Guy Yoga
Women gravitate and men hesitate. Why?
Author: Jayne Sieverding
Yoga was originally designed by men, for men. And many of the master yoga instructors known in the west are men: Rodney Yee, Baron Baptiste, Dharma Mittra for example. Yet women gravitate and men hesitate. Why? Men who grew up in a yoga culture (e.g., India) seem very comfortable in yoga class. They walk in, plop down their mats and start to meditate. It’s normal for them. Many learned yoga in school. So it’s probably not about a chromosome that men hesitate, but something about our western culture.
I’ve seen many men come to their first class being dragged by their friends or family or as suggested by their doctors. They stand out because usually there are only a few to none others like them there. I’ve seen many become intrigued, but most just smile and you can see their discomfort. Some leave in the middle of class. Most never come back even though they say they enjoyed it and absolutely will return.
But some come back on their own volition. They may struggle, but they understand that there are personal benefits to be gained and are willing to put their egos aside for a bit. They realize that yoga is not a competitive sport and relax. Some progress very fast as they probably didn’t give themselves enough credit in having the ability. Men bring determination, concentration and strength to their practice. They have just amazed me!
So why hesitate? One reason is that yoga in the US is considered a woman thing. And if you walk by any general yoga class, that is a justified comment. Men may feel uncomfortable in a room full of women, especially when they see them all doing something that appears to come easy for them. It’s intimidating and frustrating. Peer pressure is there too. Hunting, fishing, drinking beer and yoga don’t fit. Although there are some guys who prefer to be in a room full of stretchy women!
Another reason may be that men tend to be more practical and tangible than women. They are left brained. They need to see a clear and efficient path from effort to results. You lift weights and your muscles get stronger. Done. Yoga is an integrated practice that produces results, but that is not apparent to those who are first learning. It feels convoluted and confusing with all of the poses and motions. Also, getting in touch with your inner self can feel weird and unnecessary for highly practical people. How will sitting quietly with my eyes closed and breathing help me build strength and gain flexibility? There is no linear correlation. It’s a waste of time.
Many men reach to yoga when they have a physical issue. Their back hurts when they play golf. Their doctor recommended yoga to stretch their injured shoulder. They need to lower their blood pressure. They used to play football and hurt their “-------fill in the blank”. They want yoga to fix it. They go to YouTube for videos. Some find relief and become yoga’s biggest advocates, but they reluctantly started because of pain.
Stretching is also viewed differently by men and women in the US. As kids, men were taught to stretch as part of sports. But if you ever watched a boys’ soccer team pre-game, the stretches last about 5 seconds each as a check off box and then they go on to the “real” work. Even my husband says that he stretches before his runs by running more slowly! Girls on the other hand will stretch with genuine feeling. Their hips are different and they will more easily be able to flatten into forward folds or hip openers. Stretching on both a physical and mental level also seems to come easier for them.
But times are changing. Many higher-level men’s sports teams have yoga as part of their training practices; NFL football teams, NCAA college sports, even LeBron James swears by yoga. Yoga has expanded into the male acceptability realm. As more and more men learn to enjoy yoga practice and see how it can improve their lives, the paradigms will continue to shatter.
Yoga is now marketed to men in the forms of yoga practices designed for them. “Broga” is a copyrighted example. Men’s anatomy is indeed different than a woman’s, but remember yoga was created by men for men. In theory, a balanced yoga practice should work well for men without any modifications. What is different is that it is men doing yoga together. In a men’s yoga class, they can relax, have fun and practice yoga marketed to them. No loss of manhood. Win-win.
When I have men in my class who are new to yoga, I like to insert strength poses. Just like any of my students I want them to feel successful in their first class and men are usually better at strength work. Plankasana, Bakasana, Vasisthasana (Plank, Crow, Side Plank) are all good choices. Warrior poses are good because they require a lot of leg strength and core. Men also really enjoy those hip openers. They may not be able to physically stretch as far, but who cares? It feels good.
Back and shoulder flexibility is sometimes a big challenge for men. They grew up working on building muscle strength in their arms and shoulders but missed flexibility. Using straps and being very patient is helpful here. The spine needs to learn how to flex again. Work on simple arching moves such as side bow and half bow, cat/cow stretches, or Natarajasana (dancer’s balance pose) with a wall or strap.
All of the comments and observations above are just that, opinions. But what is true is that US/western men hesitate with yoga. I hope this article helps explain why and convinces just a few more to take the leap! Namaste