everyday yoga for the everyday man

Yoga means a lot of things to a lot of different people.

According to Patangali’s yoga sutras, “yogish chitta vritti nirodaha” or “yoga is the complete elimination of various modifications of the mind.” This is one of those answers that tends to create more questions than quiet them.

Who’s this Patangali fellow? What’s a sutra? What language was that?
Slowly, slowly. It will all come in time.

To be honest, yoga doesn’t have to mean much of anything more than what works for the practitioner. For the Average Jogi, the true meaning of yoga will reveal itself and continue to change as their practice does.

Let’s jump right in:

Fom purely an etymological perspective, the word yoga is a derivation of the Sanskrit word ‘yuj’, which means to yoke or bind. Essentially, yoga means ‘union’. This practice can be seen as a medium to bring together and balance a variety of elements through self-practice, discipline, and devotion.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” you might be thinking to yourself, “Devotion? Self-practice? Dude, I just wanted to try something else besides running and lifting weights, and thought yoga would be a cool thing to try. what’s up with that?”

Relax, bro. Yoga is a very cool thing to try. Stay with me here.

Yoga—everyday yoga that is offered in gyms and yoga studios— is a system of movements called asanas that have been developed to open the physical body, increasing  flexibility and building strength.  There is a mat involved, upon which you will sweat and be asked to tuck and twist various parts of your anatomy in various directions in the company of others doing the same. Yoga is arguably the oldest version of twister known to man. When used in conjunction with the breath, these asanas help deepen the connection with the body while quieting the mind. as the practice deepens, the opportunity to connect with the spiritual body becomes possible.

Let us not, however, ‘yuj’ the cart before the horse.

If you wish to draw a straight line between two points, you need a ruler. Yoga can help to locate and develop balance and symmetry in the mind, body and soul. In order to do this, it helps to first be open to making the connection and then find the right help to make it happen. This means you’ll have to form an opinion from personal experience.

Opinions are like asanas—everybody has a favorite one. Keep practicing until you find one that works for you.

Time to choose a yoga class!

Do you agree with one or more than the following descriptions?
Check all that apply.

[] I’m thinking about taking yoga, but I have no idea what to look for or what is right for me.

[] I’ve taken a few yoga classes. it’s pretty cool, but I’ve got a lot of questions that are kinda hard to ask the teacher at the gym.

[] Ok, so I get the whole yoga thing, but it would really cool to have a guy’s perspective on some aspects of the practice.

[] I’m not really that flexible, I sweat like a pig the moment I step onto a yoga mat, and I don’t know my asana from my elbow, but I really like yoga.

[] I am looking for a centralized online resource for men’s yoga, including general ideas about how to practice, yoga gear, workshops,  training tips, nutrition, and other information that could easily be answered if I were an advanced practitioner or a woman.

If you checked anything above, you should be here. If you haven’t and are still reading, stick around. You’ll probably have a good laugh or two. Averagejoga.com is for everybody—man, woman, and child… especially men.

About time, right?

I’m told yoga is for everybody, but sometimes… well, I just don’t know. Sometimes, yoga can seem anything but accessible– especially to people who have never done it before. Ironically, these quite often are the people who could benefit from a little yoga the most.

As a guy who started from scratch, a runner & gym rat who wanted to try something new, yoga seemed interesting. And because I’m a GUY who is sometimes COMPETITIVE and often too PROUD to ask for help, I kinda sorta had to make it up I was went along.

So, allow me to get a little yogic for a moment and start the answer by asking another question…

Why is yoga a great way to meet women?

The answer is simple: a lot of women do yoga. 95% of every yoga-related article seems to be written from a woman’s perspective. All of the cool yoga clothes are made for women, while us guys are relegated to a pair of running shorts and an old t-shirt. If you do a google search for ‘mens yoga’, most of the results are for hot naked gay yoga classes.

We here at averageyoga.com agree that yoga can be hot. Yoga is also for everybody—man and woman, heterosexual or otherwise.  And even though we don’t practice it ourselves, yoga can easily be done naked.

To each their own. This is a wonderful thing.
What does this mean for us guys who wanna get our yoga on?

In this case, the wonderful thing is the opportunity to offer guys who are looking to start up a yoga practice something more than a selection of websites that are absolutely not safe for work and most likely very intimidating. Yoga is safe for work. It is a wonderful way to connect a personal physical experience with a universal spiritual understanding. Yoga is also a great way to get rid of that beer belly, impress your friends and yourself with increased flexibility and body awareness, and to take small steps towards great changes.

Surprisingly enough, yoga isn’t just about chanting OM in dark, humid rooms and tucking your legs behind your head. Sometimes all a guy wants to do is touch his toes and get rid of lower back pain. Bonus points if the people helping me do that don’t sound like the spooky clairvoyant from poltergeist.

Congratulations… you’ve come to the right place.

Every journey begins with a first step. Perhaps you’ve already taken it, and want to make the next one more meaningful. Quite possibly, you haven’t done much more than a google search. Maybe you are preparing to begin moving in a new direction, and its also quite possible that you’ve been traveling for a while now and have some experience to share.

Welcome to Average Joga, where a normal guy can get other normal guy’s perspective on yoga for dudes*.

*Now don’t get me wrong, ladies. I think you’ll enjoy AJ plenty, especially if you appreciate more of a 5 o’clock shadow instead of a clean-shaven perspective on things. Enjoy!