Yoga is a mind and body practice. It includes various styles of breathing techniques, meditation, physical postures and relaxation techniques.
Regular yoga can improve endurance, calmness, flexibility, strength, mental well-being, and much more. So it's no wonder that yoga is becoming more and more popular among both men and women here in the UK.
In recent surveys, it was found the number of men doing yoga has more than doubled globally. Whereas a few years ago, women outnumbered men by 4:1. These new findings show that 28% of practitioners are men and the remaining 72% are women.
The Benefits of Yoga
Improve Your Muscle Strength & Tone
Building strength doesn’t have to be done only through gym workouts and lifting weights. In fact, using your own body weight as a resistance is a form of training and can be a great way to build strength across your body - with little equipment required.
Building strength through yoga is balanced with flexibility.
Improve Flexibility, Posture & Balance
Believe it or not, your head is like a bowling ball – round and heavy! It needs to be balanced directly over your spine to relieve the amount of work your neck and back muscles need to do to support it.
Poor posture can cause strain on your muscles & joints. Improving your posture and your balance helps keep your muscles and joints working and enhances your overall flexibility.
Improve Your Focus & Concentration
Practising yoga on a regular basis helps to calm your mind and senses. Having a calm mind means you are able to focus and concentrate much better.
In simple terms, yoga helps train your mind to keep your thoughts and distractions at bay, helping you attain a tranquil and peaceful state of mind. This can improve your work-life, as well as allow you to focus more easily on everyday activities.
Helps You Relax & Reduce Stress
We get it. It’s hard not to feel more than slightly stressed with your busy lifestyle and work but that is where yoga really can help you unwind.
Yoga has been known to be a great antidote to stress. It combines many stress-reducing techniques including exercise and learning to control your own breathing, clear your mind and relax your body.
Improve Health & Fitness
Yoga’s gentle movements are a big reason why it’s so popular. You can change the exercises to fit your needs, whilst also being a challenging workout.
As you become stronger and more flexible, you'll find it much easier to do other kinds of exercise and your fitness levels improve. It's also a great step in achieving a healthy lifestyle and combined with a good diet, helping you to lose weight and body fat.
Yoga for Beginners: How to Get Started
Keep An Open Mind
As soon as you start regularly practising yoga, you will feel your expectations start to slip away.
On your first session, you might not be able to touch your toes and you may find all the different poses and stretches quite strange. But don’t worry, keep at it! Keep an open mind and get yourself into the right mindset and it will come naturally to you in time. Take a look at sites like Complete Unity Yoga where not only can you buy products but they include helpful tips around meditation etc.
Start with Short Sessions
Everyone starts somewhere! Have a look for beginner classes or shorter sessions, these will be slightly softer and less intimidating until you have built up the strength and flexibility for more challenging sequences.
Before you know it you will be on your way to a calmer, bendier and more self-confident YOU! Check out Yoga Wake Up who has an online community with lots of tips and tricks to get you started.
Follow Yoga Social Media Influencers
Most yoga and health and fitness influencers can give you the best recommendations of where to start, what you need and can even help you master your poses with their tutorials and videos.
Social media has become an effective way for yoga teachers to share their passion, connections and expertise with their followers - simply search hashtags on TikTok or Instagram and get following for inspiration!
Watch Videos on YouTube
As a beginner, sometimes walking into a fitness class can be nerve-wracking and some may need that boost to pluck up the courage to attend.
So to help you get started, why not start by watching videos on YouTube? Tutorials & beginner classes can help you perfect your poses before heading to the first class so you feel that little extra bit confident.
Buy Yourself a Good Mat
There are 4 things you need to look for when buying your yoga mat:
Grip – this applies to both top and bottom. The mat needs to be able to be put on any surface and provide the most stable base.
Support – enough thickness to protect your spine from hard flooring and not too cushioned that you will sink into it.
Durability – coming out of the class without any rips or dents
Portability – carry strap or easily mobile
We recommend buying a quality yoga mat from stores such as Decathlon so you can be sure that it will last as it will be a great investment into your wellbeing.
Buy Yourself Comfortable Clothing
Is there anything worse than leggings sagging around your bum, digging into your waist or constantly pulling them up? A top that hangs over your head when you’re upside down?
You want to be as comfortable as possible but still have the flexibility to stretch. Flexibility and comfort are key parts of yoga, after all.
You want to look for clothing that is specifically designed for yoga in mind. They will be breathable, soft seamed and will stretch as you do. And if you're looking to save a bit of cash, then check out all of our yoga and meditation discount codes!
