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Can Men Do Yoga?

By , About.com Guide

Updated November 03, 2008

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Question: Can Men Do Yoga?
Answer: Obviously, the short answer is yes. Until very recently, in fact, yoga was practiced exclusively by men. But many men are concerned that they will not be welcome in a yoga class or that they are not flexible enough to try yoga. This is a basic misconception: yoga will improve your flexibility, but you do not need to be flexible to do it. Since yoga has been practiced by men for so long, many of the poses actually make more sense for a man's body and some require a lot of upper body strength, which women often lack at first.

For inspiration, menfolk need look no further than to some of yoga's most influential contemporary teachers, such as B.K.S. Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, Bikram Choudhury, Rodney Yee, and Baron Baptiste, to name a few.

So, it turns out the long answer is also yes!

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