Why don’t more men do yoga?
All of the benefits of yoga can be enjoyed by men as well as women so why don’t more men do yoga?
There’s a lot of mistaken beliefs about yoga and they can get in the way: it’s for girls; it’s too fluffy or touchy feely; it’s for hippies; it’s not enough of a “work out”; you need to be able to do the most difficult version of everything right away; men’s body’s aren’t built for yoga postures.
Or my all time favourite: you’ve got to be flexible to do yoga.
I mean, do you have to be super strong before you lift weights? If you’re not flexible a yoga class is EXACTLY where you should be!
Many men are reluctant at first. They’re generally dragged along by a female friend or partner, or are sent by their doctor or physio.
I sometimes hear men say that they’re bored in class but I reckon it’s their mind playing tricks on them because it can be hard at first. It can be really intimidating. Classes are mostly women. The postures are deceptively tough sometimes. It feels like everyone is doing everything perfectly except you. No-one likes to feel silly.
I remember having two young men come to class who were very accomplished sportsmen. They shook and sweated through most of the postures. They didn’t back up or back off when I suggested it, and unsurprisingly they didn’t come back.
But if they’d stuck with it they would’ve learned that yoga can help you feel good, stay injury free and boost your focus.
If you think that modern yoga isn’t really made for men you’re wrong. Matt, Drummond and Gerry are all regulars on the mat here at MCY and agree it helps them stay limber and avoid injury, controls their anxiety and relaxes them.
Matt’s been practising with us since early this year, Drummond’s been coming to class for over a year now and Gerry’s been part of MCY for years! Here’s what they have to say in their own words…
Matt Evans
“Yoga didn’t come into my life until my 40’s and its arrival was quite timely. A decade or so of circuit training, weightlifting and running had improved my overall fitness but also left me with myriad injuries, stiffness and pain.
One summer, at a Scottish music festival, I attended a couple of free morning yoga classes and was instantly captivated by the teacher’s graceful ease of movement and peaceful bearing. I immediately felt at home. Later that week I attended my first yoga class at a local gym. Soon I was practising daily at home and had taken countless classes with different teachers!
While I first approached yoga as a means to deal with physical difficulties, I quickly realised that it’s much more than that.
It’s an educational technology, a way of learning more about what our bodies are capable of, exploring their mechanisms and limitations, figuring out how our brains function and how the two are intimately connected. It’s almost paradoxical – it’s about finding ease while pushing yourself to your limits. It’s about learning more about your place in the world by focusing your attention inwards.
Why do I practice with MCY?
One of my most influential and inspirational teachers, Ema Sibikina, is a Merchant City Yoga graduate. Therefore, when I became interested in exploring yoga more deeply and decided to take a 200-hour teacher training course, I already knew for certain that MCY’s credentials were impeccable.
But for the same reason – and because I’d never specifically practised Ashtanga before – I also found the prospect quite intimidating.
I needn’t have been concerned. As it turns out, while Judi is indeed as knowledgeable and authoritative as I expected, she’s also very welcoming and personable. The teaching at MCY is of the highest standard and I’m so glad to have started practising with MCY.”
Drummond Shearer
“I’m a business owner and was working hard and not looking after myself. A few years ago I came to realise that my lifestyle was unsustainable and that it had to change!
I came across a quote from the Dalai Lama and it really struck me:
‘Man sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.’
I promised myself I would take more time out for myself and make positive changes with eating, drinking, sleeping and exercising. I’ve never felt better and yoga has had a massive part in that.
I’d read that some of the top footballers had successfully prolonged their playing career by practicing yoga. So, I knew that yoga would be good for me – mind and body – I just had to make the time and start.
It still took a while though to finally go to my first yoga class!
A year or so after making the lifestyle changes i was having a health check done and everything was really improving except my Postural Assessment – they ran a device up my spine and showed on the screen how bad my posture was. They recommended that I look at starting yoga and also some deep breathing exercises.
I bought a book and looked at some exercises on YouTube but wasn’t really getting anywhere, so I booked a beginners class on a Monday night at MCY.
I was a bit out my comfort zone walking over to the studio, but by the time Nicola had taken my details and I’d taken up my traditional spot at the back of the studio, I was fine.
There was a nice number of students, plenty of space and subdued lighting. I followed Nicola’s instructions from the front as best I could and the class passed very quickly. I walked home afterwards pleased with myself for going and I really felt better for it.
What keeps me coming back?
I decided after that class to come back the next Monday and it went from there. I like turning up, working through and completing a class. If I was in the house with a YouTube video on its very easy for me cheat myself or stop altogether when the phone goes or I get distracted by something else. By booking into a class I see it through to its conclusion.
I really like the progression too.
I started with the Monday night beginners class with Nicola and I still attend this class when I can I find its at a very nice pace.
Then I took the structured Introduction to Ashtanga course with Louise which covered a lot of the recurring postures in the order they appear in the Primary Series. I’m so glad I did because I’d been wanting to practice yoga more regularly and the course gave me the confidence to try other classes.
A turning point for me was one Sunday I decided at the last minute to come along to the led Primary Series class. I was a bit unsure if I was ready for that, but I’ve never been so glad that I pushed myself to go that day.
The class was very busy and Judi put me in the middle so that I could see other students if I got lost. There was something really different with that class – it had its own rhythm and I felt carried along with everyone else even though I can’t do all the postures. And I’ve never sweated like that in my life!
I remember walking home really refreshed, surprised that I’d made it through and even thinking ‘I want to be able to do this’. I can honestly say I’ve never looked at the clock during class and I’ve always come out feeling better than when I went in.”
Gerry Murray
“My partner has practised yoga for many years. I’ve seen her enjoy the benefits so when she encouraged me to go to a yoga class I thought, why not? I was getting older, was looking for greater flexibility and wanted to enjoy more exercise without the Rainfrewshire(!) rain.
It seemed to me that everyone who practised yoga was healthier, fitter and more flexible than most of the population. And they smiled more!
Joining one of MCY’s yoga retreats with my partner was an eye opener because I then realised how unfit and inflexible I was and just how bad my posture was!
I decided my life had to change and that’s what finally got me along to yoga classes. I joined one of Judi’s classes where you are guided through the various postures. I gradually gained more confidence and, all be it a year or two later, started going along to the Mysore style assisted self practice classes where you receive individual input as needed.
It’s hard to keep turning up, but it’s great fun once you get to class – you always feel much better, even on those wet, dreary days when you want to stay at home! And I’m always improving my posture, improving my mental outlook and every time am guaranteed to have a good nights sleep afterwards too.
What can folk expect from classes at MCY?
Great guidance from wonderful teachers who are very patient – they’ve had to put up with me for quite a few years! You’ll meet a great bunch of people in class who are all at different levels and abilities. You find your own level and inevitably end up improving your technique.”
When I had the opportunity to make a video for MCY I didn’t want it to look like all the other yoga studio videos. I wanted it to reflect that our yoga is truly for everyone, so I thought who better to tell our story than the men who’ve braved coming to our classes. And stayed.
Who says yoga isn’t for men?
Ask our army of male students how they discovered our Glasgow yoga classes and the benefits they get from stepping on a mat. They’ll tell you how they thought being inflexible, stiff and injured meant there was no way they could attempt sitting cross legged never mind a down dog.
Watch them tell you how that soon changed…
JUDI x
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