Why is yoga such a stretch for men?
Many males are deterred by the belief that yoga can’t deliver a challenging workout
Dr. Rajak Randhawa’s respect for yoga has yet to turn into passion. Since he took up yoga three years ago, Randhawa has improved his strength, flexibility and stamina.
The Vancouver physician, who attends yoga classes once or twice a week, heartily recommends it to patients. But Randhawa, 25, is by no means a yoga fiend. He gets more personal rewards from lifting weights and playing football and hockey than from stretching on a yoga mat. Some weeks he doesn’t get to yoga class. “The benefits are there but my preference is given to those things I enjoy more,” he says. “Lifting weights, you can see muscle being built. In sports, if you win a game you get a mental reward.”
The world’s yoga community, which marks International Day of Yoga today, is finding the path to North American men’s hearts littered with some pretty serious obstacles.
Despite the industry’s efforts to woo men, yoga remains a female-dominated discipline.
A 2012 study by Yoga Journal found that 20.4 million Americans practised yoga, up 29 per cent from four years earlier.
But the percentage of men who practise yoga slid to 17.8 per cent from 27.8 per cent over this period.
There are no comparable Canadian studies.
But Vancouver yoga teachers and industry leaders report similar percentages of men in their classes, ranging from 20 to 30 per cent.
Farah Shroff, a yoga teacher and researcher, says many Canadian men prefer the competition that group sports provide.
“That does not exist in the culture of yoga,” says Shroff, a professor at University of B.C.’s school of population and public health. “Yoga isn’t necessarily for everyone.”
Misconceptions about yoga may deter men from exploring the discipline, Shroff says.
Men may believe that they are too stiff and muscular to do yoga.
While it is more difficult to stretch stronger muscles, good teachers take this into account, she says.
“There’s a misconception that there’s this green goddess in front of the class who will try to turn you into a pretzel,” Shroff says.
Nor, as some men believe, is yoga innately feminine.
“Shiva, male energy, is hugely important in yoga,” says Shroff, who has taught yoga in 30 countries. “There is nothing about yoga that contradicts masculinity.”
Men may not realize their upperbody strength gives them an advantage in certain poses, including the crow and peacock, she says.
Dr. Randhawa cites one study showing that women prefer having a lean and toned body whereas men would rather be muscular.
“This could mean that more females go to yoga as it better fits these body goals,” he says.
Some time-pressed men are deterred from yoga because they can’t squeeze in hour-long classes, he adds.
“However, a quick 15- to 20-minute yoga routine after your workout helps stretch and relax your muscles,” he says.
Terry McBride, co-owner and founder of the Vancouver-based YYoga chain, says another misconception among fitness-minded males is that yoga can’t deliver a tough enough workout.
“They just think if they do CrossFit, that it’s harder than yoga,” says McBride, who is also CEO and cofounder of Nettwerk Music Group, a Vancouver-based artist management, recording and music-publishing company.
“But I have not seen a guy who has come into a yoga class for the first time and not been humbled.”
McBride says many men rely on traditional forms of exercise such as sports while women “are far more open to trying something new.”
McBride points out that more men are coming to YYoga’s classes than when the company started seven years ago, even if the ratio of men to women shows little change.
“We teach 800 classes a week that didn’t exist seven years ago,” he says. “If 20 per cent of those classes are men, that means more men are practising yoga.”
Sandy Reimer, director of health and fitness at Vancouver’s YWCA, says that five years ago it was rare to find any men in YWCA yoga classes. Today, men make up about 30 per cent of its yoga classes.
Men in Metro are likely more receptive to yoga than males in other cities, Reimer says.
“Vancouverites have a very active lifestyle and yoga seems to be a big part of our culture,” she says.
Jen Hamilton, CEO of the Oxygen Yoga and Fitness chain of 25 studios, says her Maple Ridge-based company is gaining male adherents as men become better informed about yoga’s benefits. Still, it’s often women who introduce them to yoga.
“Our retention rate with men is approximately 92 per cent,” she says. “Many women have brought their significant others, brothers, uncles and fathers to join them for a class ... and these men love it.”