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.
I always love it when a yoga instructor starts out a class with a homily. It’s kind of like going to church and hearing a sermon. Hopefully, the message resonates and is something you can carry with you throughout the rest of class or take with you off the yoga mat into your daily life.
One of my favorite yoga instructors had a really great lesson for us last week. She talked about how our culture has become so rude. She quoted a recent study that proved that Americans in general have become ruder to each other. Think about it. The last time you went out and ran errands, did you find the people surrounding you being rude and discourteous to each other? Were you one of the people being rude? With our busy lifestyles, daily stress, and time constraints, it’s very easy to slap on a bad attitude as we interact with the public. I know I am guilty of this very behavior. Heck, in the past I’ve gotten upset at a store clerk if she was too perky or was just trying to help me pick something out. So, why do we do this? We all know mean people suck! It certainly doesn’t serve us, and in the long run, it’s always a hell of a lot more fun to be happy and do things with a positive attitude.
At the end of class, feeling great from an amazing yoga practice, we all sat with hands at heart center and heads bowed when the instructor asked us to lose the rude and, instead, spread joy and peace to others as we went through the rest of our day. What a great message—and one that I will remember. It is a practice I need to work on and one I will be taking off the mat. Remember, mean people suck, so don’t be one of them.
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?).
I’ve been thinking a lot about my Daily Downward Dog posts. I seem to focus more on the physical aspects of yoga, but I don’t spend as much time on the spiritual aspects of my yoga practice. Over the past year I have become more flexible and my back feels great, but I’ve also grown spiritually from yoga as well and would like to share with you the ABCs of my blissful inward growth.
Acceptance—To me, yoga is all about accepting where you are today and feeling good about it, living in the moment not worrying about what has happened in the past or fretting about the future. Accepting what your body looks like, accepting how your body feels, accepting how far you can reach to your toes, and knowing where you are today is just fine. In time my practice of yoga will take me where I need to go both on and off the mat.
Balance—Practicing yoga has really brought balance into my life. Yeah, I do a much better job of keeping my balance in tree pose, but I’m talking about life balance. I now take the time almost daily to practice yoga or exercise and give my body what it needs instead of working and chasing my tail all the time. I still work really hard, but every day around 6:00 p.m., I turn off the computer, clear my head, and get my butt moving. I feel great and guess what? I now have this crazy thing called work-life balance. Pretty incredible!
Calm—Yoga and meditation have gotten me in the habit of taking time out during my day to breathe deep and de-stress. I try to remember that amazing feeling of lying in savasana, how calm and peaceful I feel, and conjure up that sensation whenever a stressful situation arises. I wish I would have recorded my blood pressure preyoga, and today I bet it has dropped substantially due to the calming effects of practicing yoga and meditation.
So, there you have it, my ABCs of yoga: acceptance, balance, and calm. You can have them too; just hop on a yoga mat and give it a try! Please leave a comment below and let me know what yoga has brought to your life.
One of my yoga instructors has designated the month of July as Hip-Opener Month!
We hold a lot of crap and tension down in our hips, and I, for one, love a great hip-opening pose in yoga class to stretch out those muscles and release the massive quantity of angst I’ve stored up in my hips over the years. Plus, I really think hip-opener poses help release tension in my lower back.
If you want to chuck some of the tension you’ve been holding in your hips, try pigeon pose (eka pada rajakapotasana), my favorite hip-opener pose. You’ll find directions at MyYogaOnline. Please warm up before you try this pose, and be sure to follow the directions and modifications.
I think we need to start a national movement and make Hip-Opener Month a worldwide event so everyone can let go of that nasty stress and angst building up in our hips.
There’s only a week left of July, so get out there and try some hip-opener yoga poses and leave me a comment below and let me know what your favorite hip-opener is.
