Why Men Can Benefit From Doing Yoga

There are plenty of men who do yoga, but for the most part the classes are mostly attended by women. But the fact is that there are a ton of benefits to do yoga that both genders can benefit from, here’s why yoga is good for men.

Helps Your Flexibility

With all the cardio and muscle building you do, do you really feel like you get in enough stretching? Keeping the muscles limber can help prevent injuries and strains from using the body in the wrong way. Plus twisting the spine through yoga exercises might be able to help detox the body and improve the digestion.

For Stress Relief

A lot of people stay away from yoga because the concept alone is a little stressful, but pushing through that and giving it a go can start to relieve some stress pretty quickly. (And we all have stress we could be doing away with.) Unlike a lot of adrenaline boosting exercises, yoga encourages a calming to come over the body which can seep into the rest of your life as well. Reducing stress in the body can cut down on inflammation which allows your immune system to work better and can keep you healthier overall.

Yoga is a great way to give yourself a chance to calm your mind in an otherwise jam packed life. We don’t always have time to sit and think in silence, and while you won’t be sitting the whole time in yoga there is something different about activating the body in that way that allows for a clearing in the mind as well. You don’t have to be a meditator per se to get those benefits, but don’t be surprised if you think about starting up as one.

Yoga can include a lot of repetitive movements that sort of train the mind to relax while it leads the body into them, and that sense of calm can really help to improve patience in the day to day.

Muscle Sculpting

While there are no weights used in yoga, the body weight is used as resistance within the challenging poses. Using the entire body at once can help to sculpt the muscles in even ways that support one another, as opposed to accidentally overworking one area at the free weights. Think about it, however much you weigh is however much natural weight resistance you have to put to work for you.

Get Some Cardio

Yes some yoga classes can get you plenty of cardio action as well. Look for classes that are labeled “power” or something of that variety, which will be fast paced and sure to break a sweat amidst all that lengthening and deep breathing.

Get Some Clarity

Many yoga classes encourage their students to set goals or intentions at some point during class, which can be about the class itself or about life in general. It’s never a bad thing to have an opportunity to think about what you really want out of life.