Build a Better Dad

By Kristen Dollard

A few moves will boost his health and strengthen his game

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.

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