Exercise

How Men Can Try Yoga Workouts for More Strength and Balance

Rachel Tavel, DPT, CSCS, is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist at Shift Wellness in NYC. In this weekly series, she shares expert insights to help you move better, feel stronger, and train smarter.

If you’ve ever thought yoga isn’t for you, it’s time to reconsider. While yoga is often stereotyped as a “feminine” practice in the West, its origins tell a different story: the first yogis were men. And despite modern perceptions, yoga is just as beneficial—if not essential—for men’s health as it is for anyone else.

Yoga has been practiced for over 5,000 years, blending physical postures (asana), breathing techniques (pranayama), and meditation to improve both physical and mental wellbeing. Dr. Lisa Blum, PT, DPT, CYT, also of Shift Wellness, notes that yoga was initially a male-dominated discipline and its wide range of benefits is anything but gender-specific.

Today, with many working from home and stepping away from traditional gyms, yoga offers a versatile, efficient way to maintain mobility, strength, and mental clarity. And science backs it up—research continues to highlight yoga’s positive effects on overall health, happiness, and physical performance.

Major Benefits of Yoga for Men

According to Dr. Blum, incorporating yoga into your fitness routine can lead to significant improvements in key areas:

1. Better Mobility and Flexibility

Men often focus on strength and endurance training—weightlifting, cycling, running—which can create tightness in muscles, fascia, and nerves due to repetitive movement patterns. Yoga introduces mobility and flexibility work, helping to restore full range of motion and reduce the risk of injury.

2. Improved Body Awareness

Yoga emphasizes form, control, and balance—skills that enhance proprioception (your body’s ability to sense its position in space). This increased awareness can improve your lifting technique, balance, coordination, and ultimately reduce the likelihood of injury.

3. Activation of Deep Stabilizing Muscles

Traditional workouts tend to focus on large muscle groups, often overlooking smaller stabilizing muscles that are essential for joint health and injury prevention. Yoga engages the core, hips, and trunk muscles in ways that machines and free weights often do not.

4. Heart Health

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death among men in the U.S. Yoga, especially the breathwork and meditation components, has been shown to lower heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol levels—factors directly tied to cardiovascular health.

4 Foundational Yoga Poses to Start With

Dr. Blum recommends these beginner-friendly poses to help you get started. No Sanskrit fluency required.

1. Cat-Cow (Chakravakasana)

How to do it:

  • Start on all fours with shoulders aligned over wrists and hips over knees.
  • Inhale, drop your belly, and lift your chest and gaze upward (Cow).
  • Exhale, round your spine toward the ceiling, dropping your head (Cat).
  • Repeat 5–10 times, matching breath to movement.

Benefits:
Improves spinal mobility and blood flow while reducing stiffness. Encourages control and awareness of individual vertebrae movement.

2. Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

How to do it:

  • Begin on all fours, then walk your hands slightly forward.
  • Lift your knees off the ground and push your hips back and up.
  • Keep knees slightly bent if hamstrings are tight.
  • Hold for 3–5 breaths.

Benefits:
Stretches hamstrings and calves (common tight spots), strengthens shoulders, and promotes spinal health by encouraging proper hip-to-spine movement.

3. Upward-Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)

How to do it:

  • Lie face down. Place hands under shoulders, elbows close to the body.
  • Push through your palms to lift your torso, thighs off the ground.
  • Weight should rest on your hands and the tops of your feet.
  • Hold for 3–5 breaths.

Benefits:
Strengthens the shoulders and back while stretching the chest and abdominals—key for improving posture and reducing the effects of prolonged sitting.

4. Boat Pose (Navasana)

How to do it:

  • Sit upright with knees bent and spine long.
  • Lift legs off the ground, keeping them straight or slightly bent.
  • Balance on your sit bones, extend arms forward.
  • Hold for 3–5 breaths, then release.

Benefits:
Strengthens the core, stretches hamstrings, and improves postural control. Also promotes awareness of hip-to-spine alignment.

Final Thoughts

Yoga isn’t just stretching—it’s a powerful tool for building strength, improving mobility, and enhancing both physical and mental resilience. Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or just looking for a sustainable way to stay healthy, adding yoga to your routine is a smart move.

If you’re curious to expand your practice, try a beginner-friendly class or explore other poses at your own pace. No experience necessary—just a mat, an open mind, and a few deep breaths.

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