If you turn up to a yoga class, you’ll find that most participants are women. However, men are missing out on a lot from the exercise, as a study recently found it can provide a number of mental health benefits for males. 

Deakin University in Australia wanted to ascertain whether practising yoga could help guys cope with stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, as a quarter of Australian males have had a mental health disorder before the age of 55. 

“In our study, we asked men who were engaged in a yoga practice, what mental health benefits, if any, they experienced,” associate professor Melissa O’Shea stated.

While most men revealed turning up to a yoga class was “intimidating” at first, as they felt like they were “the only man on the mat”, once they had got over their nervousness, it felt like a “safe space”.

Dr O’Shea stated: “Participants reported initial physical health benefits that often extended to mental health benefits, including stress reduction.”

Of the 14 males who participated, 11 only started practising yoga after they turned 40, as they viewed it as an exercise they could continue to do as their body got older.

The associate professor said the study showed yoga is an “effective means for men to self-manage their mental health”, which is why it is important to raise awareness of yoga among male groups. 

This study comes ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10th), aimed at raising awareness of how to stop people feeling so desperate before it is too late.

Males aged between 45 and 49 had the highest suicide rate of 23.8 per 100,000 in England in 2020. 

Do something positive for your mental health and enrol in beginner yoga in Marlow today.