Birmingham Yoga Classes

Can Real Men do Yoga?

Typically you hear about women joining yoga. But the question is: can men also benefit from yoga?

Here’s what U.S. News Health  report says about men doing yoga:

“…The right combination of strength and mobility is key, whether you\’re a professional athlete or just trying to age gracefully. You will tone and strengthen muscles that you didn\’t know you had. The small muscles in your back that have been deteriorating from that desk job will be getting a long-awaited wake-up call. With a commitment to yoga, you will be a lean, mobile, strong and physically fit yoga machine.

… As a former collegiate wrestler, I can honestly say that some yoga classes are more challenging than any workout I\’ve ever done. It will be humbling at times, but worth it. You will learn how to challenge yourself without being competitive. Competition will result in injury. Most men come from a strong athletic or business-minded background, where competition is fierce. Yoga teaches you to challenge yourself intelligently and completely without being overly aggressive. …”

Why anyone should consider yoga

Nowadays various types of people are beginning to enroll in a yoga class with a small group setting, such as: men, women, children; business people, stay-at-home parents, college students, manufacturer employees and more. They generally decide to participate in this type of activity for one or more of the following reasons:

• Increases flexibility – There are poses that concentrate on certain joints, especially those that are not normally worked out by regular exercise routines. You may even notice flexibility in parts of your body which you did not work specifically on.
• Lubrication – It lubricates the ligaments, joints, and tendons. The different yoga positions were designed to achieve this.
• Removes Toxins – It flushes out the toxins from the body. As a result, you will have more energy, decrease the effects of aging, and enjoy a healthy appetite. If you want an all-in-one detoxification process, you can try specific yoga poses.
• Circulation – It promotes better blood circulation throughout the body.
• Massages internal organs – This type of exercise can massage the other organs that do not get stimulated frequently.
• Promotes Body Awareness – Yoga may help prevent sickness and it can help your body warn you of possible health problems. This is because yoga can revitalize and manipulate the organs.
• Respiring – It is a great breathing exercise. The poses help you learn a more focused breathing that serves as an effective stress management exercise. In addition, it may help people that suffer from asthma as there are yoga poses that open up the lungs better.
• Counteracts Insomnia – It gives you better sleep. There are poses that can be done right before you go to sleep.

Studies Show the benefits of Yoga

Yoga offers a variety of benefits.  Here’s what News Health (insert: http://news.health.com/2014/09/23/health-benefits-of-yoga/) reports in regards to studies done on Yoga:

“Joint and muscle pain

Twice-weekly sessions of Iyengar yoga can help ease chronic lower back pain, according to a 2009 study from West Virginia University; study participants who did regular yoga also had less functional disability and fewer symptoms of depression than those who didn’t.

Fishman say that the pain-relieving benefits of yoga extend beyond the back, as well. “A short sequence of asana can make the disability of rotator cuff disappear forever, retraining muscles of the shoulder,” he says. “Another can reverse osteoporosis, by stressing the osteocytes in bones.” A 2013 study, for example, found that yoga decreased and improved quality of life in women with knee osteoarthritis…”

How to find a Yoga Instructor in Birmingham, AL

Though this type of exercise has been around for thousands of years it may be difficult to find a class that teaches it. In the Bham area Shaping U Fitness offers yoga classes in a group setting.

When you’re considering taking any training advice it’s important to work with someone that has been trained themselves and received certification in order to decrease the risk of becoming injured or worse. The trainers at Shaping U Fitness have one or more of the following certifications: ACE, ISSA (International Sciences Association) and NFPT (National Federation Of Professional Trainers). The personal trainers at the Shaping U Fitness facility welcome any inquiries regarding how to get in shape, how to adopt a healthy lifestyle including eating habits and best of all how to maintain your results!