At some point in your forties, putting your socks on became a chore. You groan getting out of the car, and the gap between your fingertips and your toes now looks about the length of the A1. Yoga probably sounds like something for bendy people in expensive leggings. It isn’t. It’s for people like you.
You don’t need a studio, a retreat in Goa or a vocabulary of Sanskrit. A strip of floor the size of a doormat and fifteen minutes before the news will do. Here’s how to start without hurting yourself or feeling daft.
Is yoga any good for stiff, inflexible men?
Yes, and stiffness is a better reason to start than to stay away. Nobody gets turned away from a running club for being slow, and nobody needs to be flexible before doing yoga. That’s what the yoga is for.
The NHS describes yoga as suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels. It also counts towards something most of us forget: the government guidance that adults should do activities that strengthen the muscles on at least two days a week, on top of the usual 150 minutes of moderate activity. Holding your own body weight in a lunge or a bridge is strength work, even if it looks gentle from the sofa.
The reasoning is simple. Most middle-aged stiffness comes from sitting down. Desk, car, sofa, repeat. Your hip flexors get short, your hamstrings get tight, your upper back rounds forward and your lower back takes the strain. Yoga stretches and strengthens the exact areas that hours in a chair have let go.
One honest caveat. If you have a back problem, a recent injury, high blood pressure, a joint replacement or any long-term condition, or you haven’t exercised in years, have a word with your GP or physio first. They won’t tell you off. They’re more likely to be pleased.
How do I start yoga at home as a beginner?
Kit first, because there’s hardly any. A non-slip mat is useful, and a basic one from Decathlon, Argos or a supermarket costs less than a round of drinks. A firm cushion or a couple of thick books will do as a block. A belt or a dressing-gown cord works as a strap for when your hands can’t reach your feet. Wear whatever you’d wear for the garden, just loose. Bare feet are best.
Then do this sequence slowly, breathing through your nose and never forcing anything. Ten to fifteen minutes is plenty.
Cat-cow. On hands and knees, breathe in as you let your belly drop and lift your chest, then breathe out as you round your back like a cross cat. Do it eight to ten times. It wakes up a spine that has spent all day in one position.
Child’s pose. From all fours, sit your bottom back towards your heels and rest your forehead on the floor or a cushion, arms stretched forward. If your knees object, put a folded towel behind them. Stay for five slow breaths. This is the pose to come back to whenever you need a breather.
Downward dog, with bent knees. From all fours, tuck your toes and lift your hips up and back into an upside-down V. Here’s the bit beginners miss: bend your knees as much as you like. Your heels don’t need to touch the floor. Lengthening your back matters far more than straight legs.
Low lunge. Step one foot forward between your hands and lower the back knee onto a cushion. Ease your hips forward until you feel a stretch at the front of the back hip. That’s the muscle your office chair has been shortening for twenty years. Hold for five breaths each side.
Bridge. Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat and hip-width apart. Press through your heels and lift your hips, squeezing your backside, then lower slowly. Do it eight times. It strengthens the glutes, which take the load off your lower back.
Lying twist. Still on your back, hug your knees in, then let them drop to one side while your shoulders stay on the floor. Swap sides after five breaths. Most men find this is the one that makes their back feel better.
Finish by lying flat for a minute or two and doing nothing. This is harder than it sounds.
The aim isn’t to touch your toes. It’s to bend down to pick up the dog lead without a second thought.
What if I can’t get down on the floor?
Then use a chair. Chair yoga isn’t cheating. It’s a sensible starting point if your knees are bad or getting back up off the carpet is a project in itself.
Sit tall at the front edge of a solid kitchen chair. Do seated cat-cow with your hands on your knees, arching and rounding your back. Twist gently to each side, holding the chair back. Stretch a hamstring by straightening one leg out in front with the heel on the floor and hinging forward from the hips, not the waist. Stand behind the chair and hold it for balance while you do a gentle lunge.
The rule that matters most, on the floor or on a chair, is to stop at mild tension. A stretch should feel like a stretch, not like a pulled muscle. Sharp pain, pins and needles, or pain that travels down a limb means stop. Ego is the main cause of yoga injuries in men of a certain age. Leave yours on the hall table.
How often should you do yoga to get more flexible?
Little and often beats a heroic hour once a month. Ten or fifteen minutes on most days will do far more than one long Sunday session that leaves you stiff until Wednesday. Tie it to something you already do: after the morning coffee, or while the kettle boils for the evening brew.
Give it a few weeks before you judge it. Flexibility comes slowly, and it goes again if you stop. Keep a rough note of how far your hands get down your shins in a forward bend. Seeing them creep lower is surprisingly motivating.
Free videos are fine for starting out, including the beginner yoga sessions in the NHS Fitness Studio. If you want someone to check your technique, a class is worth paying for. Leisure centres, village halls and gyms all run them, and drop-in sessions cost about the same as a cinema ticket. Look for a teacher with a recognised qualification. The British Wheel of Yoga, which Sport England recognises as the national governing body for yoga, has a teacher search on its website. Look for anything labelled beginners, gentle or hatha. Leave the hot, power-style classes until you know what you’re doing.
You won’t be the only man there for long. You might even be the only one who can’t touch his toes for a week or two, and then you won’t be.
In short
Yoga is ideal for stiff men because it works on the hips, hamstrings and back that years of sitting have tightened, and it also counts as the muscle-strengthening activity the NHS recommends twice a week. Start at home with ten to fifteen minutes of simple poses on most days, such as cat-cow, child’s pose, downward dog with bent knees, a low lunge, a bridge and a lying twist, using a chair if the floor is a struggle. Stop at mild tension, check with your GP first if you have a health condition, and book a beginners’ class with a qualified teacher when you want your technique checked.
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Midcent Home & Leisure
Alistair Ives writes about the home and the weekend for men 45 and over: DIY, renovation, the garden, the outdoors and the hobbies worth the time. What a job really costs, what you can do yourself, and when it's worth paying someone who knows.
One of Midcent's writers. Spotted something? Write to alistair@midcent.uk.
