Yoga: why men don't get it

Published: November 25, 2013 - 11:35AM

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Despite its benefits , the poses and the chanting can be too much of a stretch for some males, writes Eric Niller. At a recent visit to a yoga studio, I watched as practitioners breathed, bent, twisted and stretched their way to a happier state. They left more relaxed, more energised, with better posture and a renewed outlook. But there was one curious thing: of the 24 people in the room, only four were men. Yoga devotees say that this disparity is not unusual, no matter the time of day. Typically, they say, the ratio of women to men rarely goes much below 80-20. In fact, a 2012 survey by Yoga Journal found that of the 20.4 million people who practise yoga in the United States, only 18 per cent of them were men. Why don't men do yoga? "My husband said he felt bored," says one woman whose partner was visiting the Washington studio on a day off. "He didn't let himself enjoy it." She is like many women who do yoga and want their spouse or partner to give it a try. But the many myths about yoga stand in their way: Yoga isn't a decent workout; it's too touchy-feely; you have to be flexible to do it; men's bodies just aren't built for pretzel-like poses. Adrian Hummell has heard all the excuses. "What happens is, a guy who doesn't know about it associates it with things like pilates or aerobics," says Hummell, who has been doing yoga for the past three years and now teaches Bikram yoga, a particularly strenuous form of the practice, in Maryland. They think of it as a "women's workout", he says. "It's almost a joke when guys say, 'I don't think I should do yoga because I'm not flexible,' " he says. "It's like saying, 'I'm too weak, so I can't lift weights.' " Hummell and many other yoga practitioners extol its many benefits beyond a pleasant post-class buzz. Several studies have linked a regimen of yoga classes to a reduction in lower back pain and improved back function. Other studies suggest that practicing yoga lowers heart rate and blood pressure; helps relieve anxiety, depression and insomnia, and improves overall physical fitness, strength and flexibility, according to the US National Centre for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a branch of the National Institutes of Health. Still, despite many studies, no firm evidence has been found to show that yoga improves asthma or arthritis. The centre is funding research to determine whether yoga can benefit in the treatment of diabetes, AIDS, post-traumatic stress disorder and multiple sclerosis. Loren Fishman, a Manhattan physician who sees patients suffering from a variety of ills, says his prescription is often yoga.

Fishman has written several books on using yoga as a supplement for rather than as a substitute for medicine. He has studied yoga since the early 1970s and noted that the practice was developed centuries ago by men in India. But its modern form has become feminised. "There's been a flip," Fishman says. "When it came to the US, yoga became a sort of gentle gym, a non-competitive, non-confrontational thing that's good for you. Yoga has this distinctive passive air to it. You get into the pose and stay there." Among those who reject the idea that yoga is just for women is Danny Poole, a Denver teacher and trainer who uses yoga to help athletes. In 2009, his students included about a dozen members of the Denver Broncos. Poole came to the practice reluctantly himself. A basketball player at Grand Valley State University in Michigan four decades ago, he was dragged into a yoga class by his girlfriend. "All I knew is that there were hippies doing it, and I was intimidated because I didn't know what it was," Poole said. "Then I got hooked on it because I never felt so good." Poole kept up with yoga and said it helped him avoid sports injuries as he grew older. About 15 years ago, he went full-time as a teacher. Poole decided to drop some of the elements of a traditional yoga class that could turn off men: no chanting, no Sanskrit terms for poses, no music, no headstands or handstands that are difficult and prone to causing injury. "I keep it easy and gentle, and I avoid trying to make the client not look good," he said. Poole says professional athletes like yoga because it keeps them loose and focused before a game and helps ease post-game soreness. During his year with the Broncos, he says, he kept his yoga group injury-free. But he understands why many men, especially former athletes and men who have spent years pumping iron, have trouble with the physical and mental aspects of yoga. "Athletes with big muscles take a regular yoga class and it kicks their butt," Poole says. "They tend not to come back." But Poole said that those who stuck with the yoga program remained injury-free during the football season, which turned the doubters into converts. When men say they are bored with yoga, Poole thinks there may be something else going on. "Our egos are deflated because we can't do some of the poses," he said. The Washington Post

Bend it like the big boys of league

Some top sportsmen are taking to yoga to improve onfield performance, writes Mike Pattenden. Forty-eight hours after their win over England in the opening match of the Rugby League World Cup last month, the Kangaroos went for a warm-down at Manchester's Yoga Lounge, a fitness studio dedicated to yoga and pilates. Here, Bikram yoga, the "hot" kind that's performed in a super-heated room to ensure an instant sweat and enable deeper stretches, is a speciality. And 40 per cent of those attending classes are male.

The Australian team are not alone in striking a sweaty yoga pose to speed their post-match recovery, improve general flexibility and guard against injury. Their English opponents have also supplemented their training with the ancient discipline at the insistence of Mark Bitcon, head of performance with the national team as well as at the Wigan Warriors rugby league club. "It's not about lying around on a mat," says Bitcon. "It's an intense physical workout which has numerous positive benefits. There's a lot of work with weights in rugby league, plus intense, competitive action. In the past, we tended to neglect the flexibility aspect." The old-world, macho view that "yoga is for girls", or at the very least only for blokes who are a "bit spiritual", is history. This season, Wasps, the London rugby union club, has introduced yoga sessions for its players. Manchester United's veteran winger, Ryan Giggs, who turns 40 this month, is such a talisman for its benefits he has released his own yoga-for-men DVD. Andy Murray has credited Wimbledon-winning frame to Bikram. But the elite sportsmen that yoga attracts aren't interested in the path to enlightenment. "What they are interested in is prolonging their career," says Nisha Srivastava, instructor at the Yoga Lounge. "If they can tap into that 1 per cent that enhances their game, they become interested. When they see the benefits of yoga, that's when they persevere with it." Wasps and England forward James Haskell, 28, who has been practising for three years, admits: "I'm not there to get my chakras aligned I use yoga to give me an advantage in my game and to keep me on the field." Haskell is convinced of its benefits. "When I was 18, I'd just go straight out and train hard. Now my first port of call is to get out the mat otherwise I'm like the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz. I seize up." Dense muscle is notoriously inflexible, but the benefits from yoga-style stretching are measurable. "We test various physiological aspects, and one is range of flexibility," says Bitcon. "We have seen as much as an extra couple of centimetres in areas like the hamstring. Any marginal improvement in an area like that can be very useful." It can also improve upper-body stabilisation, especially around the shoulders, where players grapple. It's not hard to sell men poses, or "asanas" such as the Warrior or the Hero but yoga has other advantages, explains Srivastava. "The work we do appears to be purely physical, but the goal is the mind, and that's where it can be most beneficial. If they can control their mind, learn to concentrate, then they will make more correct decisions on the pitch."

Nick Chadd, the strength and conditioning coach who introduced Wasps players to yoga, says: "We have found it has a real impact on the way the guys perform, and that comes from aspects of relaxation and focus. It also improves mood and interaction among the group." The Telegraph, London This story was found at: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/lifestyle/diet-and-fitness/yoga-whymen-dont-get-it-20131122-2xzvd.html Remember that yoga is spiritual practice not an exercise routine. Yoga without the deeper philosophies is just stretching. Commenter JS Location Date and time November 25, 2013, 11:59AM Maybe most guys don't want to deal with all the preachy, annoying personalities that seems to gravitate towards yoga studios? Re-read your article if you want to know what I mean. Commenter greenpea Location Syd Date and time November 25, 2013, 12:02PM It doesnt encourage the feminisatiomn of males through eating meat,so society ensures its viewed as effeminate,in the typ[ical contradictionm that is their forte.Meanwhile man boobs from meat stuffs and profits from the aggressive aspects of dense thinking individuals and the idolisation of the Roman stereotyped slaves image musculature provide much amusement .fpor those who understand the real game. Commenter Kane Location Date and time November 25, 2013, 12:03PM I only get about half an hour to exercise each day. Damned if I'm gonna spend it stretching. My body feels fine at the moment, so I'd rather spend my time getting my heart rate up by going for a quick run with some circuit type exercises thrown in. I feel like I'm getting more bang for my buck with a short intense workout. It might not be considered the ultimate well rounded work out, but it works well for me, given the limited time I have to put in. Commenter Syd Location

Sydnaaaaay Date and time November 25, 2013, 12:03PM I have been teaching Iyengar Yoga to the Geelong Cats AFL team for 7, highly successful seasons. Yoga is of course not the sole reasons for this teams success but it is fast becoming an integral part of any professional team's approach to both mental preparedness and physical recovery. I also specialize in Yoga for Men and the fact that so many sports people are beginning to practice yoga is great encouragement for men in our community to begin practice. Given the incidence of stress, unhealthy lifestyles , heart disease etc this can only be a fantastic development. Tim Oddie Geelong City Yoga Commenter Geelong Yoga Location Date and time November 25, 2013, 12:03PM I tried yoga, the yoga teacher told me I should stop running cos my hamstrings are crazy tight and I can't even touch my toes. Did 8 lessons. Never went back. Any exercise regime where you're told to stop doing other things isn't for me. Commenter Chris Location Sydney Date and time November 25, 2013, 12:07PM The watered down version of Yoga that is poses without the underlying mental discipline or lifestyle chang is just not that appealing to a lot of men. A friend of mine is a Yoga teacher in England. He spent 15 years studying before even thinking of teaching. The poses are just a minor part of proper Yoga. He quite rightly writes off the "Yoga" in most classes as a feminised exercise and feel-good routine...just not authentic enough to engage in compared to the real-deal. Men don't go because it is designed and targeted for women. (Although the author seems to find joy in finding male deficiencies to explain it!) You need not have a name for your health routine: Eat well, sleep well, stretch daily, blast yourself a few times a week (scour the circulation, breath really hard, sweat like crazy), rest when tired, develop good standing, walking, sitting, breathing and thinking habits. Commenter Andy Location Melb Date and time November 25, 2013, 12:12PM

 "There's been a flip," Fishman says. "When it came to the US, yoga became a sort of gentle gym, a non-competitive, non-confrontational thing that's good for you. Yoga has this distinctive passive air to it. You get into the pose and stay there." Perhaps this inaccurate assumption stems from the fact that yoga is usually practiced by women and women are inaccurately perceived as passive and weak. I'm a woman and I do yoga. There's nothing passive and weak about it. You don't get in a pose and stay there. You get in a pose and work physically, mentally and spiritually, if that's your want. Maybe this is what some men find confronting about yoga? Commenter Kate Location Date and time November 25, 2013, 12:24PM definteyly is boring. I have tried all sorts of yoga and even the sight of a room full of women isn't enough to go! Commenter Geoff Psychologist. HappinessCentre.com Location Date and time November 25, 2013, 12:35PM What a sexist article. Men say they find it boring, but of course it can't be that - no, there has to be some sort of stereotypical male character trait to blame. Because, of course, women know better than those silly old troglodytes we call 'men'. Seriously, if the gender shoes were on the other feet this article would never have seen the light of day, even on a page with a cute little caveat explaining that the page is unapologetcally from a 'masculinist' point of view. Commenter Mad Uncle Bruno Location Date and time November 25, 2013, 1:03PM Yet another generalist misandrist article. Move on - it's the 21st Century Commenter Maro Location Sydney Date and time November 25, 2013, 1:12PM Competitive cyclist here. Won a few races this year too. I do yoga & pilates for core strength & flexibility, both of which are essential to racing since they improve power output & comfort (especially preventing lumbar discomfort) and even aerodynamics (flexible hamstrings = lower drops/TT position!).

Not the only way to achieve that but it's a very relaxing way Commenter kosh Location Melbourne Date and time November 25, 2013, 1:34PM Yoga may be good for some but I find it boring. After working 12 hours in a physically intense job the last thing I want to do is throw my money at a mind numbing class and waste the little time I have on this rubbish. I shutter at the thought. Maybe if I wasn't moving most of the day (like the majority of the population) I would have a very different perspective. Commenter Slaugh Location Date and time November 25, 2013, 1:45PM I can't do it for the following reasons: 1. It bores me to tears. 2. It's infested with mumbo jumbo. 3. It just doesn't feel like real exercise compared to say running or paddling or lifting weights. Commenter John Location Sydney Date and time November 25, 2013, 2:04PM I'm a guy,I do Yoga and I kinda liked it. But you nailed it when all the chanting turned me off. Because it absolutely does I don't really mind about the Sanskrit term, because well it's a term, but the teacher often talked about new - agey BS about opening up your self, take the energy from the universe etc. etc. Lady, I'm here to boost my flexibility not joining a cult Commenter AK Location Date and time November 25, 2013, 3:54PM

 What is being described as Yoga is not Yoga. They are all postures called Asanas. Yoga means UNION with the Universal Brahman. West have managed to separate Yoga from it's spiritual side and now it all bout various postures. You even have " Christian Yoga". Simply put, Christianity and Yoga are not compatible. In the same way, you cannot separate Yoga from its Hindu spiritual side.That goes for Christian meditation and various other gimmicks. To practice e Yoga and meditation, you need to leave behind the Christian baggage. Commenter Indian Location Date and time November 25, 2013, 4:15PM I'm a man and I practise yoga. Commenter paulm88 Location Fitzroy North Date and time November 25, 2013, 4:39PM because its gymnastics without any of the fun modern yoga has only been around since the 60's with the poses taken from an Indian book that's only 200 years old that described 122 gymnastic poses. And speaking of posers that pretty much describes a class of yoga students if you want to stretch, stretch then go do something fun not sit and breath Commenter cb Location Date and time November 25, 2013, 6:21PM As a male practitioner of yoga I can state that women definitely have a genetic advantage at yoga - particularly with poses that require flexibility in the groin area. Maybe guys are afraid of being shown up by females. Additionally guys are more into getting ripped and muscular instead of flexible. Commenter Ben Location Date and time November 25, 2013, 6:24PM Maybe men are just too cluey to go in for the whole "you can cure any sickness with your mind" thing. Commenter Max Power Location Date and time

November 25, 2013, 7:19PM The only thing men like about yoga is being in a room full of women wearing yoga pants. Commenter Mick Location Vic Date and time November 25, 2013, 9:23PM rubbish. Plenty of man do it and understand it. They prefer to do more physical activities. Why should more men have to do more of anything? Sounds like feminism is the new domestic violence. Commenter tom Location nsw Date and time November 25, 2013, 9:41PM Maybe some of the men who don't do yoga have read the evidence-based medical views on the subject. Maybe it's not macho enough ; maybe guys who are interested in girls don't think women are interested in chilled-out and relaxed men. Maybe they know the people who do yoga who always seem to have a bad back. On the other hand, in India, yoga is a very male-dominated field. Maybe they can get the on-field focus more easily from a speed-like substance. A lot of maybes, but there are plenty of "ifs" and "maybes" in the articles from overseas, too. Commenter Professor Rosseforp Location Date and time November 25, 2013, 9:53PM I stopped going because the instructor kept addressing the class as "ladies"; "come on ladies", that sought of thing. Made me feel like I was intruding. Commenter Leonandon Location Date and time November 25, 2013, 11:29PM Yoga is for fairies. I've never done it and I ain't dead yet. Commenter Watchdog Location Sydney

Date and time November 26, 2013, 3:32AM Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/diet-and-fitness/yoga-why-men-dont-get-it20131122-2xzvd.html#ixzz2lq0cn2pr