Dudes and Yoga

Melissa was recently asked about men and what particular challenges they face in a yoga class.  Here’s some of what she said:

Men are often used to moving—in society and in their bodies—in a way that requires force, strength and extreme muscular effort. It’s been my experience that I have to tell men all the time to stop trying so hard. Yoga is not to be practiced by pushing and muscling through the poses!

No, seriously. Men tend to fall asleep in savasana in my classes more than women. Like, full-on snoring.

This is probably the “most difficult” asana in general. Most people who lie down and fall asleep do so because they are sleep deprived, over-worked, over-stressed or don’t have the mental discipline to meditate. I’m not sure what the reason is for men specifically, but I would suggest simply learning to practice savasana with the explicit intent of not falling asleep.

Clearly, Melissa is making generalizations.  We are very well aware that there are AMAZING men practicing and teaching yoga.  Hopefully, no one is offended or thinks that these statements apply to ALL men.   These are a few challenges that Melissa has seen come up again and again in her classes by which male students get frustrated.  To check out the full article go to the Daily Zeel.

If there are men out there with opinions or questions we would love to hear from them! Leave comments below.