Though yoga seems to be a simple exercise that is popularized among women, causing some men to consider it emasculating, some rise against this belief and have given it a try. In an article written by Stephen Walkiewicz , called “A First-Time Yoga Experience”, Stephen shares a male’s perspective and feelings of attending a yoga class for the first time. Once Stephen entered the class he realized not only was he one of the few men in attendance but he was also one of the youngest in the room, making him assume he was better than the rest of the class. Over the course of the session, Stephen’s beliefs were proven false as he fell countless times while everyone maintained their balance. Stephen’s muscles were shivering while everyone else kept …show more content…
According to the history of yoga section on yogabasics.com, Yoga was originated from India about 5,000 years ago, but some researches think it may have been discovered 10,000 years ago. It was developed in the northern part of India by the Indus-Sarasvati civilization (Burgin). Yoga can be divided into four parts; Pre-Classical yoga, Classical yoga, Post-Classical yoga and Modern period. During the Pre- Classical yoga era, yoga was first mentioned in an old sacred text called the Rig Veda, which is an ancient sacred text. Inside the Veda it contained different songs, mantras (slogan) and rituals, which were used by the priests. Throughout this stage devotion was mostly toward the idea of two types of yoga, self-knowledge and action in other words known as karma yoga and wisdom which is known as jnana yoga. Once the era of the classical yoga came into existence the beliefs of different yoga techniques expanded. The classical yoga period was the beginning of the systematic presentation of the eight limbs of yoga. Listed on Brooklynyogaschool.com the eight limbs are; Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi. All eight limbs are used throughout a yoga session. The post- classical yoga period was when the practices of rejuvenating the body and prolonging life began (Burgin). The ancient Vedas was rejected during this time frame and the …show more content…
Indra Devi, also known as “the first lady of yoga” started introducing yoga to different countries, and that is when more women started to get involved with yoga. With having such thing as a first lady of yoga, I assume that is the reason men think it’s too feminine and don’t see it as a real workout. Senior writer Carolyn Gregoire from the Huffington post discusses the point of view from writer Eric Niiler saying that there are “Yoga myths”, which are what keeps the men away from yoga classes. “Yoga isn’t a decent workout; its too touchy-feely; you must be flexible to do it; men’s bodies just aren’t built for pretzellike poses”, says Niiler. Niiler doesnt seem to think that yoga is for men, quoting in his own words, “Not a man’s world”. A 2012 yoga journal reported that the industry of yoga has evolved into a $27 billion dollar industry with having over 20 million yoga practitioners in the United States, 83% of the practioners being female.(Gregoire). Although, women are the dominated gender for yoga, that practice is opened for different age groups. In the 2016 yoga in America study highlights the different ages and the percentages of the individuals taking part in yoga throughout the year. The largest percent being 43% came from ages 30-49, the second largest age group percentage came from 50 and up with 38%, and finally the youngest group calculated with
The existence of hegemonic power related to gender roles in sport limits the participation of students in Sport Aerobics. This hypothesis is supported by the data gathered from a survey that 24 Nambour High students took (Appendix 1). The survey included 2 female and male students from each year level. This survey revealed that only 16% of students have participated in Sport Aerobics and the majority of the students were from the senior year levels. When the students were asked what gender Sport Aerobics is for over half the students said both male and female. However, 37% of the students said that Sport Aerobics is for women only and 6 out the 9 students that answered women were male meaning that the majority of male students believe that Sport Aerobics is a feminine sport. None of the students believed that Sport Aerobics is an only male sport. Seventy percent of students throughout all the year levels believe that men are stronger than women. The only students that said women were female themselves. It is fixed in to student’s minds that men are stronger than women because of the lack of recognition to female athletes on the media. Students only see strong male athletes such as rugby league players presented on the media. This accounts for the 70% of students that do not watch any women’s sport and the only students that do were female. This result is due to the lack of women role models in the
“The Politics of Muscle” by Gloria Steinem is an essay arguing the difference in strength between men and women. Steinem starts her essay by stating how she grew up in a generation where women didn’t participate in a lot, if any, sport activities. She goes on to say that she believes this is the reason why women of her generation believe that it’s not what the female body does, but how it looks. Steinem feels that women always seemed to be owned in some degree as the means of reproduction. She believes that women are made to feel ashamed of their strength and that “only when women rebel against patriarchal standards does female muscle become more accepted.” (pg 372)
Yoga is a discipline with a scientific background that was developed over 2000 years ago. In this system of self-development the restless mind is calmed and energy is placed into constructive channels. It is not a religion as some people may be led to believe. It is a philosophy of life. The lessons learned are just as relevant today as they were when they were first created, still keeping the main principle that before you can train your mind to reach a higher consciousness you must first discipline your body. Yoga's popularity is largely due to its wide range of benefits, including therapeutic effects, muscle toning, energy increasing and concentration of the mind.
The chakras and Kundalini came to be an integral part of yoga philosophy in the non-dual Tantric tradition, which arose in the 7th century, in reaction to the dualist philosophy which preceded it. This tradition advised being in the world rather than separate from it. Tantra is commonly thought of in the West as primarily a sexual tradition, as Tantrism does put sexuality in a sacred context. Yet this is actually only a small part of a broad philosophy which includes many practices of yoga, worship of deities, especially the Hindu goddesses, and integration of the many polaric forces in the universe.
At times I was dangerously thin, and my arms have always been longer than they should be for someone of my height. Nonetheless, my body has never gone under scrutiny and in fact, was common and celebrated among male basketball players. This is one of the many benefits of my male privilege. Female athletes, on the other hand, are subjected to a contradictory ideal that they should maintain a strong athletic body for the sport they play, yet also remain thin and appeal to the sexual ideal men hold them to. Nita Mary McKinley states in, Weighty Issues: Constructing Fatness and Thinness as Social Problems, “The construction of ideal weight parallels the construction of the traditional ideal woman and ideal weight becomes gendered” (99). This is unfair to the female athlete as it creates a conflict between physically exceling in their sport and being sexually discriminated against by men. As a male, there is practically no sexual consequences I suffer from that pertain to the body type I maintain. One of the most publicly scrutinized athletes for her body shape is tennis legend Serena Williams. Male sports writers in their attempts to objectify Williams, have shared their thoughts on how she is too strong and too muscular to sexually appeal to men. Serena has since reclaimed her sexuality by posing in ESPN Magazine’s body issue, along with appearing in Beyonce’s “Formation” music video. American celebrity culture, European fashion culture, and international advertising are all responsible for the development of thin female body types being the most sexually desired among males in America. It is important to apply locational context and recognize that other female body types are celebrated throughout other cultures. For instance Fatema Mernissi confesses, in Size 6: The Western Women’s Harem, “In the Moroccan streets, Men’s flattering comments regarding my particularly generous hips have for decades led me to
Within todays sporting community, certain aspects of sport and its practices promote and construct ideas that sport in general is a male dominated. Sports media often provides an unequal representation of genders. Women athletes are regularly perceived as mediocre in comparison to their male equivalents (Lenskyj, 1998). Achievement in sport is generally established through displays of strength, speed and endurance, men usually set the standards in these areas, consequently woman rarely reach the level set by top male athletes. Due to this, the media significantly shows bias towards male sports while we are ill-informed about the achievements in the female sporting community. On the occasion that a female athlete does make some form of an appearance in the media, images and videos used will usually portray the female in sexually objectified ways (Daniels & Wartena, 2011). This depiction of female athletes can cause males to take focus solely on the sexual assets of the athlete in preference to to their sporting abilities (Daniels & Wartena, 2011). Sexualisation of sportswoman in the media is a prevalent issue in today’s society, it can cause physical, social and mental problems among women of all ages (Lenskyj, 1998).
Yoga is a discipline both involving physical and mental control that originated in India. The word Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word, "yug", meaning union and it means the joining of the individual spirit with the universal spirit. The type of yoga known as Hatha Yoga, ("Ha"- sun, "tha"-moon) is what is most commonly practiced and this yoga involves the path of the mind and body and is the most physical. There are eight limbs or steps of Hatha Yoga, the first step being the five Yamas. There are five yamas and these concern your behavior to the world.
Sports, in general, are a male dominated activity; every “real” male is suppose to be interested and/or involved in sports in the American society. However, it is not expected of a female to be interested in sports and there is less pressure on them to participate in physically enduring activities. These roles reflect the traditional gender roles imposed on our society that men are supposed to be stronger and dominant and females are expected to be submissive. As Michael Kimmel further analyzes these gender roles by relating that, “feminism also observes that men, as a group, are in power. Thus with the same symmetry, feminism has tended to assume that individually men must feel powerful” (106).
The practice of Yoga dates back to thousands of years ago and is believed to have been introduced to the world by a person who was known as Adiyogi. Adiyogi, more famously know as Lord Shiva himself, was first seen in upper parts of the Himalayas, where he was seen in a mystic
Whether you're a pro athlete or someone just starting to get into shape, the strengthening and stretching positions and motions yoga puts you through is an excellent start for staying, and becoming, an athlete. When first starting, certain positions, like a backbend, may not be accomplishable. But with time and work, slowly your body loosens up until you can feel the muscles throughout your body, and you become more aware of yourself. As you develop self-awareness, it also becomes easier to tell where you body is weak or strong. Which joints may need extra work, while others may not. Targeting your weaker points, instead of relying on your stronger ones, will indulge you with less injuries and illnesses. Call it becoming one with yourself. ...
In a world full of skepticism towards the alternative, Yoga has created a place of growing belief for itself. As Timothy McCall, M.D. states in his book Yoga As Medicine: The Yogic Prescription for Health & Healing: A Yoga Journal Book:
Women’s bodybuilding has lost popularity throughout the years because of the masculinity that the sport presents in the eyes of many. Quoted in the article, “The Death of Women’s Bodybuilding”, by John Romano, “Rewind back to 2005, the IFBB introduced an infamous “20 percent rule”. They asked female bodybuilders to decrease amount of masculinity by a factor of 20 percent.” This quote explains how the hegemony is striking back by limiting the manliness of female bodybuilding competitions. Women are expected to possess maternal traits. Traditionally, they have been designated as home builders and to nurture their kids and take care of the family. Feminine traits are desired for these roles. There are also many negative health risks that come with bodybuilding. Bodybuilding is bad for the health, because of the excessive training and the amount of fat they cut. Health issues that many bodybuilders face are heart problems, stroke, and elevated blood pressure. The vascularity of bodybuilders is another side-effect of excessive exercise that is viewed as undesirable. A premium is placed on the smooth skin in our
Yoga could be described as the practice of holding different poses, and using diferrent breathing techniques that strengthens the mind and body, by bringing the practitioner into a new state of awareness. The practice of yoga increases blood flow to internal organs, brings more oxygen to the cells in your body, while strengthening and calming the nervous system. There are many different types of yoga. In the United States the most widely practiced form is known as Hatha, which is a combination of poses taken from all types of yoga b...
Yoga is a practice that anyone of any age can complete anywhere, anytime. It originated in ancient India and is estimated to be nearly five thousand years old. Through yoga, one is able to find his or her path to peaceful bliss within him or her self (Finney 25). The mind and the body become balanced with each other, giving one the sense of enlightenment (The Magic of.Meditation). Depending on the styles and poses a person chooses, yoga benefits a person not only physically, but mentally as well.