Yes, it is true, most yoga classes are full of fit, flexible females with Lululemon apparel. Only a few men practice in class, and most of them tend to struggle with postures.
I started yoga practicing two years ago. My boyfriend is a body builder and started to go gym since he was 18. Right now, he has big muscles but very bad flexibility. I invited him to join my yoga class, but found it is very difficult for him. The main reasons were:
– Yoga is too feminine,
– Yoga is too slow, not like working out in gym.Some men don’t consider the stretching, poses,
and deep breathing exercises a “real” workout.
– Yoga doesn’t have an obvious effect on the body
– Most of yoga classes are not suitable for him. Shoulders, biceps, triceps, chest and back are
the main parts he wants to stretch.
So I told him: yoga is a whole body work-out, involving both cardio exercises and muscle training. According to scientific research, yoga can build strength, increase flexibility, and improve balance, stability, sleep, and relaxation.Yoga allows you to connect your body and mind and to find inner peace, but this doesn’t mean yoga can’t make you sweat! We build power and heat while ‘flowing’, increase our strength in warrior and plank poses, and challenge ourselves with balance and inversion poses where every movement connects with the mind. The muscles you built through yoga class are healthy muscles (i.e. strong and flexible). Stretching itself is not only for injury prevention, but can also help to strengthen muscle.
Here are 5 yoga movements which would be good for him:
– Cat and cow. Classic spine relaxation poses, which flex and extend the spine concurrent with exhalation
and inhalation.
– Child pose. Great for the spine and shoulders, especially with adjustment.
– The Pigeon Pose, helps to open hips and with lower back pain.
– Belly Twist, this stretches the lower back and rotate the spinal discs.
– Upward Facing Dog, this pose will open up the chest and stretch the abdominals, as well as
the hip flexors.
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