Yoga for male bodies in repair
As noted in a previous ISM post, retired athletes all struggle with the effects of a banged-up body and a slowing metabolism. In too many cases, this can result in rapid weight gain, and, in some cases, an identity crisis.
If your body is your means of paying the bills, then suddenly it stops paying the bills and starts beaking down, it can be quite unnerving. This logic applies not just to retired athletes, but to Army vets and physical trainers and farmers alike.
One solution to the retired body in disrepair not mentioned in last month’s blog post is yoga.
Among men especially, yoga has been stigmatized as a suburban mom thing or a hippie thing. These days, however, men are re-appropriating the age-old practice into something that feels more comfortable.
Known as “broga” or “beefcake yoga,” this new manly approach to yoga ditches the ohms, namastes, and ambient, chime-heavy music for grunts, high-fives, and power chords.
Indeed, these manly yoga programs make every effort to distinguish themselves from “women’s yoga.” Former pro wrestler Diamond Dallas Page started a Youtube channel and DVD series called DDP Yoga. The subtitle for the series: “this ain’t your mama’s yoga.” Likewise, sportswriter John Capouya, author of the book Real Men Do Yoga, repeatedly asserts that yoga “isn’t a chick thing.”
Though a true yogi may argue that this version of yoga fails to capture the mind-body at the core of traditional yoga, the profound impact of stretching and building strength in neglected muscle groups remains the same.
While it is tempting to criticize broga programs classifying all other forms of yoga as “mom” or “chick” yoga, one cannot argue with the results. In the end, hundreds of men who would otherwise dismiss yoga as a whole are now shedding pounds and finding new ways to rehabilitate longstanding injuries.