I know that men in yoga seem to have that stereotype of being skinny, vegan (or vegetarian), uber-bendy, hippy-dippy, feminine men who feeeeeel things and can cry at the movies with you. Now while I’m all for challenging gender stereotypes of what masculinity and femininity stand for, the truth of the matter is, this supposed image of men in yoga is also preventing men from practicing and reaping the benefits of yoga. I’m pretty sure I am not alone, in the past few years men in yoga who challenge this old stereotype have been steadily growing. These are men who don’t fit the regular, sinewy form of old skool Yogi Masters but who are buff, strong and don’t have a dreadlock in sight. In fact you could walk past them in a gym and not notice. And yet, their practice is deliciously deep and they can do poses just as well as the next yogi – sometimes even better. Here I bring the five men you will not believe are yoga instructors, to all you men out there who need a slight push to join your first yoga class:
I’ve only just found out about this extraordinary yoga instructor. That picture you see above is a one-armed side crow. That is not an easy pose to get into with both hands on the floor, meanwhile our tattooed friend here pulls out the one arm variation. Mind. Blown.
Dice and his gorgeous wife Briohny are both yoga instructors who also give Teacher Training courses all over the world (especially in Bangkok), that’s how good they are. Dice is one of the first male yoga practitioner I know of that started this newer laid back, relatable trend of yoga for men (and women).
Sean Phelps seems to have two big passions – cutting hair and yoga. And it seems that he is good with both of them – judging by the pictures on his instagram. He has cut many a famous yogi hair, probably flipping over into handstand and back while doing it.
Carson is poker playing, beatboxing, dancing yoga instructor. If ever you need someone to break out of the conventional yoga box, this would be the guy. His Instagram feed is updated with incredible videos of him getting into (mostly upside down) poses. As evidenced by the video above.
Former linebacker for the Florida Gators and current fitness and yoga coach Todd McCullough clearly cuts a striking figure manly manliness if there ever was one. His Instagram is filled with pictures of him being unbelievably ripped, tanks, football and surfing, and dropping some sweet, sweet yoga poses. Gotta have some balance.
Alright then. I’m off to take cold shower. Meanwhile, you lads think about just how much you’re missing out in the wonderful world of yoga. Have at it!
This is awesome! We need more stories on men in yoga to change the perception.