This particular article is near and dear to my heart. My hope here is to shed some light on the feminine stigma that surrounds yoga in the western culture. Hopefully through interviews with multiple male practitioners and deep research into the subject we can all gain some insight into why men aren’t drawn to this practice that builds inner and outer strength as well as flexibility… and what we can do to shift this mindset.
So to begin this discussion, it makes sense to start at the very beginning of the yogic practice itself, which is over 2,000 years old. I believe it is important to know that it’s roots were not seeded in femininity. In fact women were not even allowed to practice yoga for thousands of years. Teador Nenov, an author and teacher of the yogic art states “Yoga was first of all a “hidden” practice, not available to many people actually, and second, which is more important in this context is that when talking about Yoga as an ancient spiritual practice, we are for sure not thinking in terms of asanas and body postures. Yoga back then was mainly a tool for (mental) transformation / enlightenment, that is, it was mainly a tool for the mind, not that much for the body.”. Over time however, through Patangeli’s Yoga Sutras and other great works, yoga added the physical postures that we use today in the west and all over the world..So the question arises… How and when did this feminine stigma come to be?
Something deep seeded in our society has molded our men to feel like the only acceptable way to be is strong and invulnerable, and this doesn’t leave very much room for exploration. The famous shame researcher Brene Brown states that for men The overarching message is that any weakness is shameful. And since vulnerability is often perceived as weakness, it is especially risky for men to practice vulnerability. Unfortunately for men yoga has many vulnerable aspects. Students are asked to share with the class their physical practice, exploring poses that may open up the body in a new way or may need to be modified. This can bring on a sense of ego for even the most advanced practitioner. I also believe visual representations of yoga on social media, while beautiful and wonderful in their own way, don’t necessarily highlight the power and strength that goes into the practice. Instead we see women in bendy poses that seem to highlight the female form, and this is not an all together accurate representation of what yoga is or does for the human body.
Now that we have a deeper understanding into why men may be disinterested in the yogic practice, we need to ask ourselves what needs to shift in order for men to feel comfortable practicing. Speaking with multiple men and studio owners revealed a lot of interesting ideas in this regard. Firstly, would men feel more drawn to classes specifically named and designed for athletes or workout recovery? The answer was a resounding yes, creating a class that works while toning down the spiritual or body unification terminology. Making yogic classes specifically streamlined to give the practitioner a sense of calm, strength and release without to much complexity. Also being aware and spreading the word that yoga is not about beautiful bendy poses, but more to create strength and flexibility within the joints, muscles and the mind. We all need these valuable things to flourish and create the healthiest us we possibly can. Let’s all take this ride together and create yoga that is truly for all.
A special thanks to Teador Nenov of www.yogicmoments.com