Starting a yoga routine as a man can be a little challenging at times. Since the majority of people who attend yoga classes are women, it is common to be vastly outnumbered at a studio. This is where most guys quit yoga because they don’t want to make a fool of themselves in a room full of pretty girls.
Luckily for us guys, yoga can be practiced in pretty much any space you might have available at home that you can fit your mat in. So, what should you look for when trying to find the best yoga for men at home?
What Do You Want To Achieve?
If you are completely new to yoga then it might be extremely confusing trying to figure out which routine you should start to get the results you are looking for. When I first started yoga I was looking for a routine that was going to help with my low back pain and get me in shape while also gaining muscle.
Since every single person’s body is different there is no one right way to practice yoga. If you’re looking to lose fat and build muscle like I was when I started then you are going to want a high-intensity workout routine like DDP Yoga.
DDP Yoga was designed by former pro wrestling legend Diamond Dallas Page to get men to start taking yoga and to help heal sports injuries…and was made to be done at home!
DDP Yoga was the first type of yoga that I was really serious about and it built the foundation on which I am able to practice today. The intensity of the DDP Yoga workouts was what my body needed to shock it into getting in shape.
If you’re looking for a workout that is going to push your limits and allow you to build lean muscle while burning tons of fat, it might be a good routine for you.
If a high-intensity practice like DDP Yoga sounds like something that would be good for you, a routine that offers the same intensity as DDP Yoga but also includes time for restoration and meditation to reflect on your practice and your body might be something you find yourself looking for.
Check out my review of The Ultimate Yogi if you are looking for a complete body and mind yoga workout that you can practice at home.
What if you want to take it slow at first?
If you don’t like the pressure of following a workout routine and just want to start learning some basic yoga postures that you can do at home then maybe jumping into a full-blown yoga workout routine might be a little much for you.
There are a lot of videos on YouTube that you can use to get started but click the image below to check out some really good free classes from Yoga Download.
What You Should Know Before You Begin
Now that you have an idea on where to start when it comes to choosing a routine that works for you, I would recommend a few other things to look for before you start your in-home practice.
Where do you start?
First off, you’re going to need a yoga mat. You can practice without using a mat but you will eventually realize that you need one if you want to get serious with your yoga practice.
As a beginner you won’t know much about what type of yoga mat is going to be most beneficial for your in your practice so I wouldn’t spend too much time trying to find the perfect mat right out of the gate.
This yoga mat is the one that I started with and it was perfect for letting me know what I actually needed in a mat as my practice progressed. I found that I needed a mat that provided excellent traction while sweating and wasn’t too soft and squishy so I could feel the ground better while in balance poses.
Where should you practice?
I recommend practicing on a hard surface like wood or tile because I’ve found that practicing on carpet, just like the squishy mat, doesn’t give me the footing needed to maintain my balance in most of the postures.
Also, if you are doing a workout that includes traditional exercises like DDP Yoga, having a sturdy base underneath of you will allow you to get the most out of the routine.
What should you wear?
When it comes to figuring out what you should wear during your practice it is important to know that the more clothes that you wear will only hinder your practice rather than help.
You want to wear clothes that are lightweight and do not restrict your movement. I recommend at least wearing some form of spandex shorts under your regular shorts so everything stays where it is supposed to.
What should you bring?
Just like any workout, always bring water and a towel. Getting sweat in your eyes is not fun and a lot of the poses that you will find in yoga will make you sweat…a lot.
Also, staying hydrated is important in any workout but it’s easy to think that you won’t need it when practicing yoga but trust me, you will.
Yoga For Men At Home
I hope that after reading this post you feel a little more comfortable about finding and starting a yoga routine at home that works for men. You don’t have to go to a fancy gym or yoga studio to get the results that you are looking for.
If you stick with your workouts and really dedicate yourself to making a positive change in your body, your yoga practice will provide everything else that you need for success.
What do you think is the best yoga routine that men can do at home?
Stick With It!
Wow, I didn’t know that the requirements for yoga included chosing the right thing to wear. It does make sense because too much clothing might be distracting, limiting and uncomfortable.
I have no idea what the best yoga routine is for men or even for a woman but I am interested in knowing. I have heard that yoga is very relaxing and has many other health benefits.
You did a nice job on explaining all the requirements.
Having the proper clothing when practicing yoga is definitely crucial to allowing your body to go where it wants to go without any obstructions. And yes, the health benefits are endless! Thanks for the comment 🙂
Hi! Great read. I, personally, have never tried yoga but have always been interested in it. This definitely helps and thanks for the video. Also, nice little reminders such as the water bottle and towel and good explanation of trying it out on a hard surface for balance. Hopefully my 1st experience will be a positive one. Thanks again
Hi Dexter, I’m glad you enjoyed the post! Getting started can be the hardest part sometime so let me know if you have any questions along the way!
Great post! This sounds like something perfect for my hubby. He was just “diagnosed” with severe sciatic pain and the start of arthritis in his lower back. He is insisting on weights as his workout routine, but I have convinced him to try yoga and when he sticks to it as you say, wow what a difference! What are the best poses for a big guy to start with? Focusing on the lower back? Thanks!!
Hi Abrielle, I’m glad you enjoyed the post!
Yoga is a great addition to men that lift weights because it gives us greater range of motion in pretty much every part of our bodies.
If he’s hesitant about a full blown yoga routine have him start with some simple stretches like these, especially if he has severe sciatica.
Thanks for the comment!
This is a great article for me. I have spine surgery but I still suffer from a stiff. I have tried Yoga techniques by watching YouTube but I’m never sure that I am holding the correct positions.
Most Yoga clases in my area are full of women so I feel a little shy being the only male there.
Thanks for the article, I will use these tips to practice yoga at home.
Being in a class full of women can definitely be discouraging sometimes so YouTube videos to get started is a great way to learn the basics. Once you feel comfortable with how to do each posture without having to think about how to do it so much then taking a class every once in awhile to learn correct alignment will allow you to hone your practice even further when you’re practicing alone.
Knowing the postures and feeling confident in how you look in each posture is a great confidence boost and eventually you won’t even recognize that they are other people in the room when you take a class because you’re so focused on yourself.
Thanks for the comment, and good luck!