Yoga for Men

Lee82

Just read this article by Tony Parsons and thought it was worth sharing:

http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/comment/articles/2013-03/08/tony-parsons-recommends-yoga-for-men

I've been interested in yoga for a while but not got in to a regular routine of doing it. I have an app on my macbook with set routines to follow from beginner to advanced and I now feel motivated to open it up and start regular practice. I know classes would be much better but with other commitments (kids mostly and working around shifts) I struggle to commit to regular weekly slots for anything.

Anyone else doing yoga? How are you getting on with it? Can it really turn my inflexible, slightly overweight body in to tower of strength and good health??

Glow

Yoga is very good for building strength, improving the mind-body connection ("yoga" literally means "union" in Sanskrit), flexibility, and fixing muscular imbalances. Some of the more difficult balancing poses are particularly good for developing strength.

However, it's not a particularly effective way to get in shape if you're not already in shape. If you want to move from out-of-shape to in-shape, focus instead on walking (along terrain that includes some uphills), running, swimming, skipping rope, or anything that gets your heart rate up. Then, you can incorporate yoga as a supplement, to prevent your muscles from becoming stiff and reduce injury/soreness, as well as refining your strength and flexibility.

I recommend incorporating your children into your physical activity. Perhaps go out and play football with them, or go on family walks/runs/hikes. A weekend outing along the countryside with a picnic is a very nice way to bond and make memories.

Lee82

I'm not particularly unfit but I have put a few pounds on in the past few months. I've found myself eating more than I should and not sure why. I do go out walking quite a lot, I run around with the kids all the time and generally don't feel that I am unfit. I had been running 5k a week on a saturday morning but I twisted my ankle about 3 months ago; still can't fully rotate it and don't feel comfortable enough to run on it. Obviously yoga has to be part of a balanced lifestyle along with exercise and good diet but at the moment I can't do the exercise I want and am eating too much and the wrong things. I've started at the gym a few times in the past but never stuck at it so not going to bother again. I'm hoping to improve my diet, do some fairly simple exercise and use yoga as the core of my training because I can do it at home when the kids are in bed at the same time as having quiet and reflective time at the end of the day.

person

I really like these 2 yoga routines. The teacher is Dagmar Spremberg, her voice is really calm and inviting, something I normally don't associate with a German accent. The routines each run about 45 minutes and incorporate a nice range of poses and stretches. They are of an intermediate skill level despite the back bend in the second video pictured (its the hardest pose out of both videos and an alternative pose is given), with easier modifications given for many poses.

blu3ree

Yoga is much more than just postures unfortunatly most of us westerners only think of yoga as postures.

As far as stretching goes for those who may be a little stiff in the muscles joints etc. there is a common phrase in eischens yoga "no pain no pain" avoiding any stretches ones body isn't ready for. With time and a regular stretching routine say 2 times a day doing legs core arms and back after about a week to a week n a half the body will start to be able do some pretty awesome stuff.

tip: about 5 seconds in a pose (if the body is inflexible) should be enough at first. Then gradually build up to 10 seconds after around 6 days and 15 seconds after 12 days. Don't overdue the postures if a muscle or tendon gets torn it will be extremely painful and take n e where from 3-9 months to heal (depending on level of activity and diet).

Another tip: the muscles may feel achy the next day it's completely normal. stay mindful of your body as to avoid over stretching but continue stretching still all will feel good after the first 2 weeks.

I don't necessarily do "yoga postures" but I like to keep my legs and what not stretched cause it helps with kicking for karate. I took an eischens yoga class for about a week and a half and used to be in track 7-11th grade.

So in conclusion if it hurts DONT do it!!

DaltheJigsaw

Thank you for this!!

Invincible_summer

It's funny - whenever I do yoga, I don't really feel like I'm developing much of a "mind-body connection." Maybe it's because I don't do it regularly enough. I always feel like I'm just going through motions with nothing spiritual about it at all. A couple of my friends are all "It's so amazing! Mindfulness yada yada yada!"

So then I encouraged my yoga-nut friends to do sitting meditation, they think it's too boring.

I guess it all depends on what one is used to.

Zero

Lee82 said:

Anyone else doing yoga?
How are you getting on with it?
Can it really turn my inflexible, slightly overweight body in to tower of strength and good health??

Yes - I do some yoga as part of a broader routine.
I'm ok with it.
Tower of strength and good health, I'm not sure - I haven't practiced it exclusively.
It's not a greatly efficient method of exercise and many of the concepts do not sit well with modern sports science.
That said, I'm fond of it and probably better doing it than not if that's the only option.

karasti

Not a man, lol, but yoga can do amazing thins for strength and flexibility, absolutely. However, you'll notice that those who are in the best shape from doing yoga, have done it for years, even decades and that it (like almost all other healthy lifestyle methods) goes hand in hand with a really good diet and other healthy living behaviors. It's no more magic than the thigh master if you don't put it all together into a healthy package.

pommesetoranges

Well, asanas (physical postures) are only one of the 8 limbs of yoga (see for example here http://www.expressionsofspirit.com/yoga/eight-limbs.htm) and they were originally developed as positions to use for meditation. Those yogis who discard sitting meditation as boring aren't really yogis - they might be more of fitness enthusiasts, who happen to use stretches as a basis for their routine.

I've been doing yoga at least once a day before my sitting meditation for half year now and I don't plan on changing that. It made my body much more flexible: I can now sit up to an hour in siddhasana (half-lotus version) without much discomfort and I could probably sit much longer just didn't feel the need to try. Many Tibetans do tummo practices, which are basically pranayama (it came to Tibet from India after all) and pranayama is what has taken my samatha meditation to a whole new level.

I encourage you to read more about it!

I don't think it's a very efficient way to exercise though, and if you want to get fit I would consider other options. You don't really need a gym! Do some research on bodyweight exercises, plyometrics and calisthenics. I consider myself to be extremely fit (years of martial arts and strength training) and I don't use weights much these days. Try handstand press-ups, 1 leg squats, superman pushups or muscle-ups to get an idea how difficult and effective such regimen can be. I'm a busy person myself and except for running I don't work out longer than 25 min. Make it short, frequent and intensive I say!

lobster

I encourage you to read more about it!

Great advice.

I don't think it's a very efficient way to exercise though

All the 'real exercises' you mention are done in some 'manly' styles of yoga . . . and then some. I learned and taught a style developed for martial artists, based in large part on a Japanese yoga style. Styles of physical yoga are varied, from gentle meditative stretching, to cardio and strengthening.

Lee82

Done yoga for the past few days but my word am I feeling it this morning! I've been doing the sun salutations in a 23 min set but thought I'd try a different one last night. Was for beginners, good for back and abs and lasted 55 minutes, I was not prepared for it being so challenging, wow! There were some positions I just couldn't hold and that was for beginners, feeling optimistic now that it'll be something really good for me.

My plan now is for the sun salutation set every day plus maybe 2/3 nights per week of this harder routine. Mix in the healthy eating and two 5k runs I'm doing and I'll be fit and healthy in no time. Time to undo the stone I've gained in the past 6 months and fluctuating weight over the past 5 years :-)

Jainarayan

I finally found a studio in my area that offers yoga. Admittedly I haven't taken a class yet, but if it's anything like the tai chi class I took yesterday, it will be a winner. Tai chi is not as easy as it may look and is worth considering; it is a real workout especially for a beginner. I'm also looking into yin yoga for the stretches (some simple poses held for 3-5 minutes) because I'm about as flexible as an iron bar. I also want to work up to being able to do the Surya Namaskar, aka sun salutation, even if not in the morning to greet Suryadev, but also in the evening to bid him goodnight and thanks for his gifts that day.

mfranzdorf

I practice three nights a week (usually...) There are some decent free workouts on youtube if you are looking to get a bit more fit. "Power yoga" ,as it's called isn't necessarily traditional, but it does work the muscles and cardio. One of my favorites is Bryan Jones on youtube. Full yoga sessions, free of charge. He is also on Facebook if you are into that.