If you’re a guy and you’re not doing yoga, you’re missing out.
For some men, yoga is still considered soft and fluffy?a “non-workout” or something just for the girls. But this is far from reality. These days, more guys are starting to pay attention and take note. If you’re serious about your sport, or overwhelmed with the everyday chaos of life, then the practice of yoga will benefit you on all levels, inside and out.
Now, whether you’re new to the mat or you’re already a seasoned sun saluter, you know that yoga is more than just physical. It’s the full package. It’s the workout you may want, but what it does on the inside is where the magic is. For guys, yoga helps to cultivate calm, alleviates stress and anxiety, and brings a quieter perspective to your life. Yoga can be a workout and work-in.
Yoga is a practice of finding space through the body, through the mind, and through the daily grind. This is something that all men could use a little more of.
So now is the time to step in and step on the mat, to give it a go and see how your mind, body, and life change for the better.
The truth is, some guys think that yoga makes them less of a man. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
If that’s not enough of case for you, here are five reasons why every man should practice yoga:
1. Yoga will make you better at your workout of choice.
Whatever your workout is, yoga will help. Whether you’re a casual CrossFitter, a pavement-pounding runner, or an everyday adrenaline junkie, yoga will help you get better.
A regular yoga practice strengthens and lengthens muscles, rehabilitates the joints, and helps to open and restore the body after high-impact and explosive workouts. Regardless of what you do, yoga is something that every athlete (and guy) needs more of.
Practicing yoga doesn’t mean you need to stop or give up what you’re already doing, it means you’ll just getter better.
2. It will increase your balance.
For guys, finding balance is tough; we’re just not that graceful. But doing yoga can help to bring balance into the body and, more importantly, into our everyday lives.
Guys are notorious for taking on too much?hectic jobs, busy lives, endless social activities, nights out, morning workouts, and lots more. We like to keep busy, so finding the balance can be tricky. On the mat, yoga cultivates strength, flexibility, and mobility, the three essential attributes for balance in the body. No other physical discipline can do that.
But practicing yoga not only helps balance the physical body, but it adds softness to a hard-hitting life on and off the mat.
3. Yoga will help you wake up.
Doing yoga in the morning is better than drinking three cups of coffee. Moving the body first thing will wake you up, oxygenate the blood, fire up the brain, and activate your metabolism, digestion, and mental fortitude. And what’s best is that it’s all-natural, no additives needed.
But practicing in the morning isn’t the only way to get the benefits; doing yoga anytime will wake you up. A simple flow or a few minutes of mindful movement throughout the day will keep the body healthy, the mind calm, and help you find the focus anytime throughout the day.
4. It keeps you young.
It’s not the Fountain of Youth, but it’s pretty damn close. Practicing yoga regularly will keep you feeling young in the body and mind. A regular practice will give you strength and flexibility, nurture the joints, and restore the body. Your energy levels will increase through a regular practice, and you’ll feel more awake and alive and ready to take on the world each and every day.
5. It cultivates quiet.
Life is busy, and the world we live in is noisy. The truth is, there is no off-switch to the chaos, but the practice of yoga can help to turn the volume down and cultivate the quiet in body and mind. The more you practice, the more you start to see the benefits of stillness in your everyday life.
There are enough things that are on full-blast in our lives, and yoga simply helps to turn the volume down.
Yoga helps manage stress and anxiety. Yes, guys get stressed and anxious, but oftentimes we just don’t show it. Through yoga, mindfulness, and meditation techniques, we can learn to manage stress and quiet the mind.
By Michael James Wong?for MindBodyGreen
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