YOGA MYTHS: IS YOGA FOR WOMEN ONLY?

Did you ever hear any (or maybe even all of them in the same conversation) of the following statements? “Yoga is for women only…” or “you have to be flexible to do yoga…” or even ” Yoga is a low impact exercise”. Well, if you did, you are not alone. Because if Yoga is one of the most popular practices all over the world, it is also true that it is an often misunderstood practice. In this very interesting article we will try to clarify some of the misunderstandings surrounding Yoga. We will do it with some very qualified help, in this case we asked a Spokesperson from TRUE YOGA SINGAPORE to help us. These are the answers to our questions.

Where are the men? This is a recurring question. Is Yoga a women thing? And why are Yoga classes so poor in men?

Contrary to popular belief, yoga is not an exercise only for women. One of the main reasons why we see more women than men in yoga classes is due to the fact that there are many misconceptions which men have about yoga. Below are some myths and the facts surrounding each one.

1) Yoga is a workout which is more for women
Although Yoga is often perceived as something that only women do, there are quite a number of men who do yoga. In fact, there are a number of men who do it in order to stay in shape and perform well in certain sports. Yoga is a whole-body system that builds strength,flexibility and mobility and can benefit sportsmen in many ways. When used as a cross-training tool, yoga can help prevent injuries and optimise performance. Although there are many men who consider yoga to be feminine in nature, the truth is that there are plenty of men out there who practice it on a daily basis to stay in shape.

2) You have to be flexible to do yoga
Many men out there think they are not flexible enough to do yoga. There are many yoga classes to cater for differing flexibility levels. At True Yoga, there are classes in various levels from Yoga Therapy to Power Yoga, there will be a type of yoga class that fits your needs and fitness levels. At True Yoga, we believe in practicing the yoga postures at your own pace. What is important is that one should practice and never give up in developing and building your flexibility levels. During the class, our yoga instructors will be on-hand to assist and propose modified postures for those who are not able to attempt the difficult postures.

3) Yoga is a low impact exercise
Some men might think yoga is a low impact exercise and that it’s not challenging and is ranked low based on a good cardiovascular work-out. Depending on the yoga class that you attend, yoga can be quite rigorous too. For example, Power Yoga is quite aerobic and strength inducing. Executing postures in an Ashtanga Yoga class requires co-ordination and flexibility while high levels of endurance are required in a Vinyasa class.

Thank you

Alessio Cristianini for TRENDYSTYLE HONG KONG

We thank TRUE YOGA SINGAPORE for this interview.