Some guys are reluctant to try yoga.
Bob’s friends have noticed a change:
- Bob has stopped lifting weights and he is getting stronger.
- Bob has stopped playing sports and his body is getting healthier.
- Bob is handling the daily stress better than ever before.
- Bob’s relationship with his wife is solid and stable.
Bob has discovered yoga and he is glad that he did. Yoga has done all of this for him and it can do it to a lot of other guys as well.
Why the change from sports to yoga
Competitive sports are hard on the body and as Bob gets older he is noticing that he is getting injured more frequently. They may be minor injuries but they are taking longer and longer to recover from as he gets older. And these young kids are getting faster all the time.
Bob has found that the gym has less camaraderie and community than it had when he was going to university. Then everyone on the team went to the gym together. Everyone helped everyone else out with their weight lifting and crunches. Now, since university, he is going by himself and the community is gone.
Bob is now in a relationship. Several years ago Bob got married. With the long work hours they both put in it would be great to find a date activity that they could both do and enjoy together. Getting out on a date and improving your body at the same time is great.
Bob found a yoga class that he enjoys. He found a yoga class that challenges him just enough. He and his wife can now have a date night and improve their mind and body at the same time. Besides when they go home after class they both feel really good and that always helps their relationship to stay fresh and vibrant.
Bob found that yoga works for him at this time in his life. Let’s look at a few more reasons why you may want to add yoga to your life.
Why do yoga
— Your upper body will get stronger
There are a large number of yoga poses that focus on building your upper body strength. And these yoga poses work a variety of muscles at the same time. You will discover that in yoga you are using your body like a set of free weights. You are constantly picking up and moving your body in different ways that require a lot of strength in your upper body.
Bob has stopped lifting weights and he is stronger now than he ever was when he was going to the gym all of the time. All these yoga poses require and build strength in the upper body. Some of the long time yogis make it look easy. Bob still struggles with some of the poses but his strength is increasing and soon he will be doing the same poses with ease as well. And then it will be time to move on to some more challenging poses.
— Your core will get stronger
Not only will you increase your upper body strength, you will find that your core will get stronger as well. Crunches, Sit ups and push ups are all great exercises, but Bob found that he was getting less and less benefit from these exercises. They body was getting used to them and he was reaching a point of diminishing returns.
There are all kinds of yoga poses that work and strengthen your core. And these pose work your core muscles in different ways and they work your muscles against each other to develop your core.
— You will alleviate stress
Bob has found that yoga is a good way for guys to relieve stress. Most guys tend to internalize their stress and get rid of it in other less healthy fashions. Happy hour and a competitive game will help to remove some of the stress. Toss in a good altercation and most of their stress will be gone.
Another and less violent way to get rid of that stress is to work on a series of yoga poses. A yoga pose requires your complete attention to accomplish it correctly. When you are in the present moment focusing on a yoga pose you will find that you can no longer focus on the stress that you have built up during the day. The more you do yoga the more stress will leave your body. You will be relaxed and refreshed after a yoga practice and ready to take on the world.
— It’s a cheap date
Dinner, drinks and a movie can be quite expensive. The traditional date can take not only a lot of money but a lot of time. A yoga date on the other hand can be quite inexpensive. For under $20 each you both can spend time together and get healthy to boot.
If you are the kind of guy that does not like to talk all that much then yoga is meant for you. 90 minutes of being together and not talking will seem priceless.
— The women
If you are single there is no better place to meet a woman. The gal to guy ratio is heavily in favour of the guy. There are a lot more women in a yoga class than there are guys although Bob has been noticing that that has been changing recently as more guys are discovering yoga.
Besides the kind of women that you meet in a yoga class are more likely to be pretty good shape, fairly smart and have a deep personality.
This sounds a lot better than the women that you generally meet during Happy hour.
One caution, don’t try and pick up a lady during yoga class. Wait until the class is over to try out your favourite pick up line.
Summary
Bob has found that yoga is the right thing for him at this point in his life. He realizes that yoga is a marathon and not a sprint. He is in for the long haul. Bob’s body is constantly improving. He is getting healthier and stronger. He is better able to handle stress, in fact it is having less of an impact on his life since he started doing yoga regularly.
Bob and his wife now have an activity that they share several times a week.
Life is great for Bob. Why don’t you join him.
Next Steps
Find a practice buddy, check out some yoga poses either in books or online and check out some of the yoga studios in town. You will be glad that you did.
