I’ve been thinking about getting into this lately and I was just wondering whats its really like and if any of my fellow dopers have done or are into it at the moment.
Also I guess I should say I’m a man so I’m probably gonna get my man card revolked for even thinking about this; but whatever! As my friends can tell you I’m anything but typical.
Questions I have:
Becuase I am a man, am I in for a stand-offish attitude from the ladies that will no dobt be the majority of the “classes” I might take?
Also, are they really gonna try to cram that spiritual stuff down my throat like “I am a daisy swaying ever so daintily in the cool summers breeze.”? I sure hope not becuase I’m REALLY not into that stuff.
My workplace offers free yoga classes every week. Plenty of men go along to them; there’s no shame and little embarrassment at doing something as fun as yoga. I doubt the women will be stand-offish – I’d hazard a guess that they will be amused and pleased to have men in the class.
I love it. I first got into it when I was in India on holiday about three years ago and I must say that starting off in India was fantastic, as I really felt I was being taught by a guy who knew his stuff. The fact that he had more muscles on his body than I have ever seen on anyone in real life made me think that it wasn’t a particularly fey and girly thing to be going!
When I came back to Ireland I signed up for a beginners course and although I was in a draughty old school hall, rather than on a beach on the Arabian sea, the feeling of calmness was the same.
If you have problems sleeping, it will do wonders for you. Every time I came home from a class, I was completely zonked and slept like a baby.
Apart from the increased flexibility and the improved sleep, I was most impressed with the breathing techniques. I know that sounds a bit hippy dippy and swaying daisy, but I am not in the least bit hippy dippy and I used to think like you. However, when I am having a bad day a few minutes with the breathing excercises restores reason to the throne.
I haven’t signed up for any more classes, but I assume the positions at home and occasionally, even put on the plinky plonky music with the chirruping birdies in the background. Very relaxing.
I have no idea what the classes will be like where you live, but my suggestion would be for you to give it a go.
I go to a yoga class once a week that is taught at my local Y. Here’s the thing: what is taught depends greatly on the teacher. My teacher makes it a hard physical workout, with less emphasis on the spirituality of it. You may get a teacher who’s into that more, I don’t know.
Anyway, I find it a terrific workout, and about 1/4 -1/3 of my normal class is men. There are a couple who go regularly who are fantastic. Not a big deal at all.
I helped teach a yoga class back in college, and it was taught as just a set of stretching and strengthening exercises. There wasn’t any philosophy involved, just exercise. I wish I had kept it up, I’d probably be a hell of a lot more limber…
Like a lot of the gentler physical arts (Tai Chi comes to mind), it can be extremely rewarding, a terrific challenge, fun, and, if you screw something up, very painful. Be careful out there and have fun!
To do it properly is not really as easy as it looks at first but if you persist a bit you’ll feel so much more positive about yourself, your body and life in general. Even if you don’t get really proficient at it you can still benefit from all the breathing and stretching at beginner-level.
And don’t worry, I don’t think you’ll find the ladies stand-offish. The ones that are serious about yogaare usually very open to having men in the class.
If you find it a bit too spiritual for you, try Pilates. It has the similar principles of breathing and stretching but without the eastern spiritual angle.
I would echo what LaurAnge said and say a lot depends on the teacher you get. If it’s not someone you are comfortable with, find someone else.
Having said that, I would strongly encourage you to do it, since it is something you are interested in. I had the same concern you have about being a guy in a class supposedly meant for girls, but after the first time you go, that goes away. My personal experience is one of acceptance from the people in the class.
Yoga is more challenging in a way than any other sport I’ve ever done. To me, it’s about how in tune you can be with your own body. I don’t know how many of the advanced poses you’ve seen, but the human body can do some pretty amazing things.
Nobody’s mentioned it yet, but there are many different styles of yoga: hatha, ashtanga, kundalini, bikram’s, etc…
I started doing Hatha in January. Good strengthening and flexibility exercise. At the studio I go to, some instructors are really into the philosophy, while others are less so. I just ignore most of what they’re saying if it gets too wonky for me (feel the healing energy in my hands? I don’t think so. Feel the trembling in my legs as I sink even lower in Warrior 2 for 5 minutes…)
And we won’t revoke your man license for choosing to get close to attractive ladies in tight-fitting outfits
I have done some Yoga before. Recently, though, I started learning a martial art, and I found that the stretches we do at the start of each session are similar to Yoga. You could safely do this without losing your man card. I’m taking Wu Shu Kwan, although I suppose it would be the same for any martial art.
When I did Yoga, there was never any of the ‘spiritual’ stuff you mention. There was an excersise where had to fold up, and then unfold like a flower, but this was just a description of the movement, not the thought processes. We didn’t actually pretend to BE flowers.
If you ARE a lady, do you have to wear tight-fitting outfits? Even if you’re an overweight lady who really shouldn’t wear tight-fitting outfits? Or do you need to lose weight in some way before starting yoga?
Just wear something loose-fitting that you feel comfy in. Being over-weight wont stop you doing yoga, it’s a lot safer for you in fact than doing something aerobic like gym work. Depending on how over-weight you are, you might find it hard to get yourself into some of the more difficult positions thats all. But a good instructor will help you along.
Its been said before, but … Talk to the teachers. Some are really into the spirtual side, some are into the exercise. Picking the right “brand” of yoga helps with this as well. Some styles are much more spiritual than others. There is nothing like going for the exercise and getting a lecture on vegetarianism followed by a forty minute relaxation session to make you decide yoga isn’t for you - when getting into the right class would have had your heart pumping (or your muscles stretching) without anyone mentioning “chakras.”
I took Iyengar for about a year from someone who was a professional physical therapist. She specialized in helping us unflexible (and elderly and handicapped) people get something out of yoga. It was great for me, but I dropped when she stopped teaching at a time convienent for me and I had kids and couldn’t make time. Iyengar is big on flexibility - and big on modifications to make yoga accessible for people who aren’t flexible. But it isn’t “power yoga” - I seldom broke a sweat and it wasn’t about raising your heart rate. Iyengar is very popular and is often taught as “beginning yoga” - but call and check, a beginning yoga course isn’t necessarily Iyengar.
Check this link from the above site for a “quiz” that will let you know what style you should look for:
Funny I notice this thread when I come back from yoga class .
First of all, you can check out this link: New To Yoga. They have all kinds of tips, history of yoga, and an explanation of the different styles and techniques of yoga.
You’re not going to have to revoke your man card at all. Most people think yoga is all about flexibility and balance, and forget that it is an incredible strength builder, too. Depending on the class, about 1/4 to 1/2 of the class is male, and one of my favorite instructors happens to be male, too. And, if you saw him, you would know he never had to revoke his man card, either (he’s in his mid-40’s, looks 30, and is solid-yet lean-muscle).
About the spirituality bit–depends on the teacher. Most teachers I’ve had will do a little bit of meditation at the end of the session, but nothing too flowery-touchy-feely. Check out a yoga studio and talk to someone there.
