by Oli Anderson, Transformational Coach for Realness
Regular Yoga Can Help You to Embody Your Masculinity & Find Presence
If you’re a man and you think yoga is all about incense, bendy women, and whispering “namaste” in a candlelit room then you’re probably not the first and you won’t be the last.
It’s one of the most enduring misconceptions out there but let’s get one thing straight from the start:
Yoga is not just some soft, passive thing that you do just to feel ‘nice’ or ‘relaxed’ or whatever, it’s not just about stretching, and it’s definitely not just for women.
In fact, yoga was invented by men and practiced for centuries by sages and warriors who understood its power not only to make the body stronger and more flexible, but also to forge resilience, sharpen focus, and cultivate true inner strength so they can have a better relationship with the ultimate truth about life. That doesn’t sound very ‘girly’ to me.
As a man who’s been doing power yoga for about 17 years (along with my weights workouts) – and also thrown yin yoga for the past two – I can tell you this without exaggeration: if I could only do one form of exercise for the rest of my life, it would be yoga.
No question. Not even close.
This article will help you to figure out if yoga could be the missing ingredient in your own life.
Let’s dig a little deeper:
Why Men Should Do Yoga: What We’ll Cover in this Article
- Regular Yoga Can Help You to Embody Your Masculinity & Find Presence
- The Myth of the Bendy Woman in Spandex
- When I First Started
- “Take Your Yoga Off the Mat”
- Why More Men Need This
- The Benefits (Backed by Science)
- Power Yoga vs Yin Yoga (And Why You Need Both)
- Yoga Is a Discipline, Not a Trend
- Practical Steps to Get Started With Yoga as a Man
- Yoga For Men Final Thoughts: Real Strength Starts Within
The Myth of the Bendy Woman in Spandex
Let’s deal with this up front:
Somewhere along the way, yoga was rebranded as a lifestyle product for women: a kind of relaxation tool to help stressed mums unwind with some spa music and a few deep breaths.
This watered-down version of yoga is not unhelpful for women who need that kind of thing in their lives but it’s a fraction of what yoga really is…and it’s not necessarily the kind that changes lives or helps people grow more real.
The truth is that real yoga is a mirror:
It shows you what you’re made of – physically, mentally, emotionally -and then it challenges you to meet yourself as you are, every single time you step on that yoga mat.
When I First Started
When I first started doing power yoga, I actually thought I was pretty strong (because of the other types of exercise I already did).
Then I got on the mat and was humbled almost immediately:
There were poses I just couldn’t do no matter how hard I tried.
I’d fall over, shake uncontrollably as my muscles were pushed to the limit, and I’d lose my balance and come crashing down to earth (in more ways than one).
I got frustrated every single time but here’s the truth yoga slowly revealed to me:
It wasn’t my body causing me to fall – it was my mind.
The more I tensed up and tried to force the pose – instead of flowing with it – the worse I became.
But when I learned to breathe through the discomfort, to stay calm under pressure, and to accept where I was – everything changed for me.
That’s when I started to really grow – not just in the poses, but in life (because I realised that that time on the yoga mat was a microcosm of how I’d been living my life as a whole).
“Take Your Yoga Off the Mat”
There’s an amazing saying in yoga: “Take your yoga off the mat“.
What this means is that the lessons you learn in practice are meant to change how you live your life.
For example, balancing in tree pose isn’t about looking cool or becoming a human flamingo but about staying calm and steady even when things feel unstable. That mindset translates directly into everyday life: relationships, work, health, and purpose.
Yoga teaches you to stop fighting reality and start meeting it head-on with breath, presence, and trust so that you can actually get better relationships in life as a whole.
That’s where real change happens and why absolutely all of us can benefit from adding some regular yoga asana (the poses) to our routines.
Why More Men Need This
Let’s be honest: a lot of men are conditioned to push through pain, ignore emotion, and to “man up” without necessarily facing reality. While that might work in short bursts, it eventually leads to burnout, disconnection, or breakdown.
Yoga is a tool that helps you to be strong without needing to be hard on yourself or life all the time:
It gives you the space to feel, to breathe, to connect with your body and calm your nervous system without making you soft or overly ‘vulnerable’ towards life.
In fact, yoga often demands more discipline and mental strength than a brutal gym session but – in this case – the challenge is internal:
Can you hold an uncomfortable pose without reacting? Can you keep breathing when your ego is shouting at you to give up?
If you can do that, you’re stronger than most, and you will slowly come to master yourself.
The Benefits (Backed by Science)
Here’s are some of the things that yoga can do for you – physically, mentally, emotionally:
Physical Benefits:
- Improved flexibility – makes daily movement smoother and reduces injury risk.
- Increased strength – especially in stabilising muscles often neglected in gym routines.
- Better posture and spinal health – which combats and reverses the hunched-over look of modern life.
- Greater mobility and joint health – helping you stay pain-free as you age (I can validate this one through experience when I compare myself to all my friends who haven’t been doing yoga over the years and have knee and back problems).
- Enhanced breathing capacity – because increased oxygen intake means better energy and endurance.
- Boosted recovery – yoga helps flush out lactic acid and reduces inflammation which helps with your other workouts.
- Hormonal balance – some studies show yoga can increase testosterone and lower cortisol because it makes you more resilient and better equipped to handle stress.
Mental and Emotional Benefits:
- Greater focus and clarity – because meditation and breathwork sharpen the mind and help you to be less impacted by distractions.
- Stress relief – yoga down-regulates the nervous system, calming the body and mind, and allowing to to flow through life with more ease.
- Improved mood – regular practice has been linked with reduced depression and anxiety.
- Better emotional regulation – because yoga shows you how to stay present instead of reactive.
- Deeper sleep – studies show improved sleep quality with even short yoga routines (and especially with yin yoga).
And then there’s the big one:
Yoga helps you process emotional baggage and trauma stored in the body.
As The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk highlights, trauma lives in the nervous system, not just the mind:
Movement, breathwork, and body awareness – as practiced in yoga – are some of the most effective tools for releasing stuck emotions and healing from within.
My book Trust: A Manual in Becoming the Void, Building Flow, and Finding Peace will help you to go deeper into your own presence and to build a life that’s real.
Power Yoga vs Yin Yoga (And Why You Need Both)
Over the years I’ve practiced both power yoga and yin yoga, and I can honestly say both have been vital to my development as a man (and a human being):
- Power yoga is physically intense and builds strength, focus, endurance, and presence. It’ll make you sweat, grunt, and grind but in a way that clears your head and charges you up.
- Yin yoga is the opposite: slow, passive, deeply meditative. You hold stretches for 3–5 minutes, breathe deeply, and access the deeper connective tissues. It helps with recovery, releases trapped tension, and strengthens your nervous system by teaching you to be still and stay with sensation.
Together, they’re a perfect combo. One is fire, one is water but both are transformative.
I do a free online yin yoga class every three weeks – if you’d like to sign up for the next session then there’s a form here: olianderson.co.uk/dissolution-hour
Yoga Is a Discipline, Not a Trend
You don’t need to chant, you don’t need a man bun, and you don’t even need to be flexible to start – all you need is the willingness to show up and meet yourself honestly.
Yoga is a discipline, not a gimmick – it’s not about performance, but presence. It’s not about perfection but about actively engaging with the process of growing real.
Every time you get on the mat, you train yourself to become more balanced, more focused, and more real.
That doesn’t just benefit you – it benefits everyone around you too (because it allows you to show up in a real way).
Practical Steps to Get Started With Yoga as a Man
1. Start with 30 Minutes a Day
You don’t need a 90-minute studio session to benefit:
Begin with short, consistent routines such as power yoga videos, yin sessions before bed or whatever else works for you.
Try:
- Bryan Kest’s Power Yoga (I’ve done his original series literally thousands of times)
- Rodney Yee’s Power Yoga or Intermediate Yoga
- YouTube channels like Travis Eliot or Kate Amber
- Join my Dissolution Hour online yoga which is every three weeks (not 30 mins though!)
2. Focus on the Breath
Yoga without breath is just stretching:
Every inhale and exhale is your anchor. Focus on breathing deeply and slowly through your nose – especially in difficult poses.
3. Don’t Judge Yourself
You’re not supposed to be good at this at first (or in fact, necessarily ever) – that’s the point.
Stay curious, let go of ego, laugh when you fall and then get back up and try again.
4. Use the Frustration
Every wobble and fall is an invitation.
Ask yourself: what’s this showing me?
Stay calm and keep coming back because that’s where the growth is.
5. Integrate It Into Life
Take your yoga off the mat:
Next time you’re in a tough conversation, stressed at work, or facing discomfort remember to breathe, stay present, and respond instead of reacting.
That’s yoga.
Yoga For Men Final Thoughts: Real Strength Starts Within
Yoga doesn’t take away your masculinity – it deepens it by stripping away all of the performative layers that keep you from life and giving you a real, grounded, powerful presence.
It makes you stronger – not just in your body, but in your mind and character whilst teaching you discipline, patience, humility, and courage.
It also reminds you that being a man isn’t just about dominance but about alignment with what’s real, strong, and true.
You don’t need to be flexible. You don’t need to be spiritual. You just need to be willing so get on the mat, meet yourself, and keep showing up.
Stay real out there,
P.S. If you’re interested in yoga and growing real then book a free coaching session with me – with some of my clients I do yoga as well to help them find their own flow.
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