Tiger Toning

Yoga is for dudes too 

“I may be the most inflexible human in existence and yoga has been suggested to me from multiple people. However, when I looked into it I got smacked with a barrage of language and terms that scared the hell out of me. Can you give me some ideas of what all these different kinds of yoga mean and if this yoga thing is really for dudes?” – Stuck in a Tight Spot

You are not alone when it comes to inflexibility. Many guys share the same fate. Some have been blessed with natural flexibility and others have practised activities (dance, gymnastics, actually doing your post-workout stretches) that promote limberness. The rest of us are sadly limited by the unfortunate reality of inflexibility, and, in getting to your question, yoga is a great way to deal with that.

I should note that any yoga-curious folk might find this article interesting, not just the guys. Sure, I will include a few encouraging words for the men in the audience, but that’s just because we are often bad at doing anything that may threaten our “masculinity.” Although, if you aren’t brave enough to give yoga a try, I think that says something about your masculinity right there.

Before we go any further, what is yoga? It is a practice that attempts to unite your physical, mental and spiritual states into a phase of complete tranquillity. In simpler terms, it is a series of poses and movements that focus on challenging the body, testing the mind and attaining some spiritual enlightenment (however you choose to see spiritual). Basically, it’s a lot of stretching and telling yourself that you will get through this.

Speaking as a guy, I must say I was pretty wary of yoga at first. The idea of chanting in a tightly packed room and attempting stretches that I knew my body was not going to enjoy did not seem like a great use of my workout time. On top of that, the pictures you usually see in advertisements are of women. It just didn’t seem like a man’s arena. I was wrong.

It’s a bit intimidating at first, no doubt about that. You walk into the room and, depending on what type of yoga you have chosen, you could be faced with any number of physical, mental and, yes, even spiritual challenges. But it is nothing you can’t handle. Just calm down and go with the flow. No one is going to judge you for not knowing all the language and terms in your first few trips to the studio; everyone in the room has been there before.

Speaking of type, there are indeed many versions of yoga practised in the world, and even  in Halifax. I couldn’t do justice to the thousands of years of Hindu history, nor try to break down all the different variations in one fitness column; however, I have recently gone to two different practices I would be happy to share with you.

Ashtanga Yoga and Moksha Yoga both have locations on or very close to Spring Garden Road. Ashtanga was certainly a more challenging physical practice, and had a lot more spiritual elements such as chanting and symbols around the space. The teachers were fantastic though, and I found it to be very comfortable when I went.

Moksha’s big difference is that you practice in a sauna, which provides a different type of physical challenge. I’ve been there numerous times and typically the heat is not that bad. Once in a while it gets a little toasty, but the instructors are very understanding if you need to get out of the sauna to take a breather. The advantage for beginners here is that the physical challenge is a bit easier (but not easy) and the spiritual side is  less pronounced (no chanting).

So, guys—and everyone else—please give yoga a try. Not only does it do wonders for your flexibility (read: sex life), but it improves both your weightlifting and cardio performance. For those 30 Rock fans out there, it really is the “third heat,” or the secret to achieving the results you are looking for.

Send your fitness-related questions to sports@dalgazette.com and check back in the Gazette weekly to see if your question gets answered. Colin won’t always tell you to get down(ward) dog.