“Guys just don’t do yoga.” That’s what most yoga skeptical men think. Too touchy, too new age and too feminine. In fact, if you ask him to imagine a yoga class, he’ll probably describe a room full of cute, slim and toned women in tights and skin-tight pants, showing off their assets in the downward dog pose. If you’re that kind of man, then you’ve definitely come to the right place.
Yoga was once a man thing
The history of yoga is mysterious. It was a oral tradition that was passed down from teacher to student, and the practitioners were almost always men. Yoga isn’t all about sitting, meditating, chanting and talking about feelings. It’s a full-body workout. In fact, you’ll be amazed at the strength required to hold those poses, still and steady, breathing deeply and consistently. Here are five reasons why a few minutes on the mat could be good for you as a man.
Five convincing reasons men should do yoga
1. It can increase libido and improve sexual performance
The breathing techniques and concentration taught in yoga can help men better channel their sexual energy. This can lead to increased sexual endurance. Furthermore, it will make you far more sensitive and responsive to your partner. This coupled with yoga’s mental health benefits could do wonders for improving not just your health, but the health of your relationships.
2. Better Sleep Quality
Practicing yoga for 25 minutes a day can help you sleep better, according a 2011 study from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. Consistent yoga practice helps not only with insomnia, but also with extending the duration of deep sleep, so you wake up feeling more rested. You may have to try several yoga classes before finding the right fit.
3. Boosts Brain Function
It’s a well-known fact that regular physical activity can result in better brain function, but research published by the Journal of Physical Activity and Health claims that 20 minutes of yoga per day can promote increased brain waves and better mental clarity compared to almost any other form of exercise—including running. The key: connected body and breath movement.
4. Improves Digestion
I bet you didn’t know that yoga is more effective than ant-acids when it comes to calming digestive woes? Yogis point to specific twisting postures, which massage the internal organs and encourage food digestion, consequently soothing tummy and bowel troubles and resulting in more effective nutrition absorption and increased energy.
5. Yoga Challenges Your Entire Body
Are you a slave to weight machines at the gym? Well, yoga expert, Rodney Yee, points out that if you do yoga regularly you are already doing your share of resistance training. “When we do yoga poses, we’re putting our body in positions that you ultimately call on support from the vast majority of our muscles,” he says. “So you are using your own body weight as resistance!” Considering that sports like hockey or tennis only demand resistance from approximately 15-percent of our muscles—yoga offers a whole body workout employing full support from the cardiovascular, skeletal, muscular, and endocrine systems.
If you’re still not convinced that you should be doing yoga, then I challenge you to join us. See below:
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hahaha! i’ve been waiting for this post, thanks for the motivation to try.