Yes guys…yoga is for you
In Australia, as in many countries, the status of boys and men's health is generally poorer than that of girls and women.
More males die at every stage through the life course - more males have accidents, take their own lives and suffer from lifestyle-related health conditions than females at the same age.
This, coupled with the fact that men are less likely to seek medical help, and the perception that they don't care about health or that health services are not well-prepared to interact with men effectively, means that many underlying issues go unchecked.
With a particular emphasis on Mental Health, how can yoga help?
It's starts with building some awareness of the rigidity of our minds and emotions, especially in a busy world.
A rigid person is typically identified as one whose rigidity in thought and action makes them believe they are perfect, or perfectly imperfect, or caught in the trap of a complex life through which they have to ride the wave. This is because they simply don’t want to acknowledge any other way of looking, thinking or feeling – can’t see that the wave is part of a vast ocean waiting to be explored.
Generally men behave this way too and because of this, even the simplest of yoga practices may have a profound effect on those who have a rigid mind. Releasing that energy can be quite transformational.
Yoga is a practice that's not just about making you more flexible in the body…it’s also about opening up your mind. In fact, they aren’t separate from each other – they are fully interconnected, meaning that rigid energy that flows through the mind will also flow into the body.
Yoga doesn’t consider gender, salary, body type, personality, socio-economic conditions or colour. It's about guiding you to bend in a certain way, to breathe and to be present in your own body. If you are willing to open yourself up to bending (sometimes the hardest challenge – starting!), you have already broken one karma….or bond with your body and mind – that of being rigid.
Age is one thing that manifests rigidity. You could do a handstand and touch your toes when you were 10 right? And now…..? Is your body more rigid? What about when you were 6 and played, imagined and daydreamed? And now? Family commitments, work and responsibilities, stresses brought on by the pandemic and finances are all consuming? Most people don’t even notice this continual regression….mind and body.
Yoga teaches us to leave our ego at the door, channel our creative, strong and intuitive energy and that the complexities in our life are not because of the path we have chosen but because we choose to see them as complexities!
So guys....give it a go. You never know just how beneficial yoga could be for your body and your mental health.