Yoga has quite a polarizing effect on people. They either love the strength, calmness and flexibility that yoga affords them, or they're turned off because they think they have to be super skinny and bendy to do yoga. (Not true!) The number of people practicing yoga in this country has tripled in just seven years, so some of those long-held stereotypes are dissipating. Jeremy Piven, one of the stars of Entourage, is among those who were initially apprehensive of the practice. He thought he would have to hold incense and wear a leotard to do yoga. Not so, he learned. Soon, he fell in love with yoga. "I loved the way it made me feel," he told Men's Fitness in the August issue, which hit newsstands on Monday. "It opens you out and you get great twang. It's incredible. Ari's got some quick-twitch anger, and to do that repeatedly you have to come from a place of stillness. It's so funny because I'm naturally kind of calm. To be healthy you have to have those dualities in your life." Piven is right. Yoga does help you mellow out, and it helps you develop concentration. The combination of holding poses and focusing on breath allows you to shift attention away from any discomfort your mind might be feeling and teaches patience. Though we've progressed a long way in terms of gender equality, there are plenty of fitness activities that seem to be preferred by one gender or the other. Yoga, Pilates and dance-type classes like Zumba tend to more popular with women, at least in my experience. Boxing and weightlifting are traditionally male-dominated activities. (Though that's changing. Read this fascinating story about a beauty editor who took up boxing.) However, that doesn't mean that certain activities are off-limits to men or women. In my experience, I think the tide is starting to turn, especially with yoga. During my yoga teacher training, I offered a free class to friends and family on Sunday mornings. I sent out an email to most of the people in my address book, hoping I would get a few eager students. I wasn't surprised that people came, but I was surprised that my class most weeks was half men and half women. Most of the women had taken a couple of yoga classes, but none of the men had. I'm proud to say that most of them stuck with it and continue to take yoga classes occasionally. I hope more men follow Piven's example and give yoga a fair shot. Do you think that some fitness activities are considered to be for men or women only? Do you participate in any activities that are dominated by the opposite sex? If you do practice yoga, is your studio pretty mixed or are there more women than men? |
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