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Who said that yoga is only for women? Or that men belong only in gyms? Even more importantly, why do you need someone else’s validation to pursue your interests? Delve in to know about the benefits of yoga in men!
In this generation, people often talk about it but don’t act on taking appropriate measures to maintain their health.
Various factors influence our peace, thereby disturbing physical and mental wellness. And undoubtedly, yoga is the best solution for all such problems. If you have not tried it, then go ahead and give it a try, no matter you’re a man or woman.
Yoga provides the utmost benefits that other practices may not provide. This article focuses on the powerful benefits of yoga for men, transforming their way of living.
Benefits of Yoga for Men
Some people believe that yoga is only for women. But, yoga is an ancient health practice for both men and women. Probably, men would find it unusual when compared to the heavy workouts practiced in the gym.
However, yoga is now becoming the most popular form of exercise in the world.
What is Yoga?
What does yoga exactly mean? Is it simply about twisting and turning your body into odd shapes?
No. The word “Yoga” is derived from the Sanskrit word “Yuj,” which means unity and integrity. Yoga, which originated in India, teaches us about the art of living.
Yoga is best suited for both physical and mental wellness. It involves exercising, breathing, relaxing, and meditating practices. The main principle of yoga is to bring harmony between mind and body, heading towards a peaceful life.
Some benefits of yoga for men include:
1. Reduces Stress, Anxiety, and Depression
Stress is becoming very common in human beings resulting in destructive effects like lack of concentration, increased heart rate, body pain, sleep loss, and insomnia1. It is proven that regular practice of yoga can reduce stress, fear, and sadness.
It is considered one of the main benefits of yoga for men, which effectively cures mental illness. It was found that just six yoga sessions can help manage stress and anxiety.
Through mindfulness and meditation, yoga calms your mind and gives more clarity to what you are doing. Regular practice of yoga reduces heart rate and blood pressure.
2. Increases Muscle Power and Flexibility
Yoga not just sharpens your mind but also shapes your body. There are many styles of yoga out of which ashtanga and power yoga provides the greatest flexibility by building your body less stiff.
Practicing yoga frees the tightness of muscles and makes you get involved longer in physical tasks.
The benefits of yoga for men include increasing muscle power and making you feel healthier while doing other exercises and workouts. An international journal showed that the participants’ athletic performance was improved when yoga was added to their schedule.
Yoga also helps in preventing sports injuries, training you to be less prone to wounds, it decreases the risk of injury and relieves joint pains.
3. Gets Better Sleep
Do you suffer from sleep deprivation? Mindfulness, meditation, regular exercises, and deep breathing increases the possibility of a good night’s sleep.
These practices secrete more melatonin2 which lessens sleep disorders, especially in adults. Out of the various types of yoga, Hatha yoga and Nidra yoga helps you in preventing insomnia and other sleep deprivations, which is one of the benefits of yoga for men
It involves deliberate physical movements accompanied by extended inhalation, holding the breath for some specific time, followed by exhalation. Bedtime yoga relaxes your mind and body. Choose a calm relaxing environment and practice bedtime yoga to improve sleep.
Suffering from sleep deprivation? I have created an article that provides you with the top 9 natural sleep solutions.
4. Increases Productivity at Work
Increased depression results in you being lazy and inactive at work, yoga is seen as a productivity-boosting tool by employees.
One of the benefits of yoga for men is that your creativity level will get upgraded by the regular practice of yoga. Yoga helps out for maintaining a pleasant work-life balance that aims to achieve professional accomplishments.
Spend some time for the well-being of yourself, building a relaxing, attentive, and productive mind which greatly defines your outlook at work.
5. Enhances Focus and Concentration
Wandering minds and lack of concentration result in low productivity at the workplace. Practicing yoga and meditation clears away your mental confusion and makes you more alert, focused, and concentrated at work.
It is also one of the benefits of yoga for men in that it improves mental clarity and decision-making techniques by preventing unwanted distractions in life.
Science says that people suffer from several diseases due to a lack of concentration. It is because of the separation of the body from the mind.
Concentration (referred to as one-pointedness) plays a major role in linking the mind and the body for healthy well-being. It leads to a peaceful life and healthier relationships.
6. Aids Digestion
One of the most important benefits of yoga for men is that it improves digestive health. Continual practice of yoga promotes blood circulation in the intestinal region and destroys fatty deposits in your body.
Does your body find it very difficult to digest? Try these yoga poses for better digestion:
- Trikonasana (Triangle asana)
- Paschimottanasana (Seated forward-bending asana)
- Ushtrasana (kneeling back-bending asana)
- PavanaMuktasana (Wind-relieving asana)
- Matsyendrasana (Seated twisting asana)
While regularly practicing yoga, your digestive system improves by generating more energy (juice) and fewer toxins (food waste).
Yoga balances metabolism3 and flushes out toxins gathered from a bad diet, pressure, or unhealthy foods.
7. Supports Immune System Growth
It is one of the benefits of yoga for men, which implies that yoga is a specialist in muscle strengthening and a specialist in strengthening your immune system.
Yoga helps in the growth of specific cells, proteins, and tissues composed in the immune system that fights against germs and other microorganisms.
Yoga stimulates the generation of white blood cells in the lymphatic system4 needed for fighting against bacteria, viruses, and germs. The amount of production of lymphatic fluid is increased by the regular practice of yoga.
As yoga involves several bending, flexing, and twisting poses, it secretes more defending cells (lymphatic fluids) and keeps your body away from diseases and infections.
8. Controls Food Cravings
Do you feel like having a quick snack just after you had your meal?
Most people have gone through such kinds of food cravings. This is where your self-control plays a vital role. This is one of the benefits of yoga for men, which brings you control over your cravings by releasing hormones that control your appetite resulting in weight loss.
Some practices that greatly control your urge to eat are stretching exercises, planks, abs workouts, spinal twists, bridges, and cobra poses. Next time when you feel the urge to eat, make an effort to practice meditation and deep breathing exercises that control your mentality of overeating.
9. Boosts Sex Life
Sex improvement is one of the major benefits of yoga for men.
Yoga benefits pleasure with sex, enhancements in mood, capacity to manage ejaculation and orgasm.
Want to boost your sexual function? Practice some of these yoga asanas regularly:
- Marjaryasana (Cat pose)
- Bitilasana (Cow pose)
- Ananda Balasana (Happy baby pose)
- Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (One-legged pigeon pose)
- Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge pose)
- Balasana (Child’s resting pose)
- Savasana (Corpse pose)
10. Improves Deep Breathing and Relaxation
This is one of the benefits of yoga for men which provides a longer lifespan. Deep breathing helps in supplying fresh oxygen to the blood in your muscles. It increases the blood flow to your brain.
It results in the active functioning of the brain that makes clever decisions. Mindfulness and meditation practices drive you into deep relaxation and control your stress.
It is to be noted that almost everyone follows chest breathing, which reduces tension and also the risk of chronic lung diseases5.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What does yoga do to a man’s body?
Yoga increases the body’s flexibility, mobility, and strength, hence increasing the range of motion.
2. What kind of yoga should men do?
The optimal yoga routine for men involves one that is gentler and incorporates more support and modifications. Seek a mild vinyasa or restorative yoga session if you are a beginner.
3. What gender is yoga for?
Regardless of the possible health benefits for everyone, women continue to outnumber men in yoga practice, mostly because of the stereotype that yoga is for women and gym for men.
Closing Thoughts
Yoga has immense benefits in maintaining and improving your mental and physical health. Knowing and trying to achieve these 10 benefits of yoga for men can change your overall well-being.
So, what are you waiting for? Try out different forms of yoga and practice the style that fits you. Yoga is a self-journey of the self, through the self and to the self. So be the best of who you are and run after your main purpose in life.
Searching for the best online yoga classes? Join the Bulldog pack, get fit, and flex with no intimidation.
- Kupfer, David J., and Charles F. Reynolds. “Management of insomnia.” New England Journal of Medicine 336.5 (1997): 341-346. ↩︎
- Hardeland, Rüdiger, Seithikurippu R. Pandi-Perumal, and Daniel P. Cardinali. “Melatonin.” The international journal of biochemistry & cell biology 38.3 (2006): 313-316. ↩︎
- Chaya, M. S., et al. “The effect of long term combined yoga practice on the basal metabolic rate of healthy adults.” BMC complementary and alternative medicine 6 (2006): 1-6. ↩︎
- Moore Jr, James E., and Christopher D. Bertram. “Lymphatic system flows.” Annual review of fluid mechanics 50 (2018): 459-482. ↩︎
- Fulambarker, Ashok, et al. “Effect of yoga in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.” American journal of therapeutics 19.2 (2012): 96-100. ↩︎
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