Fit to Print Volume 24 Issue 2 June 2015 | Page 19

Mind Body Spirit

by Karen Britton

Call It...Bro-ga!
3.5 Million “Bros” Can’t All Be Wrong
Other men in my classes tell me things
such as, “I thought I would never touch
my toes and now I can;” “I thought I
could never get my heels to touch in
downward facing dog pose and now I
do.” Increased flexibility can come at
any age. Concentration improves,
which leads to better hockey, golf
games, etc. Speaking of golf, one of my
students Mitch, said it improved his
game and he hits the ball much farther.
Yoga also helped Mitch not to be
intimidated by the golf ball. Yoga
helped him to relax before the swing,
leading to a stronger and smoother

B

roga?? What is Broga??!! Dennison,
the son of one of my students,
Peter, recently said to him, “Hey
bro, you going to Yoga??” The term was
instantly morphed into Broga…men (bro’s)
doing yoga. Of course this is Dennison's
invention - maybe it'll catch on!

Men in my classes tell me
things such as, “I thought I
would never touch my toes
and now I can”

If hitting the mat seems like a feminine
and frilly thing to do, consider the
nearly 3.5 million men who are
probably sleeping better because
they've mastered their breathing or
the NFL players who swear by it.

swing that drives the ball a longer
distance. Mitch also said yoga helped
his flexibility in the game, not just in
body but also in mind.

Peter has been practicing yoga for almost
a year now, and he has recruited other
male friends to “Broga.” They have a
unique way of supporting each other to
come to class every week. I'm not quite
sure exactly what they say to each other,
but I can see there's a lot of honesty and
directness with this group. If one misses
class there had better be a good reason,
because these guys are not going to let
their friends just slide by. The wives also
add their loving encouragement.

One of the great benefits of yoga is to
help us relax. The men are learning
this. Just the other day, Peter had a
little situation while waiting in traffic.
He could not wait to get to yoga to
help him relax. Yoga teaches you to
notice frustration arising and what to
do when it happens, such as being
aware of your breath and using it to
help you relax. Traffic is one of the
first things you notice you can learn to
relax with.

So why are these men making the effort
and taking the silly abuse from their
peers and kids?
They realize the great benefits of yoga.
Let's address this first. Flexibility, I hear
men say, “I'm not flexible enough to do
yoga.” That's like saying you are not
strong enough to lift weights. You don't
have to be flexible to start yoga. Yoga
will make you flexible. Like going to the
gym to build muscle in order to become
stronger, you're not going to have strong
muscles before you start weight training.
It takes time, patience and perseverance.

Yoga boosts energy and speeds up your
body's recovery. It can even help with
back pain. Yoga uses controlled
movements, concentrated alignment,
biomechanics and breath to open your
body efficiently while minimizing the
risk of injury. Safety and alignment are
the absolute first priorities in yoga