Yoga isn’t just for women – guys can benefit too! Here are 10 reasons why men should do yoga…

Although yoga has traditionally been practiced by men for thousands of years, for some reason, here in the West yoga is often seen as a “female” form of exercise.

However, yoga can have many benefits for men as well as women, so if you’re a dude who has thought about trying yoga, but hasn’t quite taken the plunge, here are 10 great reasons why men should do yoga – you can share these with your guy friends when they say yoga is “girly”!  🙂

1. Stress Relief – Man or woman – we all face stress on a daily basis in today’s fast-paced modern world – and it has a terrible impact on our health. Yoga is better at helping you relieve that stress than even going to a gym and working with weights or a punching bag. Rather than taking this aggressive approach, which can increase your body’s cortisol, yoga works to relax not only your muscles, but also your mind. Plus you get to be electronics-free for about an hour a day and we can all use that!

2. Muscle Sculpting – Yoga will help you develop those muscles that you already have. Rather than using weights which target a specific muscle group, yoga uses your own body weight to help you sculpt your muscles throughout your entire body. With every class you attend you’ll feel the results and before you know it, you’ll be seeing the results on the outside as well.

3. Improved Flexibility – Improving your flexibility can help you in so many ways! Yoga helps to stretch and release tight muscles and increase flexibility throughout your body. Besides helping you to avoid injury during intense physical activity, you’ll also reduce soreness, help your digestion, and perhaps even improve your golf swing!

4. Go Beyond Your Limit – You can start out with the more gentle types of yoga, but once your body gets used to the movements and the poses you will be able to tell a difference. Your cardio will improve and your muscles will relax all at the same time. With yoga you’ll develop your own practice to proceed at your own pace, so you can challenge yourself with more advanced poses and variations whenever you’re ready. You’ll find both your mind and body becoming stronger and stronger over time.

5. Better Sex – Yep, that’s right guys! By improving your flexibility and learning to breathe and use your muscles better, you’ll be able to last longer in the bedroom. And that’s a plus for everyone involved. 😉

6. Keep Injuries at Bay – If you do manual labor or intense workouts, yoga is a great way to decrease your chances of getting injured. By improving your flexibility and strengthening all of your muscles together in a natural way, rather than in isolation, you will improve your body’s strength and endurance and help prevent injuries on the job or in your daily activities.

7. Calm Your Mind – Yoga is known for its relaxation and calming effects and it’s no different for men than women. You have a lot on your plate and yoga can help to calm your mind so that you can think more clearly, focus better, and make important decisions with a clear head.

8. Lose that Belly Fat – Yoga helps to decrease the amount of belly fat you have by lowering your cortisol levels. Not only will this trim your waistline, but it may also help to improve your cardiovascular health and reduce your risk of heart attacks.

9. Lower Heart Rate – Practicing yoga regularly also helps to lower your heart rate. By controlling your breathing as you move, you will also lower your heart rate, increase your lung capacity, and improve your cardiovascular health.

10. Balance – Yoga helps you build a strong and balanced body, and improves your sense of balance. As you learn to hold yoga poses for longer periods of time, you will strengthen your core muscles and teach your body balance, which also reduces the risk of falls and other injuries.

There are so many great reasons for men to do yoga! If you’ve been on the fence, why not go ahead and give it a try? You have nothing to lose, and so much to gain.