Yoga For Dudes


This week’s blog post will be coming from our awesome teacher Chris. Before I let him take it away, I just want to say couple of things! Yoga has been an amazing gift in my life and I am so glad that I get to share it with my husband, Mike (hopefully, you have met him before on his mat at the studio!). I can honestly say that yoga has made not only ourselves stronger physically, but it has made our relationship stronger. Yoga has allowed myself to be who I am and be accepting of how exactly Mike is as a person. I am speaking for him right now – but I am pretty sure he feels the same way.

I am always inspired by Mike’s practice – he always has such a fun time and that challenges me to let go of my hard hat and be goofy as well. I want other men to experience this love of a yoga practice as well. So I am so excited to be having Chris share Yoga for Dudes starting this Saturday. So, if you are a man or know a man that can benefit, share this post with them!

Shine on,

Jackie

And now…a note from Chris:

YOGA was put in my path at a time when I needed it most. I wanted to grow in every way I could.

I had a good life. I was doing what I was passionate about for a living, I had a very supportive and caring partner. However, something was missing. Every single day I felt like I wasn’t where I supposed to be. I felt like I just couldn’t be happy where I was. This was very confusing to me considering all that I had in life.
I ended up leaving my girlfriend, after some long, heartfelt conversations and taking some time off to drive across the country “looking for what was missing”. I meditated, exercised (regular kind) and read books like “The Way of the Peaceful Warrior” and “The Untethered Soul”. Life circled me back to the bay area where I met my yoga teacher, Nikki Wong. One thing led to another and almost 4 years later I am still teaching yoga.

Yoga helped me get stronger but not only in the way you perceive. Sure, muscularly, I became stronger including my cardiovascular endurance. I learned more about my body. The way it would bend and the way it would not bend (more of the not bending initially). I learned to listen more closely to what my body was telling me. Yes, your body talks to you! However, most people are so caught up in what’s around them they miss what’s happening inside them. I also became emotionally and mentally stronger.

I learned about my emotional self. This, too, comes with paying closer attention to what’s happening inside yourself. This is scary for most men because our warped society teaches us that men should not be emotional. This totally crap by the way!

I began to understand and control my mind better. I was able to let go of things that used to bother me. I realized what’s important to me and that helped me choose the path that makes me happiest.

Yoga, to me, is not the end all of everything because I believe in balance in all things. But yoga works! Yoga, keeps me strong and flexible. It keeps me connected to the part of me that was long ignored. Yoga helps me help people change their lives. Yes, yoga does work. I’ve seen it over and over and time and time again. Yoga will help you too! But like everything you have to give it a real chance. Taking one class is nice but that can’t really help you. If you commit to giving yoga a fighting chance, keeping your mind open, I can guarantee that yoga will change your life in a very positive way.

Winston Churchill said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

I say, “Find your courage to face those things in your life that intimidate or scare you and you cannot fail in life.” ”

Chris Clark – The Average Yoga Guy

Check out more information on Yoga for Dudes here!

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