I’m writing at my desk this afternoon, and even though it’s been six hours since my morning yoga workout, I’m still enjoying the pleasurable and exhilarating residual effects—tingling muscles, bounds of energy, and a great mental attitude (or in other words, I’m still buzzing from my yoga high). This yoga thing has got me feeling stronger every day. And it’s not just my muscles that are feeling stronger; my brain and my emotional well-being are pumping up as well. I’m feeling more love in the room and compassion toward others. I’m managing my stress levels and focusing on living in the now. I’m moving my body, stretching my mind, releasing toxins, and healing my aching back.
Yoga, I do believe in you, and I know you believe in me. Wait a minute; I think I feel another yoga theme song coming on…
Yeah, yoga is one of the best things to happen to me (after my family, husband, and friends), and it could just be one of the best things to happen to you. If you want to give it a try, check out some of these online resources that offer incredible online classes, or go to your library and pick up a DVD for beginners. Many yoga studios offer free classes to allow you to try it out, so get online and do a search in your community to see if any studios nearby offer these classes.
I love the way yoga makes me feel, and I’m convinced that I need to start getting up earlier so I can start as many of my days as possible with a yoga workout. Even if it’s only 30 minutes, what a great way to start the day—breathing in all the possibilities for the day and breathing out anything that won’t serve me. Getting that yoga high and keeping it all day long. I’m feeling stronger every day both mentally and physically. Yeah, yeah, yeah…
According to a “Yoga in America” study done by Yoga Journal in 2008, of the 15.8 million Americans that practice yoga, approximately 72.2% are women and 27.8% are men.
Why are there so few men on the mat in America? It really is puzzling, because yoga has traditionally been practiced by men, and there certainly are plenty of amazing male role models and teachers, like B.K.S. Iyengar, Bikram Choudhury, and Amrit Desai.
If men are concerned that they are not welcome, I want them to know that I personally would love to see more of you in my yoga classes. Yoga can bring about amazing benefits, but it can also be difficult at first. Yoga makes you sweat, and yoga is not for wussies…that is why so many women love it, and why more men should try it!
Recently, I was speaking to a male colleague who just started practicing yoga. He told me how much he enjoyed his classes but sometimes felt like the odd man out and that the majority of media related to yoga is targeted to women. That got me thinking and I decided to do a little online searching for myself.
On Twitter I found @MenOnTheMat, which is dedicated to helping men feel welcome and good about practicing yoga. Their mission is to even out the male-female ratio of people practicing yoga worldwide, thereby bringing about world peace. I think they may be onto something there! What an amazing vision and one I’d like to see happen in my lifetime. They are doing a great job of sharing videos and information related to men practicing yoga. I’m anxiously awaiting the @MenOnTheMat official blog launch coming soon, but until then you can follow them on Twitter and Facebook.
On the VancouverYoga.com Web site, there is an encouraging article entitled “Yoga for Men—What Could be Stopping You.” It’s all about men not worrying about the fact that they may not be flexible enough and putting their egos aside in order to enjoy the benefits of yoga.
If you are just getting started, here’s a “First-Timer’s Guide to Yoga” from Men’s Health,which also has a whole section of articles related to men’s yoga.
The Daily Downward Dog is an equal opportunity yoga supporter, so if you know of a great blog or online resource that supports men in yoga or products targeted to men practicing yoga, I would love to learn more about it. Please share the details in the comments below.
Wednesday, September 1 was the kickoff of National Yoga Month, and you’ve got 28 days left to get into the festivities. The purpose of National Yoga Month is to create awareness about the many benefits of yoga and hopefully encourage Americans to get out there and give yoga a try!
If you’ve always wanted to try it but don’t know where to start, here are two great programs going on this month to get you onto a yoga mat.
1) You absolutely must visit the Yoga Month Web site. They have links to hundreds of free classes and events and a list of over 1200 yoga studios nationwide offering one free week of yoga.
2) If you would rather try yoga out in the comfort of your home, My Yoga Online is offering free online training sessions. My Yoga Online is a premium on-demand subscription service for yoga and wellness videos. They offer one of the largest and most diverse mind-body video and article libraries in the world. The cool thing is that their classes fit your schedule—you can log on at anytime, from anywhere, and have access to the perfect class for you. If you have always wanted to try My Yoga Online, now’s your chance to check it out for free before you sign up.
I’m personally celebrating National Yoga Month by setting some new intentions for my yoga practice and have a personal goal to do a headstand by the end of the month. I’ll also keep you posted on additional Yoga Month activities and helpful tips to get you started on your very own yoga journey.
With all these festivities and FREE classes, there really is no excuse to give it a try!
Stop by every weekday for the Daily Downward Dog, my journal of cool yoga experiences. Thank you for checking out the ads and products when you visit to help fund this site!
In my blog on Monday (“What’s Om Got to Do With It?”), I provided the definition of om, which represents the union of mind, body, and spirit and the whole universe compressed together into one single sound.
I provided the definition for two reasons. First, I really wanted my readers to understand the meaning; and second, because I really didn’t understand what it meant. I wanted to understand the benefits of chanting. I knew having a deeper meaning of what om meant would help it take on a whole new meaning in my yoga practice and I was right!
In my yoga class this morning, the yoga instructor led us in chanting om three times at the beginning of class. I closed my eyes and started to think about my part in the ever-changing cycle across the universe. The deep-resonating sound came up from my belly as I slowly pronounced each of the three syllables: aaaauuummm. I let myself be aware of my surroundings, my breath, my energy, and the deep, loud fullness of the sound. On the second round of chantingmy journey began in earnest, and I felt the flowing movement of the Earth as a sense of connection enveloped me. It was both soothing and satisfying, and it definitely got my head in the right place to begin the class.
This getting to know the meaning of yoga stuff is really cool!
Instead of just sitting there chanting om and wondering what the heck it meant, I got to experience an amazing feeling of calm and connection. I am definitely going to delve more into the benefits of chanting.
If you’re looking for a person who is deeply connected—maybe not from a business sense, but connected with the universe—I’m your woman!
I want my MTV! Wow, I’m showing my age with this one.
Do you want your Daily Downward Dog (D.D.D.)?
Are you wondering what happened to my D.D.D.?
Well, something really exciting has happened (for me, at least). The D.D.D. was feeling a little cramped over at MariaMedia. It needed a bigger yoga mat to grow in its yoga practice. After months of URL hunting, packing, moving blogs, setting up the menus, and building new fixtures, the D.D.D. is ready to announce its new address at www.dailydownwarddog.com.
If you click on the D.D.D. at MariaMedia, you will be redirected to the brand-new Daily Downward Dog site.
With its cushy new digs, the D.D.D. will have a place to expand on special topics, like healing back pain with yoga, demystifying yoga, and the best yoga music videos. I’m also really excited that the Daily Downward Dog will feature a marketplace where you can find affordable yoga products. You don’t need a pair of hundred-dollar black stretchy pants to achieve bliss. The D.D.D. does all the work to find you outstanding yoga products with the best prices.
America, demand your D.D.D.! You don’t need to call your cable company; it’s free 24 hours a day and in stereo. Too much is never enough, so be sure to also follow the D.D.D. on Twitter (@downwarddog) and Facebook.
It’s time to pick up your mat and set it down at the new D.D.D.! We still have a few more boxes to unpack, so be patient as we settle into our new digs. We’re looking forward to seeing you.
Here’s one more MTV promo video, just so I could get a look at the younger tantra-tastic Sting (is that red hair he’s sporting?).
