I started writing this blog as encouragement to people (guys mostly) to step out of their unhealthy existence and to start eating right and begin exercising (and hopefully start an active Yoga practice)
I have been reading a lot over the last few days about men and Yoga and how there is somewhat of a stigma for men who practice Yoga. I think a lot of it has to do with misconception of what an active Yoga practice can be (which is anything you want it to be) and how it is promoted as a women's activity. I took a look at the current website for Yoga Journal ( http://www.yogajournal.com ) and counted on the home page the number of humans on it. Our of the 14 people on that page (various sizes of photos), not one was a guy. Hmm.. Interesting. Lets face it. Yoga is marketed to women. There are thousands of woman's fashion items on Amazon for yoga and maybe 100 for men. (and none in my own studio) I know two other guy friends besides me who practice (one whom has been doing it for 15+ years) and there is only one other guy I see at my studio on a regular basis and he is now an instructor there.
Additionally, Men are marketed to build size and muscle. Even Men's Health Magazine focuses on weight training. Here are the five workouts on their website in the workout session.
Total Body Muscle Assault
Coolest New Core Exercise
Situp Throw
The One Dumbbell Exercise
The Squat/Pushup Challenge
The only mention of the word Yoga is a link to a related company website.
There is no doubt that weight training, if done properly and not to a great extreme, does build up definition and size. Between the ages of 25 and 40, I happily spent countless hours lifting weights, doing the stair master (as a warmup in some cases and as a full exercise in others), and running (though I always had knee problems) . I liked the results. But as I aged, and the time commitments of family and life came on. I stopped lifting and limited my exercising to occasional walks and hiking. At 50, the exercise routine that I did when I was younger was (in my humble opinion) not appropriate for me anymore. Running was killing my knees and feet and lifting was not the only answer. That is one of the reasons I chose to stick to Yoga when I realized how much benefits it was giving me physically (when I started practicing, I had the impression that it was slow and stretching only) .
If you are 50+, you running days are near over unless you have knees made of rubber or wish to run in pain. Lifting weights is good but it does nothing for your flexibility unless you add some sort of stretching to the mix. Walking is good but again, but it is no where near a full body exercise. Swimming is great for those with access to a pool. However, with Yoga you can practice in the comfort of you home (and in the friendly confines of your home studio) and work on stretching and strengthening your whole body and increasing cardio (with an active flow). Incorporating a Yoga practice into your life will give you the flexibility to reduce injuries as you age. It does add strength, and over time, if combined with proper eating habits, allows you to lose weight and add muscle definition.
So, where is this going. Good question. Yoga is not just for women even though it is marketed to them and not to men. It is a great exercise and just as importantly, a great way to reduce stress in your life. In a nutshell, if you are middle aged and you are feeling that age, Yoga is a great way to slow down the aging process and to feel healthier and better. It is not a panacea (nothing ever is) but it is a really great way to improve your physical self. If you are a guy, look beyond the marketing images of thin women in various forms of bending and stretching and give it a try and go back to my first postings to see how you can be successful doing it.
Namaste
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