This guest post was written by Shari Duddy
Shari Duddy is a Yoga teacher and educator in New Jersey. Shari has many years of experience teaching Yoga
A lot of men believe that yoga is for women. In fact, it’s rare to see men in yoga classes. Most yoga teachers admit that the majority of their classes are made up of women. However, this is a sad fact for most yoga teachers because they’re fully aware of the great number of benefits men can reap from practicing yoga. For instance, if you’re a man who often faces stressful days on the job, you’re likely bringing those stressors home with you. And that increased stress at work can put stress on your relationships. But that isn’t all stress can do to your life. It can cause your body to become less able to function, piling health problem on top of health problem as you get older. Yoga can help you learn to relax and put your mind, as well as your body, at ease, thereby reducing the stress you feel in every area of your life. Yoga can also increase your strength and your flexibility. And if that’s not enough to get you to try yoga, what would you say to the knowledge that yoga can even increase your potency as a man? Thought so.
Stress relief
Practicing yoga reduces stress. This is a fact that most people probably already know. But the benefits of reduced stress may escape people, especially many men who think stress is just a natural part of a real man’s life. The truth is, though, that stress can lead to a number of medical conditions. Undue stress on your life puts undue stress on your heart as well as your mind. The breathing exercises you perform during your yoga workout increase oxygen to your brain, and that means increased oxygen to your body’s other organs. Yoga also can help you to relax, and that’s something millions of American men don’t know how to do effectively. Yoga poses, stretches, and breathing exercises increase blood flow, getting more oxygen to your brain, thereby giving you better ability to put everyday situations into their proper perspective. Yoga just plain helps you deal with everyday situations more effectively and efficiently.
A clearer mind
As those yoga stretches and meditation exercises you’re performing increase oxygen to your brain and help you to relieve stress, one of the most exciting results is a clearer mind. Every man, regardless of his occupation, needs a clear mind and a clear ability to express himself in every situation. No matter what you do for a living, as a man, you’re likely competing with other men and women who will get the jump on you in your career if you’re not on your toes. Practicing yoga will help you gain that clear mind you need, thereby enabling you to perform better on the job. And that will make you a force to be reckoned with as you climb that ladder to success.
Increased stamina
If you’re not already sold on the many benefits yoga can give you as a man, listen up. Practicing yoga will help your sex life, it’s true. One of the most successful categories in pharmaceuticals today is male enhancement drugs. Millions of men throughout the country and the world are searching for the best means of improving their performance, and many of them look to pharmaceuticals for that assistance. The problem, of course, with these drugs is that they bring with them many negative side effects. Muscle aches, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, headache, stomach discomfort, trouble sleeping, skin redness… these are all side effects of today’s male enhancement drugs. But those are only the most common ones. And what are some of the less common side effects? Loss of bladder control, clumsiness, rectal bleeding, blindness, to name only a few. And, to put it candidly, you shouldn’t have to choose between a healthy sex life and your vision. Thankfully, there’s yoga. For men, one of the most significant benefits of yoga is increased sexual energy and virility. Because yoga increases oxygen in the blood, it also increases blood flow. It also increases energy and muscle tone that improve sex drive. And it does it all without negative side effects.
It’s about time men learned what women have known for years… that practicing yoga has many practical benefits. And this fact isn’t just true for women; it’s very true for men as well. Reducing stress, increasing flexibility, increasing strength, better-functioning organs and blood, increased blood flow and oxygen to the brain, and even increased stamina… these are just some of the significant advantages that men who practice yoga experience over those who don’t. If you’re a man who wants to have a more active lifestyle, a more satisfying love life, and wants an edge over the competition, talk to a skilled, experienced yoga teacher about how practicing yoga can benefit you.
