Even after the yoga revolution of recent years, women still dominate the yoga scene. We’re the majority in the classrooms, we’re on the covers of the yoga magazines, and we make up the bulk of the teacher trainings. Yoga has become known as a woman’s activity. And some people have been trying to change that.
In fact, there are several current initiatives to shift this inequality–and they all revolve around yoga classes geared specifically toward men. Samudra Yoga in Bremerton, Washington has a class called Stiff White Guys Yoga. The Kula Yoga Project in Williamsburg, NY, has a Yoga for Dudes class (taught by a chick). There’s a website called New Mens Yoga that says “It’s not for sissy’s anymore!” on the home page. (It’s also apparently not for men who’d care that the plural of sissies doesn’t have an apostrophe.) And now, in Sommerville, MA, two guys recently launched a whole new yoga program called Broga.
A yoga program aimed at men, Broga includes traditional yoga asana, as well as additional variations of squats and push-ups—and limited esoteric language. The founders, Robert Sidoti and Adam O’Neill, have good intentions: They are trying to bring more men into the yoga room. But Broga? Hmm …. It reminds me a little of the new beer that Molson Coors recently put on the market for women. It’s pink.
This lopsided gender distribution in yoga doesn’t entirely make sense. It was men who primarily jumpstarted the tradition, so how has yoga become such a woman’s arena? Is it really because men don’t like anything esoteric? Or because there aren’t enough push-ups? Or is it because somehow, somewhere along the way, as yoga made its way from India to the US, it garnered a reputation as light aerobic exercise and stretching done by girls in tights? I don’t know.
I do know that there are men who are incredibly adept at yoga asana, as well as interested in the energetic and philosophical practices connected with the tradition, but that they are not commonplace (senior yoga teachers excepted). I also know that it’s been hard to get my dad to do yoga. Or my brothers. Or my past boyfriends, for that matter. I wonder, though, if advertising separate classes for men, and promoting those classes as being more masculine than traditional yoga classes (and “not for sissies”), is the answer.
Why do you think men need an extra push to get into modern yoga? Do you think it’s a good idea to have special classes for guys? Do you think yoga is a sissy activity? Do you think beer should be pink? Write in and tell us what you think!
Interesting article. I can tell you have put a great deal of thinking into this. As a man who has thought about yoga I can offer new insight. I don’t think yoga affects a mans view of his manhood. I have watched yoga classes in the gym, and you are right they are mostly women. I think I am hesitant because I don’t want to look awkward. Afraid to fail? Maybe. We men know that you women are more flexible and maybe we’re afraid that we can’t do it. After all there is no macho, no mirrors, no amount of weight to measure. Not just not push ups. With push ups there is a goal. 20, 30, 40 perhaps.Maybe also we realize that it isn’t as easy as it looks. Holding a pose for a while doesn’t fit into our lack of attention. After all how much time does it take to do 10 pull ups? The truth is I want to try yoga I just don’t know how to start. Thanks for the article. (Co-ed classes are more interesting. I wonder if women would be uncomfortable with men.)
For most men, I keep hearing that they don’t want to be in a class where the women all seem more proficient and they feel inferior. If that is you, why not begin with private lessons that set you up for a personal practice that will familiarize you with some basic postures and give you confidence. Yoga is a solitary practice, in any case, and no two people need to or should practice the same way. Classes are part of the reason for men dropping out, so why not learn one-on-one, which is the traditional way?
I’m old enough to have done yoga back in the 70s when there were about equal numbers of men and women and the class was often taught by an Indian guy with a bit of a pot gut. Those were the hippy days and although we did backbends and stood on our head, it was more philosophical and mystical. I often dated guys I met in yoga class since we had shared values of vegetarianism, non violence in general and mystic spirituality. But then the aerobics teachers took over yoga and it was in every gym and suddenly sanskrit and meditation were out and a serious core workout was in. Yoga teacher were mostly female aerobics instructors with great flexibility. I am a yoga teacher now and I think a lot about how to get more guys in class. I can’t tell you how many times I tell I guy I teach yoga and they whisper “I do yoga in my basement BUT don’t tell anyone!” Why are they embarassed? The guys that do show up for class are the kind of guy that doesn’t care what other people think. Their egos are not challenged by the flexy bendy girl next to them, they are in their own world, breathing and loving how they feel and they could care less about what other men think. So maybe the men are the real yogis now and maybe far too many of the women are just yogi fashionistas. Doing the latest trend in fitness? I often wonder how many of my students will still be doing yoga 5 years from now- male or female?
Should Men Have Their Own Yoga Classes?
Yes.
Why?
if for no other reason, to bring balance to the universe (and my, your, everyones yoga class)
my guys are getting hooked to “feeling good”; what better a reason.
anything to get more men out.
stacey
Maybe men should have their own yoga classes… at least here in LA. However…I will say…not all yoga DJs think like this.
Philip
That video is hilarious! Nice one!
This is great, but you didn’t mention the fact that men are mentally conditioned to be competitive, and physically conditioned by sports and weight-lifting to be muscle-bound/injured/inflexible. Kind of a bad combo when yoga classes are already dominated by super-bendy ladies…not to mention spandex-clad ones who may distract from the loftier yogic philosophies. That said, I’m all for men-only classes! I’ve been joking about “broga” for years (great minds) and almost all of the bros I mentioned it to were totally enthusiastic. Viva la broga!
I, for one, would not be interested in an all-men class; I have been very happy being in the vast minority at most Yoga classes I attend. Just today, one female teacher was talking to another female teacher after class, kind of bemoaning so-few men, and saying that my presence is great because it adds “Shiva energy” to the room. That made me feel good (it IS a sort-of compliment, isn’t it??).
At times, however, I have wondered if women might, in fact, enjoy just women in the room. This always strikes me when I am in a Shanti class, and in that case I feel the opposite of what BigMack says above — I wonder if some of the women are the ones feeling awkward. But I always feel very welcome there, and believe that my presence is far form regretted or resented.
I spent years telling myself I was too inflexible for Yoga, but have since come to learn that there is far more to Yoga than just standard aspects of flexiness. True, due to hamstrings that are 2cm long and made of pig-iron, I am severely restricted when it comes to anything resembling forward bends. And tight hip flexors limit my ability to do most hip-openers. BUT, I can twist quite well, and inversions are easy for me, and various random asanas are ones that I can feel moderately adept at —— so all is not lost!!
Maybe that’s the message that needs to go out to men, something alone the lines of there is more to Yoga than just the poses that we associate with super-supple 23-year-old women. That message might be very empowering for many men who are on the fence about Yoga, and just need to know that for just about anybody, regardless of gender, there are some poses that they will do well, and others at which they will struggle for years.
Finally, thinking about “empowering”, i just want to give a nod to David Swenson’s “Ashtanga Yoga – The Practice Manual”. This book has empowered me by virtue of the generous options he provides for vitrually every asana. Allow me the “C” option more often than not, and I too can feel quasi-competent at Prasarita Padottanasana, and Parsvottanasana, and Paschimottanasana, and Supta Padangusthasana, and……., and……., and……….
Yes, we women love having men in the room – it’s not an imposition at all. It does nicely to balance the energy and, as a teacher, it would be boring always teaching to one gender/age group/type of student. So, yes, yes – men are very welcome in the yoga room!
Great question!
I am a 53 year old happily married male that has been practicing for 10 years in both led and Mysore style yoga. Typically I am one of two or three males in the room. Sometimes if there are 20 or 30 female students you begin to wonder if something is wrong in the universe.
However, nothing is more pleasing to the eye and soul than a graceful yogini making going to class a very sensual experience. Here you find the most beautiful and fit women on the planet. Which can also be incredibly distracting.
I don’t care how new age male you are… when you see some of these long legged yogis in their lulu tights flowing around the room your mind is going to loose focus and drishti. That maybe the best reason to have all male classes –> so we can stay focused on yoga and not on some good looking assana 😉
I vote for all male classes as an option which should be taught by a male teacher. I think more men would come out of the woods and once they see what a co-ed class looks like they will flow there as well.