Well, we all have to start somewhere (and it's a new year)– why not pluck up the courage and try something new.
My ‘moment’ started at work in the early ‘noughties when I (Tim) joined a corporate yoga class after work. It took a few years to get more into it – but it was a start. Yoga for men who are seem pretty daunting with so many things to remember; where to look, when to breathe, understand the sanskrit names of the poses and finally trying to figure out where the body is supposed to be.
The second moment came when I joined Shannon on a teacher training weekend, as a precursor to taking the Yoga Teacher Training back in 2015. Since qualifying in 2016 I have been teaching, initially part time, and now full time ever since.
Initially, back in India when yoga started all those years ago, yoga poses and sequences were practiced by young men. It seems that as yoga moved westwards it became more the domain of women.
Increasingly more men are taking up yoga in any of its many guises: Power yoga, Strength yoga, ‘Broga’ or Bikram yoga.
In many cases, yoga is used to complement the ‘main’ sport of an individual and is positioned as fitness yoga.
Internationally recognised athletes such as Andy Murray, Ryan Giggs, LeBron James, Sachin Tendulkar regularly practice yoga, whilst rugby teams of both codes and football teams are integrating yoga into strength and conditioning programmes. You can read our blog on yoga for sports here.
It’s important to remember that yoga is for everyone; It’s a matter of finding the yoga style, and a yoga teacher, that works for you.
Many men, myself included, started yoga with the intention of reaping the physical benefits of yoga. Undoubtedly, I am more flexible, have better balance but am also calmer and better at dealing with stressful situations. Learning breathing techniques, as part of my yoga practice, has undoubtedly been helpful.
We don’t exclusively offer yoga classes for men, but hope that as a teacher, I will help encourage more men to join our . In many of our classes there is a 50:50 split between men and women- so hopefully you’ll feel comfortable to enjoy your yoga class.
Alternatively, private one to one classes can also be arranged so that we can tailor the class to your specific needs.
