Who said yoga isn't just for girls!?

[Spartan]

In an earlier thread on yoga I was told that yoga classes have a fairly even ratio of girls to boys.

However, when I went to a yoga class for the first time today, there was only one other male there, and I think he was only there becuase his girlfriend dragged him down.

What are other people's experiences? Do most males think yoga is too boring?

I must admit it was enjoyable, but the way the instructor was talking about chakras left me a bit skeptical. I think it's a nice change though from the other more strenuous activities I do.

[Dave Kaminski]

I do yoga almost daily. I do DVDs though; I'm not sure my form is perfect but it feels great!

[babuji]

I'm Male.. and I teach/practice yoga. From my experience, I've noticed that the more rigorous classes tend to have a balanced number of male students.. meanwhile, the more gentler classes will almost always have a majority of women in the group.

My guess is that men really only care about their physique and muscle mass. I don't blame them as it's quite sensationalized in mass media. Nevertheless, that's why you mostly see them in the yoga classes that work on strength and power.

As for your yoga class, I'd be a bit skeptical too if someone was overloading you on chakras. Only in the higher stages of yoga should one be concerned with chakras. For someone starting out.. chakras shouldn't even be mentioned.

Sadly, most instructors, don't even have any experience with working on their chakras, but they use the terms haphazardly and just to sound cool I suppose.

Aside from that, Yoga is definitely a method to change one's whole life around. Personally, my perspective on life has gone 180 degrees. Not to mention the physical benefits along with that.

I encourage everyone in these forums to try Yoga.. especially the men.. as Spartan indicated, these classes are full of women.. How can you go wrong?

[Spartan]

I did Hatha Yoga I think. Are there more physical forms of yoga then?

[babuji]

Ashtanga Yoga is one form that's quite physical and demanding. And in the US, there's something called Power Yoga, which is a bit more physical as well.

I personally prefer Hatha Yoga and more "meditation in motion" styles of Yoga, but for those looking for physically demanding styles, Ashtanga and Power Yoga are the way to go.

[Spartan]

Originally Posted by babuji

Ashtanga Yoga is one form that's quite physical and demanding. And in the US, there's something called Power Yoga, which is a bit more physical as well.

I personally prefer Hatha Yoga and more "meditation in motion" styles of Yoga, but for those looking for physically demanding styles, Ashtanga and Power Yoga are the way to go.

Unfortunately, around my area there are no classes teaching those forms.

edit: There is a class called Dynamic Yoga - that might be the same as Power Yoga? It says it involves a sequence of sun salutations followed by posture work on the floor - what are sun salutations? Unfortunately there is no evening class for it.