Real Men do Yoga

No, you don’t have to stand on your head. There will be no strange and painful contortions here. No incense. No fluffy anything. And no, it’s not a chick thing. It is just plain hard work.

There are many misconceptions of yoga. It’s for girls. It’s a religion. It’s easy. It’s for sissys. It’s not cardio vascular. It’s not a “workout”. And yet in the last few years, it has exploded in popularity with men. In the States, roughly 3.5 million men practice yoga. Traditionally in India, only men practiced yoga. Why are more and more professional sports teams practicing yoga?? Because they know physics and their bodies are worth millions of dollars. They get it. What? Force over distance equals power.

Force over distance equals power. What does that mean? How does it affect the average Joe? Or professional athlete? Simply, if either of these two factors increases, force (strength) or distance (ROM- Range of movement) you get increased power output. Make sense?? When you get more range of movement in the joints with increased strength, you generate more explosive force. Have I gotten your attention now?

Yoga is an amazing exercise system with over 5,000 years of road testing behind it. That long history, a growing body of medical evidence, and the reports of men practicing yoga right now all tell us this: If you are a guy who wants to get in great shape, the best shape of your life, yoga is the workout for you.

Yoga vastly improves flexibility, increases strength and muscle tone, instills superior balance and body control, improves breathing and oxygen intake, improves athletic performance, prevents injuries and speeds up recoveries, alleviates back pain, raises your energy level, recharges your sex life, and give you the best sleep of your life. Need more??

Yoga reduces stress and minimizes it’s harmful effects on the body, it relaxes you physically as well as mentally and trains your focus and concentration. Yoga allows you to perform at your peak. And, yoga makes you feel great. Still need more?? Let’s get back to sports. Force over distance equals power.

Force over distance equal power!!! Get it? If you have a full range of movement your strength creates more force. Think of a swimmer’s shoulders, a golfers range of movement, a skier. If you can’t move, your strength doesn’t equal very much. And to be totally honest, as a yoga teacher I see shocking range of movement in men under 20, not to mention men in their 40’s.

The f word. One of my favorite words. But I am yoga teacher and supposed to be politically correct. What is the F-Word?? Not flexibility but fascia. Fascia is something that no one talks about and hardly anyone knows about.