Is Yoga for Men?

Though yoga was traditionally taught by men, in the West it’s often seen as an activity for women. But more and more men are tapping into the benefits of yoga: less stress, a fit body, more energy and better sleep—to name a few. The most recent ‘Yoga in America’ study released by Yoga Journal states that about 28 % of yoga practitioners are men. And that was back in 2008. Today, we at MyYogaOnline.com are seeing the global trend of more men doing yoga reflected in the large number of them using our site, and interacting with us on Facebook.

So, without further adieu, here are 14 Tips on Yoga for Men, mainly focusing on asana and yoga poses.

14 Tips on Yoga for Men

Asana: Yoga Pushups Tips:

1. Before setting up Chaturanga and descending, set your hands wider (slightly broader than shoulder width). This will enable your chest muscles to engage without causing shoulder girdle destabilization.
2. Always visualize your shoulder blades hugging into and down the ribs, thus retaining the integrity of the stabilization muscles.
3. Maintain a continuous reaching motion down the index fingers, keeping the index finger pads grounded.
4. Look slightly forward a few inches forward of your finger tips and visualize your head floating away from the ground. Keep a neutral neck line to support the upper spine.
5. Contain your belly by maintaining mild abdominal contraction. Use your exhale to help promote contraction of the core musculature.

How to Add Load-Bearing, Muscle Strengthening Exercises to Your Asana Practice

1. Combine various types of load-bearing exercise. For instance, including yoga poses that focus on multiple body parts will ensure your strengthen the bones of the hips, wrists, and spine, those bones more at risk for breaking.
2. As you get stronger, take it up a notch by increasing the resistance with more advanced poses such as headstand and arm balancing.
3. Variety is important – change it up! All you need is you. Great examples of weight-bearing poses using only your body weight are planks, balancing work, and, if you’re adventurous, handstand.

Boosting Metabolism With Muscle: 5 Ideal Yoga Poses that Work Large Muscle Groups

1. Warrior Poses (Virabhadrasana)
2. Chair Pose (Utkatasana)
3. Plank Pose / Push up transitions (Chaturanga Dandasana)
4. Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)
5. Bridge Pose and Spinal Lift Pose (Setu Bandhasana)

1 Important Tip for Working Your Core While Protecting Your Back

1. Core conditioning should be promoted more effectively through working all the supportive musculature and not just the tissues associated with a six-pack.

LINDSEY LEWIS A certified Hatha, Kundalini and Yin yoga teacher, Lindsey is also a behind-the-scenes team member at www.myyogaonline.com. Find her yoga at home videos here, and her website here. Lindsey's personal mantra? Liberty. Freedom. Love.