Being a yoga enthusiast can seem like such a cliche these days. When I think of yoga, the first picture that comes into my head are suburban moms who religiously drink green tea and meditate in the morning, chat with their pals at yoga class by lunch, and wear nothing but the latest Lululemon gear when they’re out and about.

Luckily, today there are so many variations of yoga to try, even if you’re not a woman. Hundreds of prominent male figures all over the world have preached about their love for practicing yoga because it helps calm down their mind, strengthen their core, and nurture their spirit. Even if you’re skeptical of the legitimacy of all those benefits, it certainly doesn’t hurt to give yoga a try. Let’s walk through the top benefits of yoga for men!

Reasons Why You Should Start 

1. Practicing yoga does wonders for helping your mind. If you need addiction and depression help, doing yoga at least a few times every week will help fight your symptoms and reduce your overall stress. Oftentimes depression can affect our energy and confidence levels, so taking the time to strengthen our body and break a sweat is great to regain control. Yoga also helps many men with their chronic anxiety issues as it helps them form a stronger connection to their thought patterns. When you have a stronger grasp of how to manage your emotions and calm down your nerves with steadily controlled breathing, anxiety will have a much harder time taking control over you.
2. Doing yoga regularly helps your cardiovascular health. Just like doing any other exercise, yoga helps decrease blood pressure levels and promotes healthy circulation. Your body will feel much stronger and ready to take on the day if your heart is consistently reinforced with yoga positions that encourage it to work hard. For starters, feel free to try the warrior and sun salutation pose for a quick energy boost during the day. There are many videos on YouTube and Instagram that can walk you how to perform each position correctly!
3. Taking time to perform yoga positions will feed your sense of mind. Aside from the stress reducing benefits, yoga helps you focus more on the present and on your surroundings. In our daily lives we are usually constantly on the go from one event to the next, so taking time to slow down is necessary. You’ll also develop a greater peace of mind if you move between different positions and feel your anxiety levels melting away as time goes on. Overall, the activity will give you a reason to practice self-care and you confidence levels go hand in hand with that.
4. Yoga helps boost your relapse prevention coping skills. If you went through a detoxification program or were once hooked on consuming drugs or alcohol, yoga can serve as a great alternative. Since yoga is a holistic activity for healing the mind, body, and spirit at the same time, it helps people deal with the pain that comes with tapering off their addiction. It doesn’t hurt that yoga releases lots of endorphins, or the chemicals that promote inner happiness either!
5. Yoga makes you feel stronger. Avid yogis these days often report feeling very strong and empowered after each yoga session they complete. Whatever your religious or spiritual beliefs are, you can weave them in with the yoga philosophy. The philosophy that yoga and meditation can teach us is mainly about forcing peace in the mind and completely balancing your nerves. Try out a couple of beginner yoga poses for yourself and think positively while you’re still in the learning process. Don’t get discouraged if your form isn’t totally perfect the first time!
6. Yoga will boost your social life. Even if you already have a ton of friends, joining a local yoga class, yoga club in your school, or even a Facebook group online will connect you to a lot of amazing people! Everyone who takes part in yoga all share the same passion of improving their mindset and strengthening their health. You might find a core group of people to learn from and share your struggles with as you tackle new and difficult positions. Being great at yoga takes time, but the process of getting there is what’s worth it!

Stay Open Minded 

If you never tried anything new in life, you wouldn’t be living life to the fullest at all. The key to attaining a peaceful mind or conquering the mountain of needing addiction and depression help is to take action. Even if you have never done yoga before, it’s easy to see that the benefits of yoga for men especially are outstanding. Practicing the natural exercise is far more worth the effort than resorting to a pill or fad trend that only promise instan results.

Take a look at your schedule not next week, but in the next few days to see when you’re free to try yoga. Start from looking at a couple videos online and following the positions that the content displays. You’ll probably find that it can drastically improve you stress levels and be motivated from the challenge. From there, look at what classes are open at a fitness club or university gym in your community. Almost every chain gym membership includes complimentary yoga sessions, so make sure to do your homework!