3 Yoga Poses That Every Man Should Master
Sarah Highfield from Yogagise Yoga shares her top 3 yoga poses that every man should master.
Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
This popular yoga pose provides a rejuvenating full-body stretch. This pose helps to energise the body while calming the brain. It stretches the shoulders, hamstrings, calves, arches & hands, and strengthens the arms & legs. It also aids digestion and can soothe back pain.
When in the pose, make sure you spread the weight evenly between the hands and the feet, work the heels down toward the ground, while keeping the legs strong and straight, and the hips lifted. Also, try to lengthen through the spine and relax the neck. Your palms should be flat on the floor, arms straight, and try to rotate the shoulders so that the armpits face one another (this will broaden the upper back).
2. Extended Triangle (Utthita Trikonasana)
This pose works different parts of the body and can be found in many different styles of yoga. It stretches and strengthens the thighs, knees and ankles. It provides the hips, groin, hamstrings, calves, shoulder, chest and spine with a deep stretch. It also massages the internal organs and helps to relieve stress & anxiety.
While in the pose, try to ground down through both feet, keep the legs strong and straight, open the hips up to the sideway and stretch from fingertip-to-fingertip across the chest. Also, think about creating space along both sides of the torso, especially the underside.
3. High Lunge (Utthita Ashwa Sanchalanasana)
This pose requires strength in the arms and legs, as well as incorporates a gentle back-bend. High lunge opens the hips and chest, stretches the groin and legs, lengthens the spine, and strengthens the lower body. It requires strength, balance and flexibility.
When in the pose, remember to keep the body strong, the back heel should be pushing away from you, the back leg is strong and straight, the hips are facing forward, the torso is lengthened, shoulders are down and the arms are straight up. If you want to deepen the pose, bend back a little more while lifting the chest and drawing the arms back.
