My wife and I are very new to Yoga. We’ve just completed our 11th class after a considerable break between 10 and 11. The general perception of Yoga seems to be very different from reality. The class that we are in has about 15 people in it and I’m the only guy. Does this mean that most people think Yoga is for chicks? Is it?

Yoga taps nearly every muscle in the body…

No way!! I’d consider my fitness level to be somewhere between slightly better than average and weekend warrior. Yoga is quite challenging. The style of Yoga that we are doing is Vinyasa Yoga which just means that your breathing is synchronized to your movements. After about 15 minutes of doing relatively easy poses, I can really feel my body getting warm from head to toe. I work up a decent sweat after about 30 minutes. 45 minutes into the class and there’s no question that you’re doing a full scale workout. Yoga taps nearly every muscle in the body; however, you don’t have to have a certain level of strength to begin. People with any level of fitness can begin Yoga and I’m certain that the benefits will be seen after just a few sessions.

So why aren’t more men in my yoga class? It’s the male ego. If there was a weekly bench press class there would be a line of men around the building. Ah, but what would they be doing? Competing for sure! It wouldn’t be a bench press class it would be a competition. Fuel for the male ego. Though there is no competition in Yoga; it can be challenging on many levels. Practicing Yoga develops physical strength, endurance, balance, mental focus and concentration. Try to think about nothing. It sounds easy and something that men should be good at. I find it difficult to shut off my mind and think about nothing.

My goals for Yoga are very simple.

• increase strength & flexibility
• decrease stress

Every men’s fitness magazine out there talks about these goals so they must be pretty common. Practicing Yoga is just one of those things that you have to try to see what it’s about. Give it a shot for 3-4 weeks and see what you think. I bet you’ll find that it fits very well in your fitness toolbox right next to the bench press and treadmill.