yoga will act on your stress in two ways. First, yoga is practiced in a soothing and silent atmosphere which contributes to a natural release of all the accumulated tensions, after a day of work for example. The simple fact of agreeing to a moment of calm and silence (a moment that we agree too little, we must admit) already greatly contributes to a relaxation of the body and the mind.
The second key element to evacuate your stress thanks to a good yoga session will be breathing. Indeed, the latter occupies a central place in the reduction of anxiety in men practicing yoga. Thanks to exercises based on deep belly breathing, called pranayama exercises, the brain will be better oxygenated and better able to calm the agitations of your mind. These exercises will also reduce your heart rate through long and powerful inspirations and expirations.
There is no doubt that at the end of your yoga session you will be completely relaxed and relaxed. By practicing these exercises regularly, you will be able to better control and manage your stress in the future.
3. YOGA MEDITATION FOR BETTER PRODUCTIVITY
We have seen the benefits of yoga on the body, now it is time to see its benefits on a mental and spiritual level. For men, as for women, meditation has become more popular in recent years and its interest is no longer questioned. However, the approaches to meditation are diverse, as are the techniques, with varying levels of difficulty. But here don’t panic, we only focus on the meditation induced by the practice of yoga.
Focused above all on consciousness, meditation is defined by “a break in oneself”. Doing a yoga session will allow this awareness of his whole being, the man who practices yoga will be fully attentive to his body. Which muscles engage? What tension appears during certain postures? Is my body well aligned? These are questions that one would not ask in everyday life, or in other physical practices. Indeed, yoga pushes us to listen to our feelings and to pay more attention to our body.
Working daily to listen to your body and your feelings will have many positive repercussions on your life: improving your relationship with yourself and with the people around you, a calm and peaceful mind, increased concentration in all circumstances, improved sleep, etc.
In summary, yoga is a serene mind in a relaxed body!
4. YOGA: A PRACTICE ACCESSIBLE TO ANY MEN WITHOUT PREREQUISITES.
The great advantage of yoga is that it is open to everyone; for women as well as for men, for sportsmen and less sporty people, for beginners as well as seasoned, for young and old alike. The great strength of yoga is that it is not objective, yoga is subjective and adapts to everyone. But that’s not all, its practice requires no special equipment (or almost). So yes, ideally it’s better if you have a fitness mat, but an indoor mat will do just fine. If you’re not too cozy you can even do your yoga session directly on the floor.
Regarding your yoga outfit, opt for something in which you feel comfortable, it is the most important. It doesn’t matter if you have the latest fashionable men’s yoga pants, it must be the least of your worries. Just put on a t-shirt and shorts or sweatpants in which you have enough flexibility to be able to perform rather wide yoga movements.
Resources for learning and practicing yoga can be found easily and in abundance on the internet, and that is also to the credit of yoga. Online courses, blogs that explain and dissect the different yoga positions, videos on youtube, etc.
From now on, no more excuses that hold!
5. A MAN WHO DOES YOGA IS A MAN FREE OF ALL PREJUDICE!
“It’s an activity for women”, “You have to be flexible like a woman”, “It’s not sport, it’s too soft”,… the list of prejudices that some men may have about yoga is long! So you who read me behind your screen, know that no yoga is not an activity reserved only for women, that no you don’t need to be flexible (and that flexibility can be worked on) and finally that the practice of yoga can be gentle and cause you a lot of aches, it all depends on the intensity of your session and the positions chosen. Ironically, yoga was invented in India… by a man
So by devoting yourself to the practice of yoga, you are also making a symbolic gesture against all the clichés and stereotypes surrounding this activity. We won’t go so far as to say that you are doing a committed act by practicing yoga, but you are asserting yourself as a man free from all prejudices and that’s already very good.
