Yoga seen as "Un-Manly"

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azymth99
azymth99 Posts: 122 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I get it every time. When I tell people I practice (and teach) Yoga, I get some kind of comment about my masculinity or a raised eyebrow from a lot of guys- followed by a crack about how I would look in Yoga pants...

I'll admit, I don't look like a "typical" Yoga practitioner and I have never worn Yoga pants. But if you think Yoga is not a manly exercise, you would be mistaken. Until it hit the West, most disciplines of Yoga were exclusively practiced by men. The exercises and breathing techniques are useful in nearly every other type of excercise as well.

What a lot of people don't know is that Yoga was actually the predecessor of Martial Arts. And a great deal of Martial Art exercises were developed from Yoga techniques. Yoga helps develop balance, muscle control, flexibility, stamina, breathing techniques and a myriad of other benefits. The animal styles of Kung Fu were direct descendants of Yoga techniques and are still practiced today.

Granted, the Western version of Yoga has been stygmatized as a predominantly female discipline. But if you stop there, you are doing yourself a disservice. The benefits of Yoga are immense, whether you are male or female. Excercise doesn't have a "sex" and you'd be amazed at the results you get after only a few days of practice.

And you don't HAVE to wear Yoga pants if you don't want to...
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Replies

  • SKME2013
    SKME2013 Posts: 704 Member
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    My husband is doing yoga and he is a very manly man. A lot of our male friends do yoga and so far I have never heard anybody joking about it. My fourteen year old son though...does not find it very manly...
    Stef.
  • ponycyndi
    ponycyndi Posts: 858 Member
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    My BIL does yoga, and he thinks it's awesome. All three of my boys do it too, the two older do it in gym at school, and the youngest copies me at home. He loves to do downward dog, he thinks it's hilarious.
  • Mavrick_RN
    Mavrick_RN Posts: 439 Member
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    I was surprised at how much of a workout Yoga is, after all it's just twisting into weird positions, right? NOT! At the 45 minute mark of my 1 hour class I was sweating and breathing hard. Next day I was sore just like a cardio workout. But boy it makes you feel better for days afterward.

    A "manly" thing is what a man does. I'm a man. I do it. 'nuff said

    Namaste,

    Mav
  • yogicarl
    yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
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    Thank you for posting and Namaste.

    Carl
    Ashtanga Yoga.
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
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    I really do not mind going to classes and finding that nine out of ten students are female...So, shush up, please.
  • azymth99
    azymth99 Posts: 122 Member
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    I really do not mind going to classes and finding that nine out of ten students are female...So, shush up, please.

    You're right. I should try a different approach...

    If you want to meet lots of women, go to a Yoga class near you!
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
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    Now you've done it . . . .
  • tinkbaby101
    tinkbaby101 Posts: 180 Member
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    :laugh:

    My husband made a crack about taking yoga in the spring, when he was a college student. He says it's filled with mostly girls, who progressively take more and more clothes off, as they're becoming more and more flexible through the summer.

    Joking aside, yoga can be hard! I don't think it's unmanly. Just like lifting weights isn't unwomanly.
  • cantfail
    cantfail Posts: 169 Member
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    I was just talking about DDP Yoga (formerly Yoga for Regular Guys) in another thread. I like it very much. Azymth99, I'd be interested to hear what yogi has to say about it.
  • Leonidas_meets_Spartacus
    Leonidas_meets_Spartacus Posts: 6,198 Member
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    Funny Arnold Schwarzneggar did Yoga and ballet to improve his flexibility back in the day when he was winning Mr universe and so on. Strength, Balance and flexibility are important. Yoga helps with flexibility.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    You might be right about yoga but good luck trying to explain that to someone that's in better shape than you. Some
  • azymth99
    azymth99 Posts: 122 Member
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    I was just talking about DDP Yoga (formerly Yoga for Regular Guys) in another thread. I like it very much. Azymth99, I'd be interested to hear what yogi has to say about it.

    Actually, I had never heard of DDP Yoga until your post- but coincidentally, I tried to become a professional wreslter in the 90's and was sidelined by a back injury- ending my potential career as a wreslter. Years later, my ruptured disc never healed, I ruptured 3 more and had back surgery in 2010 (4-level Lumbar Fusion).

    Yoga was the ONLY exercise I could do after surgery. I used it to recuperate and after a year, I was not only functional- I was physically BETTER than I was before having back problems. I swear by it now. So, like DDP wrestling hurt my back and we both used Yoga to recuperate. Although, I'm sure his back went through more punishment than mine. Like him, I teach a "warrior" version- concentrating more on the balance, muscle control, stances and breathing etc.

    Diamond Dallas Page was one of my favorite wrestlers by the way!
  • coolraul07
    coolraul07 Posts: 1,606 Member
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    ...My husband made a crack about taking yoga in the spring, when he was a college student. He says it's filled with mostly girls, who progressively take more and more clothes off, as they're becoming more and more flexible through the summer.
    ...

    9KpHG.gif

    Sorry couldn't resist. :laugh:

    Seriously though, I agree with OP and already knew half of what he said about it's background.
    I'd love to take a class but I don't have the patience for it. I struggle to keep myself from rushing through 5 min of warm-up stretching alone at home, so 30-45 min with others I couldn't imagine. I have considered trying DDP Yoga at home... time will tell.
    51qmqvkR52L.jpg
  • bunny1006
    bunny1006 Posts: 325 Member
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    bump
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
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    Before I take any fitness advice from you of any kind...

    ...I need to know if you're in better shape than I am.


    What's your best 5k time?
    What's your deadlift 1RM?
    Total cholesterol?
    Average blood pressure?
    Any relevant fitness-related medical problems I should know about?
  • Dewymorning
    Dewymorning Posts: 762 Member
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    I haven't done much yoga, but I often do pilates, and I remember at university the only male who ever came to class was the mostly masculine, manly man you ever did see. He was a rugby player and someone must have told him that pilates would improve his game.

    One thing I have noticed about pilates, and I am sure that this applies to yoga too, is because it focuses so much on breathing, when I go and do some strength training I find it much easier to get the breathing right.

    And yeah, I agree exercise does not have a sex (though it might help with sex ;) ) and this applies to yoga, pilates, and strength training.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
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    You're like 50 years late on this. Doesn't anyone remember the Flintstones where Fred took ballet to improve his bowling?
    52ee3c70-2c6d-012e-94c2-0050569439b1.jpg
  • marcelo_templario
    marcelo_templario Posts: 653 Member
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    I 've never done yoga, but someday I'd look like this:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzSGl1yrFOY
  • delicious_cocktail
    delicious_cocktail Posts: 5,797 Member
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    I refuse to take advice on gender-appropriate activities from people who have a less-developed understanding of gender issues than I do.

    Incidentally, you should smile in your pictures, you would look more confident and masculine. Not intuitive, I know, but quite true.
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,932 Member
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    So, how do you look in yoga pants? Because frankly, if you don't look as good as the ladies then you need to move to the back of the room. My view needs to be clear.

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