If I had a penny for every time I have
heard a guy saying Yoga is for girls I would be a very rich lady! To be honest
when I first started yoga there was this crazy perception that yoga was for
women and men who did it were gay. Now you may raise an eyebrow but it’s true.
I’m not saying for one minute I agree with it but I was curious as to where
this generalization came from. If you go back a few thousand years yoga was
practiced only by men, it was developed by men and for men only- yes I was
quite surprised when I discovered this too.
So where did this male tradition and
practice turn into a women’s only club?! Where did the male fear of yoga come
from?
Most men like the idea of yoga- for women! It seems there is a general consensus among men that yoga is full of
flexible women in pink spandex…. so I can see how they would get
confused on where they fit in. But boys I will let you into a little secret…
speaking for the ladies out there yoga classes are not about us sitting around
in tight spandex bending and stretching and trying to look good- sorry if I
have burst any bubbles out there. Seriously though, I want to dispel the myth
and get more men understanding what yoga is before they rule it out. It’s like
what my mum used to say to me when it came to dinner time…. Just try it, if you
don’t like it you don’t have to eat it
but don’t decide you don’t like it before you have even tried it.
So here are my top 3 reasons on why men
should do yoga…. I could give you 100 but I know you will switch off after
about 3! J
1. For your Body: Strength and
Flexibility
A lot of men
train to be strong, building muscle and bulking up is a main focus. The idea
that Muscle = Strength, it is not true on its own and that’s why I have put
strength and flexibility together here! I often find men don’t listen to their
bodies, they over train and don’t stretch- this is a recipe for disaster.
Strength and flexibility are co-dependant to maintaining a fit body and healthy
fitness routine. Yoga will stretch your tight spots like shoulders, hips and
groin and strengthen your weaker spots like your lower back and knees.
Stretching your muscles and learning to engage them properly will lead to
better physical results and reduce tightness.
2. For your ‘need to be strong and
Manly’ gene:
I understand the
need as a man to feel strong and be manly, but as a woman sometimes the way men
express this can often come across as aggressive and not very attractive. Yoga
not only challenges your strength and endurance levels but it will show you
your limitations and teach you how to push your own boundaries. You won’t be
able to do every pose day one, but no one can. There will be parts you like and
parts you don’t because you have to work harder at them. On a personal level will give you the chance
to focus on you, leave the tough guy exterior at the door and have some you
time, to let your guard down and just be you- the ability to do this is manly,
this shows true self confidence and inner strength which will not only reflect
in your outer physical strength but from a girls point of view is massively
attractive!
3. For your Mind: Relaxation…. Not
as you know it
I’ll be honest
the whole relaxation side of yoga took me a long time to grasp, I mean probably
18 months, so I can particularly understand the hesitation on this one. However
having finally got it- this has to be the top reason anyone should do yoga because
the benefits are limitless. Initially for
me yoga was about building strength, toning and learning about my body. I
always trained hard and didn’t really believe in rest days but through yoga I
started to listen to my body and found that by allowing myself to relax and
wind down, as a result I was so much stronger physically. Allowing yourself just a few minutes a day to
switch off, forget the stress of work, press pause on the ridiculous pace most
of us operate at… seems like a really simple thing but yet now many people don’t
or can’t allow themselves to do it. Free your mind…. And the rest will follow!
So the myth that yoga is for hot women
wearing pink spandex and getting themselves into crazy positions by being super
bendy, is just that boys- a myth. Yes yoga is great for flexibility but it is
so much more than that… it is about strength, endurance, understanding your
body, listening to your body and connecting with you. Don’t be afraid to take
the time to discover more about yourself. Don’t be intimidated by looking at
people doing crazy yoga positions or think that everyone in the class will look
at you because you can’t touch your toes. Honestly, it’s not all about you! No
one will even notice what you are or aren’t doing. You will find you are
naturally good at some things and need more work on others but that’s life, yes
it will be challenging mentally and physically but also massively rewarding.
Try it, what are you afraid of? If you don’t
like it, you haven’t lost anything. Why don’t you see what all the fuss is
about!
Ella Belle
xx
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