B R O G A .

We are seeing an increase in male yogis to our studio which is fantastic, but we would love to see more.

Men often believe that yoga is for 'the girls', that it is a feminine activity or they feel awkward entering a room of ladies as an only male.

Yes, the majority in our class is female, but once we get on the mat and start the class you should be so involved in what YOU are doing that it feels as though YOU are the only one in the room.

Modern culture has moulded us to believe that men should always be strong physically & mentally, that men do manual jobs and have no need to express their feelings or take time out - unless it is in the pub, or at the footy.

Men are human beings too and it is unhealthy for anyone to block emotions and never give permission to ourself to let go.

Intense labouring, tough agricultural environments and the constant pressures of a drought-stricken state are seeing our men experiencing feelings and emotions that are dangerous to their health and their mental health: In 2018 male deaths by suicide in Australia was 3x that of females. Death by suicide is the 10th cause for men in comparison to it being the 23rd cause for women.

Staggering and tragic statistics which I believe is hugely to do with men (especially Australian men, as a Brit and experiencing European culture growing up I have noticed this a lot being here) feel they can't show or shouldn't show their feelings, emotions or talk about their worries for they will be perceived weak and unmasculine. There is so much pressure on men to be 'men', keep up with the boys and be one of the lads that often men lose their sense of how THEY are; busy providing for the family, keeping food on the table and a roof over their head, it is all too easy to just keep going keeping ongoing. Until they can't anymore.

Men want to be strong right? Well... with regards to strength, a yoga practice builds both brain and body muscle. We work through body weighted poses coupled with balance which increase all over body tone, muscle mass, sustainability and ease of movement. Working on mobility and flexibility is key for men, it's great to be able to bench 100kg but if you can't bend over to tie your shoelaces without letting out a yelp, it's time to loosen up as this prevents injury through sport and in the workplace that can have detrimental longterm effects.

The mental challenge stimulates the cerebral cortex responsible for things like reasoning, perception, information, memory, and voluntary movement - the increase in gyrification allows for better functioning and faster processing which is great for everyday life.

The men I have in class and the young men that attended classes last week at the high school will reaffirm when I say, yoga is not just for girls, it's not an 'easy exercise' and allowing yourself time to look inward and step out of 'life' and perhaps your comfort zone is something you need and every area of life will benefit from.

...So in short, yoga for men is an excellent practice to help with the gruelling pressures of the physical daily grind on the body and the intense amount of mental stress endured through work, family and society expectations.