At the risk of sounding sexist, we have to ask this question to clear the air: is yoga all about cultivating emotional well-being? Is that the reason that yoga for women has been widely accepted?
Bollocks, as our dear neighbors from over the pond would say.
Yoga for Women is Not Just About Emotions
Yoga is not just about pandering to the emotions. Women are not just about feelings and expressing them. Yoga is about getting fit, developing health and wellness. Women don’t just have emotions. Women think, women have a spiritual side that needs to be balanced, women have bodies that deserve to be taken care of, just the same as men do.
That’s the good ole threesome that Hatha Yoga focuses on evolving, towards a unified fulfillment: body – mind – spirit.
Does the mere thought of spirituality make you feel queasy? No worries. Keep in mind that yoga is a philosophy, a humanistic school of thought. Yoga is not a religion. Yoga develops mental, physical and spiritual (read: “inner you”) fitness. That’s why yoga for men, and yoga for women, are just as equally beneficial.
Yoga for Women: What’s the Deal?
So, if men and women can equally benefit from yoga, is there even a difference between yoga postures that either gender can practice?
Yes, there are differences and most of them are based on anatomical considerations and biological functions. For one thing, women can get pregnant. That condition precludes assuming certain Hatha Yoga poses that could put at risk the viability of the fetus that a woman is nurturing in her body, and trying to carry to term. For another, there are, initially, matters of suppleness to consider. Like it or not, it’s a fact that most women are limber than men.
This doesn’t mean though that it’s pointless for men to ever hope to achieve the same level of yoga-induced fitness that women are able to eventually acquire over time and dedicated practice.
See, those are the key words that weigh a lot: time and dedicated practice. Yoga is a process that moves from one level to another, until an ideal goal has been attained. Whether it is a woman or man practicing the poses is immaterial. The important thing is to achieve the fitness goals that have been predetermined.
Be sure to subscribe to the MyFitnessNut.com Newsletter to get access to the 70 Hatha Yoga Videos that go with this guide. Yoga for Women is a great idea and in the next article we’ll take a closer look at “Yoga for Weight Loss” and just how effective it is for both men and women.
