What is the deal with “broga”?
There is a new trend among yoga instructors who want to expand their clientele to include more males. It’s called “broga,” a new class catered towards men who feel out of place during the difficult poses of a traditional yoga class. There have been several reports about the broga classes, confirming that it isn’t the April’s fool joke that I first thought it was when I initially read about it. A yoga class for “bros”? How could it be real?
What happens during a broga class?
Subsequent stories affirm the growing popularity of broga. The creators of the classes state that some men who took yoga classes wanted to work different areas of their body during a session, so they designed routines that were specially designed to target certain muscles in the body. For example, a broga class will address more muscles in the arms, back, and core as these are the most common areas of interest to male participants. Articles on the subject suggest that broga classes have more of a sports-rehabilitation flavor to them, with many of the poses working to target problem areas of the body overexerted due to athletics.
Is traditional yoga not enough?
The initial coverage of broga classes suggest that the atmosphere is made to be less threatening towards men who may feel emasculated during a traditional yoga session. Whereas many yoga classes boast a calming, almost spiritual environment, those in broga seem to adopt an aesthetic closer that of an aggressive workout video—a sort of macho, rock star tweak to the norm.
This would be all fine and good if it were branded as a different muscle training method on its own, but the fact that it’s called broga makes one draw an immediate contrast between it and yoga. And there’s something about the whole broga movement that doesn’t sit well with me. It seems a little odd that some men are uncomfortable enough about traditional yoga to go and found another set of exercises that closely resemble the original, only with a more bro-y atmosphere. Why not just swallow your pride and understand the amazing fulfillment of yoga as it was intended? I think the new trend sheds an interesting light on the public perception of yoga, and how it might be misinformed by harmful stereotypes.
What do you think?
What do you think about the broga movement? Do you think that it’s better for macho men to have their own space to practice their own version of yoga, or do you think they should suck it up and appreciate what real yoga has to offer them?
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This guest post is contributed by Angelita Williams, who writes on the topics of online courses. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: angelita.williams7 @gmail.com.
Why should we be offended at another way to bring yoga to the masses? If men are intimidated, or have specific needs, then why not offer classes to specifically address those needs? If they are still being taught asanas and pranayama, it’s still yoga.
Just another thought – we have prenatal yoga, chair yoga, etc. Are those also, then, not “real” yoga?
Paraphrasing the Yoga Sutras, Yoga is “the control of the thought patterns of the mind field”. I’m not sure how this can be different for men and women. The goal in yoga is to NOT identify with the body anymore, so taking this fitness-oriented approach seems to be going in the wrong direction.
But then, if you’re looking to get fit and flexible, I can totally see how men and women require different things from a class. But to call it “yoga” might be a bit misleading, to say the least.
Hi – I think it’s my first time commenting on this blog! I have to agree with others here – I think there is definitely room in the yoga world for yoga classes that address men’s issues and bodies specifically. Many classes nowadays are taught by women for a predominantly female audience and guys might not get the right kind of instruction and focus that they need.
If a teacher is competent, familiar with men’s bodies, and aware of variations, adjustments and sequencing that can meet men’s needs as well as women’s, then great! I have taught a lot of “big buff dudes” in my day and I can certainly appreciate that their needs are different – as teachers I think that it’s our responsibility to cater to both. But if guys aren’t getting that from a regular yoga class, then no wonder they are looking elsewhere.
I think broga is fine, if that’s what people want. After all, we already have 31 different flavors of yoga for different peoples’ taste, so why not one more?
However I have no interest in it for myself. I have never felt out of place in a yoga studio, even if I am the only guy in the class. But I suppose if I was afraid of being in a room full of attractive young women, I wouldn’t be doing yoga! Seriously though, it really doesn’t matter – when you have a good instructor and a bunch of serious students, you end up focusing mostly on your own practice and don’t think that much about who else is in the room.
My advice to those considering broga would be:
1) Try it out, and it works for you, that’s great!
2) If you like yoga, then you have just as much right to be in a traditional class as anyone else. If it helps, keep in mind that yoga has been a male dominated activity for 5000 years, and the women only started coming within the last 50-100 years or so.
3) If it turns out that you *really really* like yoga, don’t panic. You might be a “yoga guy”, but there are much worse things that could happen.
I appreciated your take on Broga! I JUST happened to write a post on it coincidentally.
I have thought of doing a class like this before…….