Yoga for the Inflexible Male: A How-To Guide

by Yoga Matt

Practical, down-to-earth advice on yoga for men, weekend warriors, aging athletes, and anyone else who could benefit from a bit more flexibility.
 
“An excellent introduction . . . fun and humorous . . . This book will help make yoga less intimidating, and it’s a great way to inspire the men you care about.”— Namaste Nourished
 
Thirty-six million Americans practice yoga for its touted serenity, flexibility, strength, endurance, and reduced stress. Would you like to join them? If so, this simple guide is for you.
 
Yoga for the Inflexible Male  features three yoga practices, each about an hour long and containing around fifteen poses, with most poses having a Good, Not-So-Bad, or Ugly variation so that almost anyone can participate (no XY chromosome, prior experience, or athletic ability necessary). There are breathing tips and easy-to-follow drawings for every pose, and the book is full of genuine yoga wisdom and jokes to make the yoga part go down easy. There are special sequences geared for practitioners of specific sports, such as running, cycling, and golf, and suggestions for props that can be found in any house—so no extra gear to buy.
 
This book is perfect if you are looking to attain the wellness benefits of yoga in the comfort of your home and without judgement.
 
This edition includes access to a free restorative practice PDF. See “Yoga Matt’s Final Roll-up” inside!

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Fitness

132 pages, Paperback

Published November 19, 2019

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A witty, well-written, and totally useful book that makes yoga accessible to everyone. Full of modifications, alternatives, and helpful advice like "remember to breathe like a normal human being." This is yoga that anyone can do. Highly recommended.

[Dominic Piacentini · Rating 2 out of 5]

Came here for the modified poses, not the toxic masculinity.

[Bradford D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many yoga advocates, he can’t resist the sales pitch. Get a yoga mat, you need chairs, straps, balls, foam blocks etc… Wait, that sounds like an entirely different workout. Never mind. Plus the humor is straight out of your dad’s handbook, lame jokes and puns. Don’t believe me? Look at the name of the author. Those criticisms aside, the exercises and stretches are good, well described and illustrated. This would be a handy tool for adding a little flexibility to your body and getting your blood moving.

[Penny-Ellen Novak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great read & tutorial. Read it yesterday and was trying yoga poses all night long! Even my "Downward Dog" (as you can see) is wondering why I am showering my attention on something other then him! YOGA MATT has written a great book for those who have feared yoga or any kind of movement that would use muscles they didn't know they had. I found myself reading ahead just to read "Jerry's" pearls of wisdom- and the witty repartee along with detailed drawings and inspirational encouragement made me want to get off the couch and down on the floor. I realized I have actually been practicing yoga for years without even knowing it, as the "Lunge to Pyramid" pose was a regular part of my daily workout when I was a competitive fencer.

This is not just a humorous book- it is a genuinely informative yoga guide with snippets of humor, witty repartee- and the necessary kick in the backside for those who are afflicted with the "I-don't-want-to-get-off-the-couch-syndrome." Easy how-to instructions with detailed drawings makes it all the more easy to follow. I plan to share this book with all the Inflexible Males I know- but also with some inflexible women as it really is gender-neutral. KUDOS to YOGA MATT for writing this delightful book! I can't wait for the sequel!

[Michael Croft]

I’ve wanted to do yoga for years but getting off the couch and sitting on the floor was more than I could bear. After all, yoga doesn’t come with a remote. Then came this book, Yoga for the Inflexible Male. Alas the journey isn’t as daunting now that I’ve meditated on the wisdom of Yoga Matt. A little each day, that’s the way to go.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I saw the title and thought it might be good and it was, just. I’ve taken yoga classes now for 3 or 4 years and surprisingly this was a very basic book for me. On the other hand if you are afraid of attending a class, try the book, but a good teacher even at the community centre will beat this.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book while on vacation. It has some good modifications for inflexible people, but over all I thought it was kind of mediocre.

[Albert · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. I didn't mind the bad jokes, but I lost interest while trying to follow the exercises.

[Tom Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just discovered this great book…as it says, it's "a how-to-guide" tailored for men who want to increase or gain back flexibility, strength, and other benefits of doing yoga. Flexibility is an issue for young, middle aged and older men. You can be strong as an ox with muscles tight as a drum. Yoga for the Inflexible Male can help guys to be "whole body" flexible, with the ability to move fluidly, both for sports or everyday movement, while avoiding injury, too. I've been practicing for a while, and have experienced these benefits. That said, when I don't practice, my muscles tighten up—and this is why I love this book…I can't always get to a yoga studio, so having a home yoga routine is important. But my routine is limited to whatever poses I remember in the moment—I don't have dozens of poses at the tip of my fingers…but now with this book, I do. With Yoga for the Inflexible Male at my side, I can easily expand my practice or work on specific areas. "Jerry" is a fun teacher, and the text is light-hearted and entertaining, while still delivering excellent yoga instruction that's easy to follow with simple illustrations. Every male should have this book.

[Carfrat · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a How-To-Do Yoga book for every shape, age, and ability that's also really fun to read. Author Yoga Matt has a wonderful sense of humor. He will crack you up AND convince you that you can do yoga!

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished this awesome book and can’t say enough good things about it. It’s both informational and entertaining, making the prospect of beginning a yoga practice seem approachable. I hope it encourages my husband to give it a try. But even as a non-male who isn’t particularly inflexible, I’m planning to use the book myself as encouragement to revive my own dormant practice. I love that it’s full of anatomically correct illustrations of the asanas—with modifications—and get a huge kick out of its lighthearted approach. Thumbs way up.

[Martha Gay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must have book for everyone at every fitness level. Completely life changing!

[Matt Laatsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for anyone looking to get into yoga! I gave this to my 65 year old dad and he is working his way through it. My only gripe is that some of the poses are not described well or are not shown with a picture. I thought each sequence of poses worked well with each other and is great for beginners and experts alike.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yoga for the Rest of Us
"Yoga for the Inflexible Male" is yoga for the rest of us…inflexible females like myself included. It’s not a watered-down yoga practice; it clearly presents core concepts and poses, then offers up variations that will give beginners an excellent workout and help them on the road to increased flexibility, strength, and serenity.
This book is geared to those who want to practice yoga at home, on their own terms. Without the pressure and tendency for unfortunate comparisons, insecurity, and competitiveness that can arise in a classroom. But readers/yogis aren’t entirely on their own: the book serves up the wisdom of experienced yoga instructor Jerry Sinclair along with the humor and enthusiasm of one of his students, author Yoga Matt (AKA talented fiction writer Roy Parvin).
"Yoga for the Inflexible Male" delivers both clear text and illustrations that convey “good” form (and variations lightheartedly characterized as “not-so-bad” and “ugly”). It further lightens the mood with playful observations, such as how Vinyasa poses flow “from one asana to another like the freaking Ganges River.”
A book that will make you laugh as you grow stronger and more limber, "Yoga for the Inflexible Male" is highly recommended for both beginning and intermediate yogis—and especially for those who are curious about yoga, but unsure (and a little nervous) about taking the plunge.