Matt Munday has been practising yoga for 18 years. Why is he often the only bloke in his class? Article first appeared in The Times.
As you read this, I am in a small fitness studio stretching, twisting, bending, balancing and breathing my way through a 75-minute yoga class. I do this most weekend mornings (hangover permitting) and a couple of evenings a week (work permitting). It has been the only regular exercise I’ve done since I took it up 18 years ago, aged 35. And in all that time I’ve never been in a class where men outnumber women. Often I’m the only bloke there.
The stark gender imbalance is not exclusive to the classes I attend. A 2020 survey in the British Medical Journal of 2,400 people who practise yoga regularly found that 87 per cent were women. A year later a global survey of 11,000 people in 124 countries arrived at the same percentage. Most yogis, then, are actually yoginis.
I think I know why. Men see yoga as a feminine activity. We imagine classes full of Instagram-shredded ladies in Lycra, sitting cross-legged and chanting with an array of gongs and unpalatable fruit teas, and think, “Not for me — I’m off to the gym.” I know this because it’s exactly what I thought. But then I’d go to the gym and injure myself because I hadn’t learnt to stretch properly, and that’s what eventually led me to a yoga mat and a total rethink.
There’s nothing in yoga’s known history to suggest it is any more for women than men, although it is so old nobody knows exactly who invented it or how it started. We do know from scholars of Sanskrit — the ancient Indian language from which the names of the poses derive — that yoga has roots in India dating back at least 3,000 years. And many scholars believe it was originally practised mostly by men to achieve enlightenment. It was only as it became popular in the West during the 20th century that yoga became a “fitness class” and its participants mostly female.
Because yoga focuses on the whole body rather than on specific sets of muscles, it has many benefits. Studies have shown that it builds muscle density and flexibility, and boosts immunity and the quality of sleep. A ten-year study of 741 volunteers in the US, conducted from 2005-15 by a specialist in rehabilitative medicine, Dr Loren Fishman at Columbia University, found that just 12 minutes of yoga a day can improve bone density and is an effective treatment for osteoporosis, a condition that weakens your bones as you age.
MRI scans of the brains of people who do yoga regularly have provided evidence that it reduces stress by lowering levels of the hormone cortisol, and boosts feelgood chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine — which explains why people often say that yoga improves their mental health and wellbeing.
The case for why more men should do yoga, then, isn’t hard to make. And nowadays there are many styles to choose from including ashtanga, Iyengar, Bikram (a type of “hot” yoga, practised in temperatures up to 40C), hatha, yin-yang and vinyasa, each of which I’ve had a go at. While they vary in intensity, all are essentially sequences of moves, balances and poses that focus on breathing, flexibility and strength. (Tip: if you want to go hard, try ashtanga.)
Because of the way yoga is now perceived, “men often come to class for the first time with an attitude of ‘Oh, this is going to be easy,’ ” says Amy Aloia, my yoga teacher in southwest London. “And after ten minutes and a few downward dogs, you soon see their perception shift. You see the sweat start pouring out.”
This is true. I was terrible at first and genuinely surprised by the physical challenge. But I enjoyed it enough to want to get better. I never minded being the only man in the room — and over the years I’ve practised alongside women with frankly awesome reserves of strength and stamina. I’m with Andy Murray on this one: female athletes (and yoginis) don’t get the recognition they deserve. The tennis star is one of many top sportspeople who are serious about yoga: others include Novak Djokovic, Ryan Giggs and Jessica Ennis-Hill.
That said, the Lycra/gongs/chanting stereotype does sometimes hold true. You just have to find the class that works for you. I can just about go with an occasional “Om”, but I always found chanting to be a bit too Abigail’s Party for a damp Tuesday night in Twickenham.
Anyway, yoga is mostly hard graft. Maybe men should think of it like compound interest. The benefits can be slow to reveal themselves but if you put in enough effort over time it starts to pay off. At 53 I can touch my toes easily with my legs straight, balance for more than a minute on one leg, stand on my head and have a much stronger core than I had in my thirties. And despite sitting for hours at a time for work, I rarely have back problems. What’s not to like? I plan to take this feeling into my old age for as long as I can. I guess that’s enlightenment of a sort. Namaste!
Six poses to get anyone started
By Matt’s yoga teacher, Amy Aloia
Cat/cow (Bitilasana/marjaryasana)
Start on hands and knees, hands shoulder-width and knees hip-width apart. Inhale into the “cow” pose, drawing sternum and tailbone up, opening the chest as you drop your belly. Exhale into the “cat”, pressing hands down as you round the spine.
Downward-facing dog (Adho mukha svanasana)
Start on all fours, spreading the fingers and pushing down into the mat. Tuck the toes under so that the heels lift. Lift the pelvis to the sky — the pose should vaguely resemble a triangle rather than a plank. Keep a soft bend in the knees.
Cobra (Bhujangasana)
Lie face down, legs outstretched, feet hip-distance apart. Place the hands slightly forward of your shoulders, and as you inhale push the sternum up and out, keeping lower ribs on the ground. Draw the shoulders back and engage the glutes.
Side squat (Skandasana)
Start in a wide-legged stance. Bend the right knee and transfer your weight to your right side, flexing the toes of your left foot so they point upward. Hands may be together by your chest or helping you stabilise. Repeat on the other side or flow between both.
Lizard pose (Utthan pristhasana)
Start on all fours. Lift the right leg and step the foot wide of your right hand, toes forward. With the left toes tucked, push up with your left thigh. Repeat on the other side. Your hands may be flat on the mat or you can come down onto your forearms.
Low lunge variation (Anjaneyasana)
Start on all fours. Step your right foot in between the hands and raise your arms above the head. Draw the heel of your back foot towards your glute — you might be able to reach back to hold the foot. Place a cushion under the knee if needed. Repeat on the other side.
Illustrations by Dom McKenzie