Question 1

What are the benefits of yoga for men?

Accepted Answer

What can yoga do for you? It’s no secret that professional athletes of all sports have adopted yoga in some shape or form as a significant part of their training routine. Fitness-centric yoga has proven physical fitness benefits, such as improved balance, increased flexibility, and better body awareness (not to mention many more). But it also has proven non-fitness benefits, such as improved mindfulness, better posture, decreased stress, better sleep, and even increased testosterone.

Question 2

Is Yoga Religious?

Accepted Answer

No, it’s not religious.  Lots of guys are concerned that yoga conflicts with their religious beliefs. It’s true that yoga and Hinduism share common themes, but yoga is not Hinduism. And the way that yoga is practiced in a studio isn’t religious. Many classes do incorporate some aspects of spirituality, but if that makes you uncomfortable, then find a class that doesn’t incorporate spirituality. Man Flow Yoga is one type of yoga that is strictly fitness-based. (It’s no different than attending a group fitness class or watching a follow-along workout video on a DVD.)

Question 3

Is Yoga an Effective Workout?

Accepted Answer

Yes, yoga is an effective workout, and a good use of your time.  Many guys have limited time to workout, and they want to make sure that their time spent working out is time well spent. If you’re looking at the typical gongs & chanting yoga session that’s common in pop culture references, then of course it’s not a good workout - but most yoga isn’t like that.

A good yoga workout focuses on aspects of strength that aren’t covered by some of your more typical workouts, and it actually helps you with your other workouts - to lift more weight, perform better, do more reps, and shave time off the clock.

So if you’re a guy who lifts weights who wants to get stronger and build more muscle, adding 2-3 yoga workouts into your weekly routine is a great idea.

Question 4

Do You Have to Flexible to do Yoga?

Accepted Answer

No, you don’t have to be flexible (for some classes, at least).  Flexibility is just one aspect of yoga, and if you’re attending or participating in a yoga class that’s appropriate for you, then you shouldn’t be limited by your flexibility.

I would be lying to you if I told you that flexibility wasn’t a requirement for some yoga classes though, which is why it’s important to find an appropriate yoga class for you.

My advice? Find an instructor who’s familiar with inflexible people or who has experience working with men. if you don’t like what you find initially, then keep looking - there are literally thousands of yoga instructors out there.

Question 5

Do I Have to Chant When I do Yoga?

Accepted Answer

No, you don’t have to chant.  Chanting is common in many yoga classes, but there are plenty of classes that don’t do any chanting. If your goal is to improve your fitness with yoga, and you find yourself in a class that does any more than 30 seconds of “ohming”, I would highly recommend you find another class.

Question 6

Do I need to Learn Sanskrit Yoga Names?

Accepted Answer

No, you don’t need to learn a dead language in order to practice yoga.  Many yoga instructors refer to postures in their Sanskrit name. Of course, each of these postures also has an English translation, but many yoga instructors (and yogis) prefer to use the Sanskrit name (though, to my knowledge they don’t speak Sanskrit in other capacity). Some people (myself included), thinks this comes across as pretentious and unnecessary, and for this reason I don’t use any Sanskrit in my instruction.

There’s absolutely no need to learn Sanskrit to practice the postures with proper alignment - and despite what some yoga instructors may tell you, there is absolutely no difference in the benefit received if you refer to the pose in its English translation instead of using the Sanskrit term.

If you have an instructor who uses Sanskrit and it annoys you significantly, you can always find another yoga instructor. Again, there are literally thousands of yoga instructors out there, and there’s bound to be one with whom you can relate

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