Although many people are starting to practice yoga, many people still think yoga is just glorified stretching without any strength or cardio exercise. Such people hesitate to enter the yoga room as they feel they would not benefit from it. Or otherwise, they do not understand what yoga is?
Practicing yoga is a physical exercise and is strenuous, and any man can benefit from yoga. There are several poses for men from which they can help.
Potential benefits of full-body yoga workout for men
With Vinyasa yoga, your cardiovascular system becomes strong, and it maintains the optimum heart rate. Lungs also become strong, and deep breathing enhances your capability, which in turn offers more oxygen to your body. Overall regular yoga workout increases your durability.
With several yoga poses for breathing series that will allow your muscles to strengthen and extend simultaneously. By combining yoga with weightlifting, some of the parts of the muscles that are ignored are activated. For example, the understated boxer muscles are reinforced and noticeable, which helps in giving the powers of the abdomen a more “cutting” appearance.
A yoga school in Rishikesh includes various breathing techniques in their physical yoga practice that affects more than building strength in the lungs.
With deep breathing involving the abdomen, your parasympathetic nervous system is activated, lowering the cortisone level. Cortisone is a hormone that makes your body hold belly fat. By practicing deep breathing, you can efficiently decrease stress along with cortisone levels.
So, now when you have known about the benefits of yoga workouts, lets us know about yoga poses that are great for any male body. A 200 hour yoga teacher training in Rishikesh helps in learning all yoga poses perfectly.
Practicing yoga has amazing effects on both men and women, but some yoga poses benefit men in particular.
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Utkatasana
Also known as chair pose is grueling even for fit men. This yoga pose helps in strengthening the ankles, glutes, shoulders, and quadriceps. It also builds stability and stimulates your abdominal organs.
To practice chair pose
- Start by standing on top of your mat with feet a hip distance apart.
- Inhale, keeping your arms overhead, and when you start exhaling, bend your knees with your pelvis down like you are sitting in a chair.
- Now bring your weight to the heels, relax your shoulder and keep your core engaged.
- Make sure to continue breathing when you hold this pose.
Also called boat pose, Navasana helps strengthen the deep core along with your hip flexors and spine. This yoga pose assists in stimulating the prostate gland, thereby reducing tension in the pelvic region and helps the digestive system.
To practice Boat pose:
- At first, lie down flat on your back, keeping your arms on your side and keeping your breath regular.
- Now inhale and lift both your legs from the mat. You can keep your knees bent or straight if you want to enhance the challenge.
- Directly lead with the chest when you start lifting your upper body from the mat and reach the arms skyward.
- Your core should remain activated, and the spine should remain straight.
- Maintain this for about 15-20 seconds or even longer to build your core strength.
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Uttanasana
This pose assists in stretching your muscles enhance blood circulation, and relieves your stress. It is one of the excellent yoga poses for men to help themselves and retrieve their center. It invites your back body to open, which includes hamstrings, knees as well as calves. Moreover, Uttanasana also relieves tension in your spine, neck and helps in enhancing digestion.
You can practice Uttanasana by
- Start standing on top of your mat, inhale and then keep your arms overhead.
- Now exhale, hinge at your hips, and then bend forward, allowing your head to hand in between your arms.
- When your hamstrings are tight, keep your knees bent, resting your torso over the thighs, or you can place any yoga block under your hands.
- Ensure your upper body remains completely relaxed, which helps create a deep opening of the back body.
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Adho Mukha Savanasana
This pose might appear simple but is very challenging. It is also called a downward-facing dog that offers your overall body benefits and especially makes your back, hamstrings, and shoulders strong. It is one of the excellent yoga poses for men as it stretches your entire body. It is also a great warm-up and assists in quieting your mind.
To practice this pose.
- Start with tabletop position and tuck your toes when you lift your hips upward and backward.
- Your wrist crease should remain in parallel to the mat top, and your fingers should point forward.
- Come to the toes, bend your knees and then lift the hips towards the ceiling. With your back remaining flat, slowly make your legs straight to make an upside-down “V” shape.
- Your head and neck remain relaxed when you stay here and then connect to your breath.
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Anjaneyasana
This pose is also called Low Lunge and is one of the fantastic yoga poses for men taught in most yoga schools in Rishikesh.
This yoga helps lengthen and strengthen much of your body parts like hips, knees, ankles, and chest.
How you can practice Anjaneyasana
- Start with a downward-facing dog position. Now inhale and keep your right foot forward in between your hands. Ensure your right knee makes a right angle by keeping your knee over your ankle, and your thigh should remain parallel to the floor.
- You have one option where you can keep your left knee over the mat and keep it straight as well as lifted.
- Keep your inner thighs as well as core engaged helps in keeping balance.
These are some essential yoga poses for men doing which can offer men a full-body yoga workout. Start with these poses to stretch some of your tightest areas, such as your groin, shoulders, and hips.
The challenge here is to continue practicing intensely so that you can experience the vast mental and physical benefits in the long run!