Yoga comes with incredible life-changing benefits for people of all age groups. But it is sad to know that there are only 28% of men yoga practitioners. We must believe the fact that incorporating yoga into your life is the best gift you can give to yourself, even as a guy.
So, pull your socks and start with the fantastic journey towards yoga. Here is a beginner’s guide that will help you to know the yoga postures for men; also, it will encounter you the benefits of yoga.
Benefits Of Yoga For Men
The list of benefits of yoga is endless. Here are a few advantages that are enough to drive you to a yoga class.
1. Relieve Stress
Everyone is busy with their struggles in life. Find time for a short yoga session, and you will destress yourself from things hovering in your mind. It proves that yoga improves brain functions and helps treat depression and anxiety.
2. Enhances Productivity
Research says that a daily 20-minute yoga session effectively improves memory, making you more energetic, confident, and focused, which will overall help you be more productive.
3. Immunity Booster
You will blow your mind when you read this- Yoga act as an immunity booster. Regular yoga practice causes fast gene expression changes, improving your body’s defense system.
4. Prevent Injuries
You would be astonished to know that regular yoga practice will help you in preventing injuries, aches, and pains. Yoga will make you more flexible, eliminating the strains and tightness in your muscles and making your joints stronger.
5. Better Sex Life
Many studies on yoga for men show that doing yoga regularly improves your sex life. It improves men’s sexual functions like erections, desire, ejaculation control, reduced anxiety issues, and better blood flow to the genitals.
6. Better Sleep
People who face sleeping disorders are advised to practice yoga at least four times a week, as yoga practice improves respiratory muscle function that promotes sound sleep.
7. Smell Better
Excessive sweating and exhaling during yoga sessions help flush out the toxins from your body. Thus it makes a man smell better, boosting confidence and feeling cleaner.
10 Best Yoga Poses For Men
Here are the ten unique poses if you want to build strength and muscle, be more productive, or have a better sex life. We have all the poses covering your needs. There you go-
1. Mountain Pose
How To do It
Stand with your heels slightly apart and your hands on the ground. Now balance your weight evenly on the floor and lift your arches. Engage your thigh muscles slightly to lift kneecaps but prevent locking your knees.
Benefit
Mountain Pose works well if you want to maintain a proper body posture. The pose helps to build a solid foundation for all standing poses. It develops flexibility and strength in your thigh and core muscles.
2. Tree Pose
How To do It
Take your left foot, and keep the left sole on the inner right thigh. Shift your body weight on the right foot. Bring your palms together before your chest and keep your weight centered over the left foot. Hold the position for a few minutes, then change the leg.
Benefit
Tree pose is super effective in building concentration and focus. It strengthens the muscles of the thighs, calves, and ankles.
3. Standing Forward Bend Pose
How To do It
Stand straight, keeping your arms stretched. Bring your hands down, touching your feet. Do not touch your feet; hang over your legs. Inhale when you come up and exhale when you go down.
Benefit
It relaxes your mind and body as you hang free over your legs. It facilitates better blood circulation and helps strengthen your muscles by improving flexibility.
4. Warrior 1 Pose
How To do It
Stand with your legs apart from each other. Lift your arms overhead. Turn your left foot 45 to 60 degrees to the left. Bring the hips parallel to the front, and arch your upper body slightly. Bend your right knee until it is over the ankle. Keep your hand’s shoulder width apart and stay in the position for a few minutes. Repeat the same for another foot.
Benefit
The pose is effective in strengthening and stretching your whole body. It helps in extending the chest, lungs, shoulders, calves, thighs, and ankles. The warrior pose also brings balance.
5. High-Lunge Pose
How To do It
Step your right foot forward between your hands, aligning the right knee over the heel. Turn the top of your left foot to the floor. Inhale and lift your torso upright. Then lower your left knee to the floor and, keeping the right knee fixed, slide the left back until you feel a comfortable stretch in the left front thigh and groin.
Benefit
It is an effective workout for load-bearers and those who sit for long hours. The pose brings stability and open ups your chest, shoulders, and torso. It brings balance and pumps up your energy.
6. Boat Pose
How To do It
Sit with your legs stretched in front. Lean back slightly and lift through your chest. Bend your knees and lift your feet off the floor until your thighs are at a 45-degree angle from the bottom. Keep your hands straight in front. Now balance the position for a few minutes; you will feel a burn in your core and legs.
Benefit
The pose works on the deep hip flexors as well as the spine. Also, your arms and shoulders get more muscular.
7. Locust Pose
How To do It
Sleep on your belly with your feet together, and your hands reaching the back, palms down. Keep your hands lightly on the mat, raise your head and, chest, and legs. Extend your big toes straight back and press down with all ten toenails to activate your quadriceps.
Benefit
The pose prepares you for the deeper backbends. Also, it helps in strengthening the back of the torso, arms, and legs.
8. Bridge Pose
How To do It
Lie on your back, with your hands on your sides. Bend your knees and bring them closer to your heels. Now push your arms and feet on the floor and lift your hips towards the ceiling. Keep your thighs parallel as you lift.
Benefit
The pose is effective in counteracting the effects of prolonged sitting. It helps to relieve the lower back pain and also strengthens your back muscles and buttocks.
9. Reclining Big Toe Pose
How To do It
Lie on your back, push your left knee and pull it towards your chest. Keep the other leg firmly pressed onto the floor while moving the right leg away from you. Use your left hand and hold the toe of the raised leg. Hold the pose and then repeat with the other leg. You will feel a stretch all over your body.
Benefit
The pose effectively strengthens the knees, thighs, hamstrings, groins, and calves.
10. Downward-facing Dog Pose
How To do It
Come on your hands and knees. Stretch your tailbone towards your ceiling. Push your top hip back and stretch your heels towards the bottom. Keep your head between your upper arms. Hold the pose for ten breaths and repeat.
Benefit
It is a very famous pose for a full-body stretch. It strengthens the core and improves circulation.
Yoga For Men: Let Us Get Started
Yoga improves the overall well-being of an individual. It is not a race but a lifelong practice or a lifestyle change that will benefit your mental, physical, social and emotional health.
We all invest in others; why not start investing in ourselves? Indulge yourself in practicing yoga at least four times a week; you feel the change in yourself. You will be calmer, relaxed, and more sorted in your life.
Start from today as there is no tomorrow.
