MEN'S FITNESS - A CHALLENGING WORKOUT TO MIND AND MUSCLE
In your mind, does the word yoga conjure up images of cross-legged women breathing deeply on pastel colored mats? Perhaps the long-time stigma of "yoga is for hippie chicks" has held many men back from trying what could be the best and most results oriented workout available for either gender today. With its numerous benefits including cardiovascular improvements and overall strength advancements, incorporating Progressive Power Yoga into your workout regime is a great way to improve your overall athletic and mental strength, coordination and stamina. In fact many male-dominated professional sports teams have incorporated this practice into their workouts, thus supporting its importance to physical fitness for men requiring optimum health and peak performance. One should note, this workout is not for wimps, and it's not your hippie girlfriend's yoga either! If you're up to the challenge, an introduction to this form of yoga will literally bend your misconceptions and physique into an indomitable healthy, stronger and better you.

INCREASE MUSCULAR STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY "While men are often the most resistant to yoga, they often have the most to gain," says Mark Blanchard, Progressive Power Yoga innovator. "The combination of stretches and resistance exercises in yoga are designed to increase muscular strength and flexibility, improve concentration, and reduce stress." Yoga brings fluid back into stiffening joints while loosening up tight ligaments and stress built up in the body, making it the ideal workout for injury prevention and ultimate athletic performance.

BODY-BASED BENEFITS OF YOGA Years of sports, weightlifting and everyday stress take their toll on a man's body. Many men who play golf, tennis, and baseball use their dominant swinging arm for the game, which can cause significant imbalances and overuse strain, thus working against their performance ability.

Progressive Power Yoga evens out muscle imbalances by training the body equally on both sides, while strengthening the lower back and abdominals to prevent injuries. Unlike ordinary workouts, the breathing and mental techniques of Progressive Power Yoga provide the winning edge to any sport or competition.

THE POWER OF AN UJJAYI BREATH Yoga also benefits any type of cardiovascular fitness, such as football, hockey, basketball, skiing, soccer and other team sports. For example, anytime a man assumes a bent-over position to play a sport, lung expansion and diaphragmatic breathing are impaired. However, the deeper "ujjayi" nose breathing practiced during Progressive Power Yoga classes increases power and breath strength throughout the heart and lungs, even in bent-over positions. Stronger heart and lungs help circulate oxygenated blood more effectively throughout your whole body for more efficient breathing, reaction time and added coordination. It's this very breathing discipline, combined with Power Yoga movement, that makes this workout so much more comprehensive and life altering - your workout goes to another level.

Although it's hard to believe that something so low-impact can boost stamina, yoga's deep, controlled breathing means that more oxygen is being pumped throughout your body as pure energy. Each time you stretch a muscle, your body responds by bringing in more oxygenated blood making the muscle not have to work so hard. Your muscles use this oxygen to stay active longer, while also flushing out excess lactic acid, which prevents injury and soreness after a workout.

MIND-BASED BENEFITS OF PROGRESSIVE POWER YOGA
Progressive Power Yoga also helps to alleviate home or work-related stress as well as improve overall concentration unlike any other form of exercise. "Yoga teaches mental focus tricks that help you stay more calm in any situation," said Blanchard. The Prana, or "life force" breathing that is woven throughout each posture, will help focus the mind away from the tension of a hectic day and cultivate calmness during, and especially after, each session. By practicing relaxation and concentration techniques during yoga, men are able to bring that level of intense mental focus and calmness to their personal, professional and social lives which is increasingly important in today's hectic and toxic environments.

Progressive Power Yoga also teaches body awareness, a profound mind-to-body connection, patience, mental and physical strength, and depth of breathing. When you move into certain postures, you must contract your muscles to stabilize and hold the pose, exercising control over your entire body. The overall stamina-boosting effects of Progressive Power Yoga last throughout your day, well into the night.

Incorporating this type of yoga into your exercise routine will not only make you a stronger and more focused athlete, it will also do wonders for your peace of mind.