Yoga for men!

Typically 80% of yoga classes are female, I see this in my classes, however the men that attend my classes regularly talk to me and express their appreciation as they ‘get’ yoga.

There are many possible reasons why men stay away from yoga classes, but a few reasons seem to stick out more than others. It may be the competitive nature in men and the belief that many men don't find yoga challenging enough for the physical goals they wish to accomplish. Plainly stated, many men don't find yoga "masculine" enough for them, quite possibly they haven’t seen crow pose, side crane or considered handstands!

The need for men to have concrete exercise results may also be a reason why they refrain from yoga. With weight lifting or weight training, a man may see an increase in muscle mass - a bigger bicep or a bit of definition here or there. But with yoga, many of the most important changes are internal, mental and emotional benefits that maybe harder to gauge for a person taught to measure success by wins and losses. The physical benefits are almost incidental to most practitioners although they are significant.

Finally, there is the ego and men's fear of failure as one of the reasons they shun yoga in such large numbers. Since most men's idea of exercise consists of lifting weights or calisthenics that require the body to move in such a rigid motion, they often lack the flexibility that yoga demands. Even beginners may give up after a few sessions because they fear "failure" at not being able to perform the moves (without realising that their inflexibility may be the biggest reason they should participate in yoga), lower back pain can be attributed to tight hamstrings which are prevalent in active men.

Men who attend yoga classes must let down their defences and not think of yoga in terms of success and failure. Yoga is not concerned with perfection of pose or rating someone based on whether they can perform a backbend on their first day in class. Yoga practice is a gradual process where the student comes to acknowledge the mind-body connection. When placed in the right perspective with realistic goals, each yoga session can be considered a "success".

Men should be willing to let themselves go mentally in a yoga class. Some of the most powerful men in the modern world have credited yoga with letting them clear their heads of the day-to-day stresses and mental strain of the workday. Not only does yoga let them get rid of old, troublesome thoughts, it allows new thoughts to come in. indeed, many top executives have claimed that some of their most successful ideas have come while meditating during yoga.

It may take a while until more men embrace yoga the way women have and it is my intention to try and bring more men into yoga so that they too can begin to understand the benefits of yoga, both mental and physical. To this end, if there is interest, I will be running some ‘men only’ bloke yoga classes across Wokingham. I will arrange a venue and set up a class, if you read this, are interested either for yourself, or a partner or friend, please drop me a line.

hatharich@gmail.com

07917 664 525

There's a yoga teacher in the room!

When I was in the Royal Air Force, we joked that you always know when a pilot enters a room, because they would tell everyone they're a pilot...

Well this is my opportunity to blow my own trumpet and put it out there that I have passed a significant threshold of over 2000 hours yoga instruction. I am particularly pleased that this is recognised by Yoga Alliance Professionals who have elevated my status to that of an 'Experienced Yoga Teacher', and I get a gong!

I am hugely appreciative of the many people that have attended my classes over the years and practiced yoga with me, thank you if you are one of those yogis and reading this.

Looking forward, this new status empowers me to give something back as well and I am now looking at the next phase. I will be putting together some workshops to go deeper into the yoga I teach, hopefully mentoring and supporting other teachers as well as continuing my intention to bring yoga to more people and bring more people to yoga, particularly men!

2000 hours of teaching barely scratches the surface of yoga practice, there is so much to this wonderful thing of yoga. I am just pleased to have the opportunity to help people to improve their lives through yoga and long may this continue.

Yoga for swimmers

Check out my video, yoga for swimmers which covers some of the great postures that can really help improve your strength and conditioning if you are a front crawler! Yoga is perfect for swimmers, my own experience of a regular yoga practice has vastly improved my technique. It is only a 30 min video and I don't get to cover off breath work which is just as beneficial. I'm looking forward to getting back into triathlons and the open water this year. Yoga is a big part of my training and if you are looking for marginal gains, you should consider yoga!

See some of my other sport shorts on the channel and I will post more in the coming months. If your sport isn't yet covered, please drop me a line.