Still looking for that perfect Father’s Day gift? Skip the mall and give all the guys in your life an introduction to yoga. “Yoga slows down the aging process. At the most it reverses it,” says Jonny Kest, founder and director of the Center for Yoga in Michigan. In fact, research shows that yoga increases lung capacity, builds muscle, and enhances alertness and balance, even in men over 90, says Kest, who teaches a seminar called Real Men Do Yoga. So imagine what it can do for younger dads.
Yoga will also help him become a better dad because he’ll have more energy. “After a yoga class you are more present,” says Kest, a father of three sons (4, 6, and 10). “At a birthday party most parents are standing stiff, upright and in the corner. I get down there on the floor and wrestle with them,” he says. Dad might also be in a better mood as a result. Yoga can help clear away the day’s stresses so he’s more likely to come home focused on his family, not on work hassles.
Once you get Dad a class, you’ve got to motivate him to go. That should be easy enough. Just explain that yoga will help him do all the things he loves better by boosting flexibility, strength, and performance. Kest suggests the following poses for men who golf, run, cycle, swim, or left weights.
For Golfers: A Stronger Swing
Every stroke taxes the quadratus lumborum, which runs from the lowest rib to the hip and is needed to twist the trunk on movements like the swing. Before and after the driving range, a golfer should try Head-to-Knee pose (also known as Janu Sirsasana).
The routine: Sit with the legs extended forward in Staff pose (Dandasana). Draw the sole of the left foot to the inside of the thigh and as close to the groin as possible. Inhale, lengthen the spine, and square the shoulders over the straight leg. On your next inhale begin to fold forward over the extended right leg. If you can reach the hands beyond the foot, grab hold of one wrist. If your back and legs are tight put the palms flat on the floor at the sides of the knee, inhale, lengthen the spine, and exhale reach forward with the chest. Don’t fold over the leg if it means rounding the back. Wrap a towel or strap around the ball of your extended foot and reach the sternum toward the sky. Fold forward in the hips, keeping the shoulders square.
Hold this pose for 10 breaths, then repeat to the other side.
For Runners: A Longer Stride
The Intense Side Stretch pose (Parsvottanasana) lengthens the hamstrings and opens the hip flexors, both of which are contracted in runners.
The routine: Standing in Mountain pose (Tadasana), step one foot 4 feet in front of the other. The distance between the feet is hip’s width or at least two fists apart. With your hands on your hips, square your hips over the front leg, arch the upper back slightly and, keeping the lift in the chest, begin to fold forward at the waist, keeping the belly in and squaring the shoulders over the front foot. As you find your edge—the deepest forward bend you can manage—keep the hips level and the knees straight. For support, you can either place a block on each side of the front foot and rest the palms on the blocks while you lift the chest or place your palms on the wall for support.
For Cyclists: Stronger Back and Legs
“These guys have bad backs because they are slumped forward. They need backbends that also stretch the front of the legs—the quads and psoas,” Kest says. He prescribes Reclining Hero pose (Supta Virasana) or Camel pose (Ustrasana).
The routine: With your knees and ankles together, lower your weight onto your feet. If you have tight leg muscles grab a block or pillow. Wedge the prop under your butt and align your ankles with the outside of your thighs. Roll the calf muscles away from your body so you begin to feel an outward rotation in the legs. (If the knees tweak at any point, try Camel pose below.) Move the hands, palms face down behind the hips. Inhale and begin to lean back. Some people are able to lie onto the floor; others remain supported by their arms and feel the opening in the legs, hips, chest and back. Hold for 10 breaths and while engaging the abdominals draw the body back up to sitting. Unfold the legs slowly.
Not ready yet? Try Camel pose instead.
For Swimmers: No Pain in the Neck
“Swimmers come to me with neck issues,” Kest says. “Because of the repetitive motion of the arms and the holding of the neck, those muscles are particularly tense.” Limber up with Table Twist.
The routine: Get down on all fours and walk the knees over to the right side of the mat. Lower the hips to the left, look over the left shoulder and lower your chest toward the floor.
For Weight-Lifters: Strength
According to Kest, if Dad did enough Sun Salutations he will recover more quickly from his weight workouts, build functional strength, and might find he gets all the muscle building he needs on the yoga mat. “What’s great about the Sun Salutation is it is a series of backward and forward bends with weight-bearing postures” that develop muscular strength, Kest says.
Watch and learn Sun Salutation.
