Morning Yoga Routine For Men

I have been doing yoga for the last eight years. When I tell people this, they get surprised. They ask me why I do yoga. They think yoga is for women or for old people. This is not true. I am a normal guy. I work in an office. I sit on a chair for eight hours. My back used to hurt all the time. My shoulders were always tight. I could not touch my toes. I felt stiff every morning when I woke up.

Then my friend told me to try yoga. He said just do it for one week. So I tried. After seven days I felt better. After one month I felt like a new person. Now I never miss my morning routine. Even when I travel I find a corner and morning yoga routine for men.

Today I will share with you what I do every morning. This is not some complicated thing. This is simple. Anyone can do it.

Why I Think Men Should Do Yoga?

Look at how we live. We wake up and sit on the toilet. We sit and eat breakfast. We sit in the car or train to go to work. We sit at our desk all day. We sit in meetings. We sit in the car coming back. We sit and watch something on the phone. We sit and have dinner. Then we lie down and sleep.

This is too much sitting. Our bodies are not made for this. Our hips become tight. Our backs become weak. Our shoulders move forward. Our neck starts hurting.

I used to go to the gym. I lifted weights. But my back pain did not go away. The gym made me stronger but also tighter. I could not bend down properly. I felt heavy.

Yoga fixed all this. Yoga stretches the muscles that get short from sitting. Yoga makes your back strong. Yoga opens your chest so you can breathe better. Yoga also helps with stress. When I do my morning routine I feel calm. I do not get angry quickly at work. I handle things better.

So if you are a man who sits a lot, or a man who lifts weights, or a man who has back pain, or a man who feels stressed, yoga will help you. I am telling you this from my own experience.

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What You Need?

You do not need anything special. I use a mat because my floor is hard. But you can do it on a carpet or even on grass outside. Wear loose clothes. Not too loose that they fall off. Just comfortable. Keep some water nearby. That is all.

Do not eat anything before you start. Your stomach should be empty. If you eat, you will feel heavy and uncomfortable. I do my routine, then take a shower, then have breakfast.

How I Breathe?

This is something I learned slowly. When I started I forgot to breathe. I held my breath while doing poses. This is wrong. You must breathe deep. When you stretch forward you breathe out. When you open your chest you breathe in. This is the rule. But if you forget, just breathe normally. Do not hold your breath.

The Routine I Do Every Morning

This is my routine. I do these eight things every single morning. It takes me about 15 to 18 minutes. I do not rush. Rushing is useless. The whole point is to go slow and feel your body.

First I Stand Straight

I stand with my feet together. I keep my weight on both feet equally. I let my arms hang down. I close my eyes. I take three deep breaths. This is the mountain pose. I call it the starting pose.

When I do this I feel my feet on the ground. I feel stable. I feel ready. This takes less than one minute.

Then I Bend Forward

From standing, I raise my arms up while breathing in. Then I breathe out and bend forward. I bend from my hips. Not from my waist. This is important. My head hangs down. I try to touch my toes. I cannot touch them fully. I touch my shins. This is okay. My knees are a little bent.

I feel a stretch in the back of my legs. I stay there for five breaths. Each breath is slow. This pose makes my hamstrings loose. My back also gets a good stretch.

Then I Go Into Downward Dog

From the bend, I put my hands on the floor. I step back with both feet. Now I push my hips up. My body is like a V. The V is upside down. My arms are straight. My legs are straight. My heels push toward the floor.

My heels do not touch the floor. They never have. I do not care. I just push them down as much as I can. I stay here for five breaths. This pose stretches my whole back. It stretches my calves. It also makes my arms tired. But in a good way.

Then I Go Into Plank

From downward dog, I move my body forward. Now I am in a straight line. My hands are under my shoulders. My body is like a stick. I keep my stomach tight. I do not let my hips fall down. I do not push my hips up.

I hold this for three breaths. If I feel tired I come down on my knees. This is fine. Nobody is watching. The point is to build strength in my core and arms. Three breaths is enough for me.

Then I Lie Down and Do Cobra

I lower my body to the floor. I lie flat on my stomach. My hands are under my shoulders. I breathe in and press my chest up. My elbows stay close to my body. I do not lock my arms. I look straight ahead. Not up. Straight.

I hold this for three breaths. Then I lower down slowly. This pose opens my chest. It strengthens my back. It fixes my rounded shoulders. I feel my spine become straight.

Then I Do Warrior One

Now I stand up. I step my left foot back. I bend my right knee. My right knee is above my right ankle. This is important. My left foot is turned out a little. I reach my arms up. My shoulders are relaxed. I look forward.

I stay here for five breaths. Then I switch. My right foot goes back. My left knee bends. I do the same thing.

This pose makes my legs strong. My hips open up. My chest opens too. I feel powerful in this pose.

Then I Do Warrior Two

From warrior one I change my arms. My arms open to the sides. They are parallel to the floor. I look over my front hand. My shoulders stay down. I do not bring them up near my ears.

I hold this for five breaths. Then I switch sides. This pose opens my hips even more. My legs get stronger. My balance gets better.

Then I Sit and Bend Forward

I sit down on the floor. My legs are stretched out in front. I sit up tall. Then I breathe out and bend forward. I reach for my feet. I hold my toes. My back is straight. I do not round it.

If I cannot reach my toes I hold my shins. This is okay. I hold for five breaths. This gives a deep stretch to my hamstrings and my morning yoga routine for men.

How I End?

After the seated forward bend, I lie flat on my back. I close my eyes. I put my arms and legs in a relaxed position. I just lie there for two or three minutes. I breathe normally. I do not think about anything.

This is my favourite part. It is called savasana. My body absorbs everything from the routine. My mind gets quiet.

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Mistakes I Made When I Started

I want to tell you about my mistakes so you do not make them. When I first started I was too eager. I wanted to touch my toes on the first day. I pushed myself too hard. My hamstrings hurt for two days. Do not do this. Go slow. Your body will open up over time.

I also forgot to breathe. I would hold my breath during the hard poses. This made my body tense. I felt dizzy sometimes. Now I always focus on my breath. If I am holding my breath I know something is wrong.

I also skipped the ending pose. I thought lying down was wasting time. I would finish my routine and run to the shower. But I realised the ending is important. Your body needs time to settle. Now I never skip it.

My Advice To You

Start tomorrow morning. Do not think too much. Just wake up and do this routine. It will take less than 20 minutes. You can do it before you check your phone. Yes, do it before you look at your phone. That is the best time.

Do not worry if you are not flexible. I was not flexible. I could not touch my toes. Now I can. It took time. But it happened.

Do not worry if you miss a day. We all miss days. Just start again the next day. Do not punish yourself. The point is to keep going.

What Changed For Me?

I will tell you honestly what changed. My back pain is gone. I used to have lower back pain every evening. Now I do not. My shoulders are not tight anymore. I can sit at my desk without feeling stiff.

I also sleep better. I used to toss and turn. Now I fall asleep faster. My mind is calmer. I do not get irritated with small things. My wife noticed this. She said I have become more patient.

My strength has also improved. People think yoga makes you weak. This is not true. I can do more push ups now than before. My core is stronger. My arms are more defined.

Is This Routine For You?

If you are a man who sits a lot, this routine is for you. If you have back pain, this routine is for you. If you feel stressed, this routine is for you. If you want to feel better in your body, this routine is for you.

I am not selling anything. I am not asking you to become a yogi. I am just telling you what worked for me. Try it for one week. If you do not feel better, stop. But I think you will feel better.

Conclusion

Yoga is not about being perfect. It is about showing up. Every morning I show up on my mat. Some days I feel great. Some days I feel stiff. But I still do it. Because I know that after the routine I will feel better.

You do not need to do it perfectly. You just need to do it. Your body will thank you. Your mind will thank you. Your back will thank you.

Start tomorrow. Wake up. Roll out your mat. Do the poses. Breathe. End with lying down. Then go have your breakfast. See how you feel. I think you will be surprised.