Not just for girls

Most men think yoga is about sitting cross-legged on a mat, doing deep breathing exercises and letting out an occasional “Ommmm…

Most men think yoga is about sitting cross-legged on a mat, doing deep breathing exercises and letting out an occasional “Ommmm” for good measure. They couldn’t be more wrong

ABOUT EIGHT years ago I was attending my GP for a bout of gastric reflux and as well as prescribing the necessary tablets, he advised me to try some form of relaxation therapy like yoga to reduce the stress levels that he figured were contributing to my stomach problems.

I thought he was off his rocker – at that time, yoga was, in my mind, a past-time for lycra-clad women and hippies. But, I was genuinely intrigued by the idea that yoga could help reduce stress and frankly I was willing to try anything that might help to end my discomfort.

As best as I can recall, there were no yoga classes for men in my locality back then and even if there had been, I certainly wouldn’t have gone to one. No, this was something to be tried out in the comfort of my own home, and even at that, secluded in a locked bedroom in case my other half was tempted to come in for a look (and a laugh).

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On the QT I went out and bought a yoga mat and an instruction book (like most men, I always feel that a good start with these things is to splash out on some equipment), put on a tracksuit and got stuck into a range of Asanas (“steady poses”) like the Downward Facing Dog, the Cobra, the Standing Forward Bend, and the Triangle. You have to admit those names are pretty cool.

Here’s a few things that surprised me about yoga. Firstly, I got to see parts of my body that I had never seen before (I’ll leave it to your imagination to work out which ones) and, secondly, I couldn’t believe how tough it was.

Most men think that yoga is about sitting cross-legged on a mat, getting in touch with one’s inner self, doing deep breathing exercises and letting out an occasional “Ommmm” for good measure. They couldn’t be more wrong. About 10 minutes into it, while trying to hold a “pose” I suddenly noticed that I was sweating profusely and my muscles were starting to shake from over-exertion.

The next day I was in absolute bits – every muscle in my body was aching. I did yoga for about a year but, unfortunately, like so many other good intentions it eventually fell by the wayside. It didn’t help that I was doing it at home by myself and that I didn’t have a good instructor to help me improve. That said, I enjoyed it immensely while doing it and there is no doubt that I felt fitter, stronger, more flexible and altogether more relaxed as a result.

Though even the notoriously tough Roy Keane used yoga to recover from injury, it is still seen as “girlie” by most men. The fact that it is associated with some decidedly touchy-feely benefits – promoting inner peace and calm, a higher state of wellbeing, interconnection and so on – is pretty much guaranteed to send most men running (literally). The irony is, however, that all forms of exercise achieve these things on some level, it’s just that yoga seems to wear its heart on its sleeve a little more than most.

The idea that yoga is a form of exercise for women is a uniquely “western” one, according to Mary Hayes who runs Yogasuain in Dungarvan, Co Waterford. She points out that until recently yoga was almost exclusively practised by men and that most yoga poses were in fact designed for men’s bodies.

“All of the great ‘yogis’ are men and all of the best books and DVDs are written by male teachers,” she says. “We have seen a couple of celebrities like Madonna and Geri Halliwell bring out a DVD and as a result men think that it’s a girl’s exercise, but they couldn’t be more wrong.”

Hayes recently started a men-only Iyengar yoga class on Monday nights. “It’s still not really the done thing for men, but I think it’s changing. We have between eight and 10 men ranging in age from their 20s to 60s – we have a few runners, a guy who does karate.

“It’s a very physical class which I think surprises most men. They think yoga is all about relaxation and mediation. Getting men in the door is the real challenge. Once we get them in the door we tend to keep them.”

Hayes has noticed a number of key differences between her female and male customers. “Guys are very cagey about admitting that they enjoy it and you don’t get feedback from them really. The other thing I notice is that men won’t come out of a pose when they are uncomfortable like women do.

“There’s that competitive element with men. They could be sweating and shaking all over, but they will stay in the pose if it kills them!”

What do men get from yoga? “They feel better overall,” says Hayes. “They get very toned up and gain strength and flexibility. It works every muscle in the body unlike running for example where you might have very strong legs but the upper body strength is not there to match.

“They also tend to have more energy and eat better. We have a meditative element to our classes for about 10 minutes at the end and while that is the bit that men are most wary about, it’s also the bit they love the most. It’s like the reward after all their hard work.”

There are not many builders who teach yoga by night, but 59-year-old Charles Crockett has been doing so for about five years and he is currently running “Yoga for Men” courses in the Oscailt Health Centre in Pembroke Road in Dublin.

“I had a minor injury taking down scaffolding about 10 years ago and a doctor suggested that I try yoga. A common issue for manual workers is that our bodies get out of kilter. We become right or left-sided. Yoga helps to return balance.”

There are nine men in his weekly course ranging in ages between 40 and 60. “Traditionally it hasn’t been easy to get men to do yoga,” he says. “The standard answer is always ‘oh my wife might be interested in that’. But I think that it’s changing. All of the men in my course are fit and were already concerned about trying to look after themselves before they came on the course.”

Yoga, he says, is a great way for middle-aged men to get some exercise. “Men tend to give up sports far too early in life and then we are faced with another 30 years of able-bodied life where we are not getting enough exercise. As we get older, it gets harder and harder to look after ourselves.

“What I teach is not about trying to strike a beautiful pose. It’s about making the muscles supple and flexible. It gives you control over stress and anxiety. And, most importantly, it makes you strong at the same time.”

Crockett thinks men would be better off in mixed classes, but he can understand why they prefer men-only courses. “I would prefer a mix to be honest. It’s just more normal. But I can understand that men don’t want to be the only man in a room full of women. They are worried about making a fool of themselves.”