Men and Yoga
As I sit here and reflect on my two year anniversary of my very first yoga class, I am grateful. Grateful for everything I’ve learned on the mat over the past two years. Yoga taught me how to slow it down, just breathe, and it is okay to not always be at your best. Not everything needs to be a struggle, a competition, or a race to finish first. Yoga taught me that failing can be just as constructive as succeeding, and what is really important is how you meet a challenge, a success, or a failure. While I fell these lessons are important for everyone to learn, as a man looking to achieve balance, they are essential. The one major problem I see is that there are very few men showing up to learn the lessons of the mat.
To be fair, I need to admit I had the same preconceived notions of yoga that I’ve heard from many of my male friends. “I’m not flexible so I can’t do Yoga,” or, “Yoga is just for women.” After two years and many, many sessions, I can honestly say that I couldn’t have been more wrong. I wasn’t flexible, but I could do yoga, and Yoga is certainly not just for women, though it would certainly seem that way with so few of us dudes in attendance.
In this post, I want to examine my path to Namaste and hopefully offer some helpful advice for men looking to conquer their fear of the mat.
First, you need to understand that Yoga is a very personal practice. Even though we often practice in crowded room, your Yoga practice is just that, yours. I promise you that the other people in the class aren’t really interested in what you are doing, they are there for themselves, as you should be for yourself. Yoga is constantly seeking to teach us to be present.To focus on what you are feeling and meet it with acceptance, void of judgement, that is impossible to do when you concern yourself with what is going on outside the space of your mat. Men often fear looking foolish, especially in a room full of women, but please trust me when I tell you that even if you do look foolish, no one will notice.
You also need to understand that because yoga is a very personal experience, it may require some trial and error before you find the facility, instructor, and class that is right for you. I tried several studios before finding a home at my current studio. The first place you try may not be the right fit. There are several different kinds of yoga and every instructor brings their own personality and values into class. You may not like the same instructor that your wife or girlfriend likes. I always like to give the example of my current studio. I prefer to practice yoga in the morning, and at my studio the morning classes are heated and have no music. The evening classes at our studio have a pop music soundtrack. While I love the physical space of our studio, I find music (especially pop music) a distraction and therefore I don’t like the evening classes. My main point is that there is a lot of Yoga going on out there and finding your perfect fit may take some trial and error. The good news is that you are learning every step of the way; I always seem to learn something new from a new instructor, even if they are not the best long term fit for my practice. The great news is that most studios offer some sort of introductory or trial package. This means you can try several different studios and instructors with a fairly small investment. If you don’t like your first studio or teacher, try another, and another until you find the right fit. Know that your practice will develop with every new situation you try.
Having the right gear is also essential. With hot Yoga pretty much the norm, handling the heat and sweat becomes a real concern. Hot Yoga is not something you can do in your old gym shorts and cut off tee on a mat you bought at 5 Below. Many men (myself included) practice yoga shirtless. It is totally understandable that not everyone is comfortable being shirtless while in compromising poses, but you need to have the right clothing so as not to be distracted by your body heat and sweat. For most men I would recommend some sort of wicking material for both your upper and lower body. Preferably, moisture wicking shorts and sleeveless tank tops. Trust me fellas, less is more when it comes to clothing and hot yoga. You’ll also need to invest in either a non-slip Yoga mat or a good yoga mat/yoga towel set up. This will keep you from sliding all over the place in your own sweat. I didn’t know this when I first started and it added a lot of frustration to my first couple of classes when I was already struggling to manage the heat and positions.
For me, Yoga is the perfect counterbalance to my strength and conditioning work. It allows me to go from going hard to going with the flow. It allows me to work on my core strength and flexibility while training myself to meet new challenges with acceptance. I can’t say enough how much yoga has changed my life and training for the better. I hope to see more of my brothers on the mat, meeting new challenges like real men do! Namaste Motherfucker!