As a relaxation and flexibility sport, yoga is often underestimated by men. Starting from the notion of “fewer men” to silly questions like “can yoga really make you sweat?” In fact, basically, every type of exercise must have benefits for the body, regardless of gender.
Well, here are five benefits that can be obtained from yoga for men.
1. Improves The Digestive System.
Indeed there are so many fiber-rich foods that can help to smooth the digestive system, but besides that practicing yoga can also benefit the digestive system without having to eat anything.
There are so many yoga movements that can be useful for this, but the most important is the circular movements designed to massage the internal organs and keep the path of the food consumed smooth.
A smooth digestive system will produce great energy for the body. When you want to do this circular motion, you should make a circular motion to the right first and then to the left to align it with the digestive system path.
2. Reducing The Urge To Chew Food.
It is undeniable that the desire to eat, especially after exercising, is very large because the body feels the need for food intake. However, practicing yoga can make you give up this desire.
A study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association showed the results that regular yoga practice can keep a person hungry longer. The breathing exercises found in yoga can improve the connection between body and soul so you can resist the urge to devour all those delicious-looking foods after a yoga practice.
3. Improve Brain Function.
In general, exercise can indeed improve brain function, but yoga in particular has some tangible benefits for brain function performance. Yoga uses the body and breathing as tools to create balance and clarity in the mind.
By synchronizing movement with your breath on a regular basis, you can reduce stress and maintain focus. A study in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health shows that a 20-minute yoga session can stimulate brain performance better than walking or jogging on a treadmill for the same amount of time.
4. Prevent Injury or Illness.
Most of the men often experience dizziness, aches, and injuries when doing strenuous activities such as sports, games, and others. Practicing yoga can reduce the risk of injury or other illnesses.
Yoga can increase flexibility through a variety of exercise movements that can help lengthen muscles and relieve tense muscles. This exercise can also increase joint endurance by strengthening connective muscle tissue.
In addition, regular yoga practice can also help you to develop a better awareness of your body so that you can identify minor problems, such as bad posture (slouching), and fix them quickly.
5. Build Muscle.
Generally, people would think to build muscle need to do regular weight training. Though there are many other exercises that can build muscle perfectly and quickly.
One of them is yoga. Yoga uses the body’s own weight and resistance to build muscle mass. In addition, yoga can lengthen muscle size so that it can increase blood flow.
Smoother blood flow means that more oxygen gets to the muscles, which can speed up the recovery period of the muscles and make them grow faster.
Those are the five benefits of yoga for men in general. So, still, hesitating to start practicing yoga from now on?