Please give me a break! Every men’s magazine touts the benefits of yoga as sex related. I’m always underwhelmed if not disturbed. “Hotter Sex,” “Perform Better in Bed,” and “More Sexual Stamina,” were the results of a quick google-search experiment.
Authentic yoga was never used for sensual indulgence but it is a sensual restraint for an inner payoff. And check this out—the payoff can be HUGE!
What Can Yoga Do for Men?
I see the benefits of yoga for men to be massive. And I don’t have to look too far for testimonials: I am living proof. I can honestly say the practice and lifestyle has not only reshaped my life but perhaps saved my life and is helping me grow and evolve.
Here’s what I find to be the five REAL benefits of Yoga for Men that NO men’s magazine will ever tell you! I have experienced these benefits in my own life, and they are ones that can transform your life too.
1. The Melting Away of the Competitive Spirit
Men are especially haunted by the spirit of competition that’s often bred into us from youth. Personally, the activation of that competitive spirit into my adult life made me envious of others, if not vicious at times, both in the work place or even amongst friends or family. How miserable!
What a relief it was the first time my yoga teacher said, “Keep your eyes on your own mat. This is your practice, and your worth has nothing to do with the person next to you!” BOOM! Game changer! Now I’m happiest just showing up.
2. The Full Spectrum of Health, Not Merely Fitness
Unlike most gyms, men’s magazines, and fitness regimes, a yoga practice sees total health as more than being ripped. You can be ripped with six-pack abs and be totally riddled with anxiety, depression, rage, and more. How is that health?
If our mind is not calm and our heart is not open, there is no full spectrum health.
You might have nice abs, a great ass, and killer legs, but ultimately, who cares? Besides gross strength, I want pain-free movement and flexibility. I want to exist peacefully and radiantly alive in this body. I do this for my own pleasure, not to receive the validation from others.
Join the FREE Men’s 30 Day Yoga Challenge!3.Becoming Aloof to Public Opinion
Isn’t it a burden to be overly concerned about what other people think of you? It’s just exhausting! When I was younger, I’d always get teased about being a guy doing yoga by friends or acquaintances, but over time, I knew I had made the right choice.
With yoga, I dialed in to my personal internal compass of health, diet, ethics, and ways to relate to people. I came to a deep understanding that this body is a gift in this short life, and I’m here to give instead of take. Once I embraced that spirit, I was forever after aloof to public opinion, as I had found a better way of living. Burden relieved.
4. Stepping Out of My Massive Ego
Yoga has helped me notice degrees of authenticity. It brought an awareness to when I’m genuine, and also when I’m being driven by an agenda dominated by my more base desires. By setting intentions to be true and authentic, I eventually learned to shed shallow expectations which would blow up my ego.
As my ego deflated, my true self finally had room to grow.
5. Spirituality Beyond Religion
Before yoga, relationship pain led me to escapism. I’d get sick of people and just want to check out! “I’m sick of humans. I want to go off to a cave and meditate,” I’d say loud to myself.
Yoga taught me that this is a faulty theory. A true barometer for my spirituality was not my relationship with God alone in a cave, but instead, how I could relate to people whom God has put in my life. Yoga was never an escape from reality, but a chance to enter it.
There you have it—real benefits of yoga for men—and you WILL NOT get this from the newsstands or in men’s mags! If you’re doing yoga right, you’re going to get more than better orgasms—you’re going to get complete, internal self makeover.
