| Many men in western societies look down on yoga as | | | | benefit from stretching and improving their flexibility. In |
| being somehow unmanly and insufficiently challenging | | | | such cases they may wish to consider one of the |
| to count as real exercise. And, although it is certainly | | | | more flowing styles such as Hatha Yoga. And if |
| true that most yoga classes are dominated by | | | | precision and greater flexibility are desired then Iyengar |
| women, most men would find they benefit from adding | | | | Yoga might be an option. Among proponents of yoga |
| yoga sessions to their weekly training. This is as true | | | | for elite athletes is Dr Peter Spencer of Leeds Trinity |
| for elite athletes as it is for the average Joe Sixpack | | | | University College who did some yoga work with the |
| looking to get a little fitter. | | | | Australian rugby league team. He argues that it helps |
| The first thing to note about yoga is that it comes in | | | | avoid injury and aid recuperation. He has also been |
| such a variety of styles that almost anyone is bound | | | | trialing yoga on patients recovering from heart disease. |
| to find one that works for them. Large numbers of | | | | Another rugby team to have taken up yoga was the |
| men are drawn to Ashtanga yoga, which is fast and | | | | Welsh squad which started classes in 2003 before |
| athletic in its movements. The different poses are all | | | | their World Cup victory against England. Much of the |
| physically demanding and can lead to rapid increases in | | | | work they did was aimed at improving flexibility and |
| upper-body strength. And because one moves quickly | | | | balancing strength to reduce the risk of injury.Another |
| from pose to pose with no pauses or rest breaks, the | | | | advantage of yoga as an exercise regime is that it |
| session becomes aerobically demanding as well. It is | | | | requires very little, if any equipment. Most people just |
| hard to think of another form of exercise that provides | | | | borrow a mat and strap at their class but after a little |
| as much of a total body workout as Ashtanga yoga. | | | | experience many will prefer to bring their own. Even |
| Many men who already run or lift weights may find | | | | so, yoga mats and bags are modestly priced. |
| that they do not need such a hard workout but would | | | | |