Where Are All the Men?
Guys have the world to gain by practicing yoga. So what's holding them back?
Yoga originated in northern India more than 5,000 years ago. Archaeologists have found statuettes of men in yoga poses that are estimated to be 5,000 years old.
A world turned upside down—that's yoga for most of us men. We still run most of the government and hit the major league home runs, but yoga is a woman's domain. According to a 2005 Yoga Journal market study, 77 percent of the yoga practitioners in America are female. Anecdotally, longtime teachers who regularly crisscross the nation hosting workshops, believe the numbers might be even more skewed.
So I asked highly qualified doctors, scientists, and veteran yoga teachers exactly why so many men stick to yoga's sidelines. I also polled members of that rare breed known as the male practitioner—from pro athletes to busy investment managers—to find out how they came to embrace yoga. In the end, I discovered social, physical, and emotional realities that discourage men from practicing. I also heard about the moments of inspiration that got men over such barriers—and ideas about what might help other men make the leap, too. If you're a man who's hesitated to try yoga—or you know a man you'd like to introduce to the practice—read on.
Social Obstacles: Yoga Takes
a Brave Man
Getting men to identify with yoga has long been a challenge
in this country. It doesn't matter that yoga, since
its beginnings in India thousands of years ago, has
mainly been taught and studied by men. Restrictive American
immigration laws of the early 1900s stunted the spread
of Indian culture on these shores, and only a handful
of influential yogis arrived here through the decades.
Physical Hurdles: Overcoming
Groins and Gray Matter
Get a man past his reservations about asana time with
the ladies and he'll still have a well-founded reason
to drag his feet to a studio: Yoga can be painful.
Men, it seems, are naturally tight. Boys and girls may be born equally limber, with an ability to comfortably put their feet behind their heads. But by adolescence, boys generally lose flexibility faster than girls, and as boys become men, the differences in flexibility tend to grow.
Physical Benefits
One man attributes his daily vitality and still-strong
golf game to Warrior Pose variations that open his shoulders,
hips, and back. "My handicap was 10 as a kid and
I'm still at about 13," he says. "Not bad
for a guy who works all the time."
Emotional Challenge: Try Beating
Yourself
Even if a guy turns a physical corner and starts adapting
to yoga's demands, he may still miss out on many of
the practice's benefits. Yoga's internal rewards—everything
from better focus to less stress—are the hardest
for men to realize.
With yoga practice the freedom comes in. You can let go. You realize that the bigger game you're playing in life isn't about competitiveness. It is about being your true self and practicing that.