Men, Are You Too Tough for Yoga?
LifePower Yoga - April 30, 2012
So you think you’re a tough guy? You can bench-press 250 lbs. without batting an eye. Grunt. Your free throw is spot on, 80% of the time anyway. Swoosh. But guess what? A 12-year-old girl can beat you on a balance beam. Snap! Are those fighting words? You bet.
Patrick Craigie, a LifePower Yoga Instructor at Life Time Athletic Eden Prairie, knows that men tend to shy away from yoga. “[Men] don’t believe they are flexible enough. They don’t think that they’re going to get a decent workout and that [yoga] is for girls.”
Wrong. “The truth is that there is no prerequisite for entering your first yoga class apart from being able to draw a breath and open your mind.”
That’s why Craigie began offering a yoga workshop geared toward men in Eden Prairie. The workshop invites men who are curious about yoga to come in for a two-hour, all-men’s introductory open-format yoga session. His workshop focuses on anything from increasing flexibility or stamina to dealing with the stresses of daily life.
“As far as a workout is concerned, yoga can be quite intense. I’ve had competitive and professional athletes that were blown away at just how much they sweated and even suggested it’s the most challenging things they’ve done,” Craigie said.
Go online. A quick Google search will showcase that athletes including Kevin Love, Tom Brady, Tim Thomas and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar all regularly practice yoga. Even Personal Trainers at Life Time recommend their male clients try yoga to relieve body tension, create body awareness, learn to be present in the moment and, even, increase flexibility.
Yoga in the modern, western world is a diverse practice, Craigie added. Class formats range from a stripped-down posture practice to the most traditional methodologies, such as Kundalini. That’s why LifePower Yoga offers an array of classes and workshops. From Hot Vinyasa to Ashtanga Yoga or Yin/Restorative Yoga, there is something for everyone — even the manliest man.
So, do you still think you need to be fold yourself into a suitcase before you roll out a mat? “Flexibility is the first thing that the layperson thinks of when they think of yoga. Yoga really doesn’t have much to do with transforming yourself into a pretzel. For men and athletes in general, yoga is great for overall coordination, conscientiousness of breath and peace of mind even while under pressure.”
Who can’t benefit from that? Patrick suggests that men should “try some things out and see what works best for you.”
If you have questions about what different class types are available at your LifePower Yoga studio, ask your local Yoga Coordinator or Group Fitness Manager.