Yoga is stigmatised as something that only women do. When it began, yoga was predominantly practised by males. However, as it moved to the West, it soon started targeting the upper and middle class women who had the time and means to practise self-care. As a result, yoga businesses began speaking to women using female models and female apparel. In the process, yoga became something that women did with other women. No self-respecting man would have been seen dead walking out of the gym with a yoga mat under his arm. While it’s true that yoga’s key strengths make it suitable for a woman’s physiology; it can be just as useful for men. Here are five excellent reasons why men should try yoga.
Reasons to do Yoga
-
Provides a Better Range of Motion
Despite what you’ve heard, there’s more to yoga than bending and flexibility. Bodyweight movements improve functional strength and flexibility while supporting a dynamic range of motion. This boosts your neuromuscular efficiency so you’ll start seeing an improvement in your endurance, range of motion, and flexibility. More flexibility means you’re far less likely to sustain an injury during one of your exercise routines, and it will also help lessen the impact of post-workout stiffness. Stretching before a routine is good, but with continued yoga practice, you can build strength while increasing blood and oxygen circulation throughout your body. This means faster recovery times after stringent gym sessions and more noticeable results.
-
Acts as a Stress-Reliever
One of the main reasons why men should try yoga is stress. We all have different ways of dealing with stress and what works for your friend may not work for you. However, going to a gym with loud music and or punching a punching bag can make you more aggressive or more tired. Yoga uses a number of relaxation techniques which can make you calmer over time with continued practise. You’ll probably also find that you can think more clearly in a quiet and tranquil studio than in a loud and testosterone-fuelled weights room. Take the time out of your crazy schedule to commit to your relaxed yoga class, where you can focus on your breathing. This alone will help to calm you down and relieve some anxiety. Aside from all the other benefits, unplugging from technology for an hour will do wonders for your state-of-mind.
-
Builds Core Strength and Stabilisers
Yoga is well-known for its ability to target and strengthen the core group muscles essential for maintaining balance and stability. A strong core improves your performance and your results with pretty much every other exercise that you can possibly do, making it an important set of muscles. A strong core also allows you to raise the bar on your fitness goals because it will improve your overall technique as your body will be better equipped to maintain balance.
-
Contributes to Increased Bodily Awareness
We know that it must be intimidating to be confronted with a room full of latex-clad women in pretzel-like poses. However, we encourage you to take the plunge. Most of the poses associated with yoga are far more demanding on the body than you would think, and in many ways, it targets areas that running, lifting and aerobics simply do not. This means that the more you practice yoga, the more aware of your body you become. This includes its abilities, limitations and sense of special awareness; which can be entirely beneficial for your other exercise routines.
-
Yoga as Active Rest
If you’re a fairly serious athlete or you’re training for a particular event, you need rest days to recover from those days of rigorous training. You could potentially alternate which areas you target, or you could try a less severe workout on your rest days. Yoga, as a regular practice, can serve as the perfect activity for rest days. This is because, while it still builds strength and endurance, many of the poses work to increase mobility and circulation.
Contact Trifocus Fitness Academy for details
There are several more reasons why men should try yoga. If you’re interested in taking an online yoga course, contact Trifocus Fitness Academy today. Trifocus Fitness Academy offers nationally and internationally accredited health and fitness courses at affordable prices. To find out more about our yoga certification that will afford you a local and international instructor’s qualification, visit our website or call us on 0861 444 765.
