Yoga For Men.

The Origin.

This article first appeared in Volume 6 Issue 4 of the RMAXi.com monthly newsletter. Click here to download the full issue.

My quest began right then and there, though I didn’t consciously realize it. I knew I had to do something to educate the world that yoga wasn't just for gals, but also for guys.

It’s a task easier said than done.

Over the past 10 years a huge yoga movement has swept the globe. It seems that everywhere you turn a new yoga studio is popping up, and people walk down the street carrying yoga mats as though it were a fashion statement. However, the obvious majority of those attending class and lugging around yoga mats are females. Yes, you occasionally see a male celebrity participating in yoga, thanks in part to their girlfriend or personal trainer sneaking in a couple poses here and there. But most people envision yoga as some stretching and breathing with a bunch of women in skimpy clothes in a hot room. Admittedly, that doesn't sound half bad from a guy's perspective! Why is it that more guys are not diving into down dog and flying into pigeon pose?

I’ll come right out and say what we’re all thinking. We, as guys, are scared to do yoga because we might look bad in a room full of sweaty, in-shape, scantily clad women. That would be bad for our image!

Well, swallow your pride guys, because yoga is actually great for our image. Here’s why.

In a recent study of 287 students at Ball State University, researchers found that just 15 weeks of yoga increased the practitioner’s lung capacity by 10 percent, and this continued to improve. This translates to better performance in the sport of your choice. Whether you’re surfing, playing basketball, touch football, or even just lawn darts, yoga can help. That’s why many top athletes today practice yoga.

When you can relax into a difficult pose or learn to breathe better while moving into a yoga position, your strength, flexibility, and balance improves. But in yoga, your practice doesn't end when you step off the mat. The good habits you practice on the mat carry over and directly relate to what you’re doing elsewhere throughout your day, and especially on the sporting field.

Along with creating a better body for your sport, yoga also helps to create a better and calmer mind - a mind that can be used to out-think your opponent or to stay calm when your boss is throwing a tantrum. The concentration needed to stand on one leg or to move your body into or out of a particular pose creates a state of mind which easily transfers into daily life. When we’re in flow with our bodies and fully focused on the breathing, structure, and movement of yoga, we create a wonderful habit that helps us to focus on the tasks that fill our day. By removing external noise and achieving this concentration, we open ourselves up to a more productive and creative environment. This newfound awareness might just help us get that big promotion or sink that difficult putt.

Whether it’s an upgrade to business class, a faster and sleeker car, or a new and better job, as men, there’s nothing we like better than getting an upgrade. With yoga, each and every day you step onto the mat you’re getting an upgrade in yourself. You see, performing yoga helps you learn more about your body in order to better yourself as a whole. You’re learning to get out of your own way, and to let your body learn and explore as it was meant to do. Like an infant learning to walk and expand the reaches of its domain, you’re expanding the possibilities of your body and mind. This lets you grow and keep growing even while off the mat. Bam! Instant upgrade.

Did I mention that yoga will help you stay on the playing field of life longer? Doing yoga can stimulate the immune system and help it fight off nasty things like colds and other illnesses. When we’re run down from the stresses of daily life and we don't practice healthy nutrition, our immune system isn’t as strong as it could be. We become susceptible to whatever bug Rover brought home or whatever our 5 year old caught from his classmates. A regular program of Yoga has been shown to boost immune capacity and help fend off those nasty bugs. Studies have also shown that yoga can help manage and sometimes get rid of those ailments you may be taking pills for. Whether it’s arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, stress, high blood pressure, asthma, depression, or back pain, yoga can help and even cure it. That's good for our mental, physical, and even our financial health. Healthier people spend less time at the hospital, which means less money spent on medical bills and more time spent enjoying life.

By now you’re probably thinking that yoga is something you should be doing. However, I’m willing to bet you might still have reservations about running down to your local yoga studio and signing up. No problem at all. There are still plenty of other ways that you can practice yoga.

Don’t get me wrong. Nothing can take the place of an instructor to guide you through new movements and help tweak weak spots. However, thanks to the growing popularity of yoga, there are thousands of DVDs out there that will take you through a session in the privacy of your own home. While the majority of these cater to women, you can find some great instructors and instructional DVDs that we men can use.

Two that I highly recommend are the RMAX Prasara Yoga DVD and the RMAX Prasara Primer DVD, for the simple fact that they were created by men, with the male body in mind. Here we have a yoga style created by guys for guys. A no- nonsense yoga that makes you go, “That's yoga? I want to try that!”

Click Here For More Info on the RMAX Prasara Yoga DVD

Click Here For More Info on the RMAX Prasara Primer DVD

If the product you want doesn’t exist, you have to create it. It’s my desire to get guys interested in yoga and to keep them interested. I realized that guys need a home on the internet where they can read articles and get free information about yoga that relates directly to them. Straight, solid info from one guy to another. That was the genesis of Yoga-For-Men.com.

On Yoga-For-Men.com you will find articles on yoga poses and moves, of course, but you’ll also find information on nutrition for guys that is specifically geared to sport and to living life like a guy. While Yoga for Men is still in its infancy, I have a feeling that in the next year we’ll see a huge surge in the number of men who are practicing. I see Yoga-For- Men.com as the source that will lead that surge: a one-stop portal for guys interested in and practicing yoga. A community for guys helping to better themselves through yoga. Sure, I want everyone who visits Yoga-For- Men.com to ultimately practice Prasara yoga. However, if this small place on the web helps get more guys down-dogging and bridging their way to better health and performance in life, we all benefit.

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