Jai rhythm Yoga Virginia

If you think yoga is just for women, think again: Everyone can benefit from a regular yoga practice, guys and girls alike, says yoga instructor Colin Brightfield.

Brightfield, who teaches at Jai Rhythm Yoga in Ventura, California, came to yoga from the opposite end of the fitness spectrum: rugby. After years of playing the full-contact sport, he says, he walked into a yoga class to reverse the damages. He expected to hate it, but walked out a total convert. He soon became the mild-mannered instructor with a calm, broad smile that persists even through 6:30 AM hot yoga classes.

But it’s not just dedicated yogis he wants to teach. Brightfield wants to get people from all sports disciplines into yoga. “I love guessing what sport people do from where they have flexibility issues, ” he says. “You can always pick out the surfers, the dancers, and the cyclists.” He shared a few easy moves with us that you can perform to become stronger and more flexible, even if you’re a yoga newbie.