Yoga for men: Stretching the limits
Contorted on ladders, bent in trenches, stretched over desks, hunched over computers; this is how most working men - carpenters, landscapers, lawyers, electricians - spend their days. It is ironic to think that these contortionists would be intimidated by yoga. But in fact, few men are willing to dive into the yoga practice to heal their ailing bodies.
"Every guy walks around and knows they have to stretch. But they aren't going to do it on their own," says Susan Sanford, who teaches Yoga for Life: Men at Vineyard Complementary Medicine (VCM) on Tuesday evenings at 5:30.
Students find Mr. Sidoti's enthusiasm contagious at RISE Vineyard Performing Arts Studio in Vineyard Haven.
Photo by Ralph Stewart
"Guys see yogis standing on their heads and twisted up in pretzels and think, 'I'm not going to do that.'" Ms. Sanford continues, "The omming and chanting is a little too eclectic for the average dude."
Robert Sidoti, who also teaches a yoga class geared toward men, echoes Ms. Sanford's explanation for why men typically avoid yoga: "Guys aren't going to go to yoga classes because there are going to be a lot of women in there who can put their foot behind their head and they're in the back struggling, or they picture it super hippy-dippy; all these dudes in ponytails."
Mr. Sidoti has worked as a personal trainer and also as a landscaper and carpenter. He has seen many of his workmates suffering with bad backs and injured knees. "I'm thinking these guys can benefit from a little bit of yoga," he says, fully aware of the stigma men have concerning the discipline.
Mr. Sidoti sought a way to fuse his passion for yoga with physical fitness to create something for the regular guy. "At the end of the day," Mr. Sidoti says, "I want guys to feel good."
In his class, which he calls "Broga," a fusion of the slang bro and yoga, Mr. Sidoti combines traditional yoga postures such as Sun Salutation and Downward Dog, with pushups and squats set to a soundtrack of Radiohead, Bob Dylan, and Jeff Buckley.
One Broga practitioner, a carpenter, who asked to remain anonymous because of teasing on the job site, said, "It made me see how out of shape I am. I'm in my 40s; I have another 20 years that I'm going to be building houses. I realized I better get my (expletive) together."
It is not just physical labor that stresses men's bodies; the responsibilities of work and family - shouldering the load, so to speak - generate tremendous tension.
As a physical therapist, Ms. Sanford has treated many men with back pain and shoulder pain. Often their pain and injuries are caused by tightness. "Some guys can't touch their toes when they begin the class." Ms. Sanford explains that this rigidity can itself lead to injury.
Ms. Sanford refers to her brand of yoga as, "a stretching class," and adds, "Flexibility is so important because to me the definition of becoming old is becoming inflexible." She promises no chanting, no omming, and no gongs. What she does deliver is non-intimidating classes where the average guy can get in touch with how his body works and moves.
"Broga" instructor Robert Sidoti guides a student into the Downward Dog position.
Photos by Ralph Stewart
Mark Smith works for Verizon. He spends days at a time in narrow trenches working on telephone lines. Oh, his aching back. "I'm too young to seize up," he says.
After talking to Ms. Sanford about yoga and his reservations, Mr. Smith recruited several of his buddies to practice along with him. "I'm gonna stick with it," he said before class last Tuesday, "I can definitely see the progress."
Soft music plays during the one-hour class, and though no one chants, the men do sit in various yoga poses and become conscious of their breathing while stretching. There are grunts and jokes and progress.
For those whose jobs require demanding physical activity, yoga offers increased flexibility and a better understanding of how the body works.
But even though the average guy may squirm a little at the thought of stretching, the benefits, being limber and maintaining a strong core, is vital to health. Two-thirds of the men in Broga and all of the men at VCM have physically demanding jobs. The strength and flexibility they gain may prolong their careers and save their bodies for the long haul.
Still the yoga stigma persists. The conundrum for many men is to do what sustains the body while retaining a respectable level of manliness. Both Ms. Sanford's and Mr. Sidoti's classes address this riddle.
Mr. Sidoti explains that most men won't do the stretching and exercise on their own: "What lacks at home is that music, energy, and camaraderie a class provides."
And perhaps the day will soon come when one man will turn to another on the yoga mat and in the spirit of men's camaraderie, say to his buddy, "Dude, can you get your foot behind your head like this?"
Broga is offered Tuesdays, 5:30 pm at Island Co-Housing, and Thursdays, 7 am and Saturday, 5 pm at RISE Studio. 774-238-0175.
Yoga for Life: Men, 5:30 pm, Tuesday, VCM, West Tisbury. 508-693-3800.
West Tisbury resident Justen Ahren runs a landscaping company and is the director of Martha's Vineyard Writers Residency.
