If you are more of a gym guy, then you are probably wondering how yoga can be beneficial to you. Whilst you are more likely to want to sweat it out lifting weights than doing the downward dog, yoga does have its own advantages.
Not only can it help to keep you focused at work, but it also has the possibility of boosting your mental health and giving you more satisfaction between the sheets. Curious? Read on.
Whilst associated with women in modern society, its roots lie with men, and has been used as a way to benefit both of the sexes for many years. Even so, whilst for some it does not appear masculine enough, there are many good reasons to take it up – right now.
So, let us take a look at how yoga can help you.
Helps to Reduce Stress
One of the most common reasons men take up yoga is stress. From working long hours in the office, to having a hectic lifestyle – these are all contributing factors that can cause stress which ultimately may damage health.
Even though we probably cannot see it now, stress can affect us over time. This is because when we become stressed, high levels of the hormone cortisol are released. This can affect blood pressure, heart rate, thyroid function and inflammatory responses, amongst so much more.
Basically, it has a negative impact on the body, and if you can stop it from happening over long periods of time, then it will be better for you in the long run. Yoga can help to reduce the hormone from affecting how the body works by helping you to respond to stress in a more efficient way.
In fact, yoga can help you to deal with stress and reduce respiration, in turn easing any of the body’s inflammatory responses. Pretty cool, huh?
Focus Better at Work
Speaking of stress, yoga can significantly improve your focus and productivity. This is especially useful when it comes to work, and can help alongside dealing with stress.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 85,000 U.S. workers found that yoga helped to improve their well-being and overall productivity, especially with issues like burnout.
What that means is yoga is a great tool to help workers’ deal with daily stress in a better way. In turn, they then can focus on their work in an efficient manner, rather than having to feel burned out due to the stress of their job.
It is also said that having time to meditate and be at peace with one’s self and their surroundings can give us the energy to make better decisions, as well as form better connections with others.
So the next time you are struggling to deal with the workload, yoga might just be the answer.
Improve Posture
When it comes to yoga, one of the first things you will notice is how it can affect the flexibility and performance of the body. There is stretching, stability and strength involved – all three things can help with posture and creating overall balance.
With many of us working at a computer all day, the repetitive movements and hunching over the keyboard can cause issues when it comes to posture. Whilst at first it might not seem like much of a problem, over time it can cause serious aches and pains.
To avoid this happening, even if you are attempting to sit correctly (we are all guilty of not), then yoga can help to improve some of that impact. With far-reaching movements and learning to look after yourself, yoga can alleviate the symptoms of not sitting correctly for hours on end.
Yoga can also benefit those who go to the gym and lift weights, for example. It can always be added into your health and well-being schedule to counteract with repetitive movements.
Improve Mental Health
Yoga has been proved to help deal with mental health, and is known to make us happier. According to a study on 12 patients who had experienced depression for around 11 years, after they took part in nine yoga sessions on a weekly basis, their overall scores for depression had decreased.
This could be to do with the relaxing nature of yoga, and how it can help to reduce stress levels and make us feel at peace with everything around us.
It is also worth noting that in some studies, such as those with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), they were able to find positive results in linking yoga with those who suffer from severe depression.
With high levels of suicides in men compared to women, yoga could be a great way to help those in need.
Can Help With Sexual Issues
Not only can yoga help you physically when it comes to sex – think flexibility and stamina – but it can also benefit other areas too.
A study in India found that those who had premature ejaculation (PE) benefited far more from doing yoga for three months, than those who took medication for the issue.
On the other end of the spectrum, it can also help with erections just generally. Yoga can speed up the release of hormones that are needed for arousal, and in doing so it increases blood flow to the genitals.
Whilst rushing to medication and self-doubt might be your first port of call when it comes to sexual problems, it is always best to releive yourself of stress first, and yoga is a good way to do this.
Sleep Better
If you are currently struggling to sleep, or perhaps you are suffering from snoring, then it might be time to take up yoga (or give a subtle hint to your partner). It can help to strengthen the respiratory muscles which in turn may improve the snoring, as well as help you to fall asleep.
A study with older people found that those who did yoga had less disturbances during their sleep, and also their quality of sleep was much better than those who did not do yoga.
Getting a good night’s sleep is also a really important factor when it comes to functioning in our daily lives, and it connects with dealing with stress, focusing at work better and having a fulfilled sex life.
Final Words
Yoga has had a bad rep with men in the past, despite how it originally started. Whilst associated with women, soft speaking instructors and the hippy lifestyle, it is actually far from what you might imagine.
Taking up yoga can benefit men in a number of ways, from getting a better night’s sleep and dealing with premature ejaculation, to building up confidence and dealing with anxiety.
It is a beneficial way to spend your time in today’s world of working for long hours and scrolling down the newsfeeds of social media 24/7. We are inundated with information and useless stuff, that it can only be a good thing to get away from it all.
In today’s world of a hectic lifestyle, there is no time better than now to take up yoga. So, what are you waiting for?
I created this website to help newcomers to yoga and enthusiasts alike, and to share our common passions for yoga.
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