Naked yin-hatha yoga for men - 15 June 2014

Join us for this week's nude men's yoga and meditation. We will be teaching a Yin-Hatha class. Yin yoga is a non-muscular yoga, where the poses are held for longer duration without muscular effort. Though it sounds easier, it can be challenging in some positions. 

The purpose of a yin practice is to journey into the memory of the body, to find wisdom in the silent places which we tend not to acknowledge or which may be hidden from view. Yin is about the darkness of the spaces between the joints, about activating the use of the fascia and in being fully present in each of the inward focussed asanas. Technically, a yin practice places gentle pressure on tendons, ligaments and pulls into the fascia. This is healthy for long term muscular health and appears to also stimulate the immune system of the body.

The yin practice will be complemented with traditional hatha movements to gentle stretch and awaken our mind-body-spirit connection. Yin is one of the most meditative of the yoga practices. The attention is drawn inwards, there is stillness externally while we look for the equivalent serenity internally. 

For yin you may also want to bring a blanket, cushion or block to support you in some postures.

We have been working with the chakra chain over the past weeks. This week's class deals with the 'third eye' - ajna, the point of wisdom located between the eyebrows. The colour purple is associated with this chakra and it is closely associated with meditation and the growth of wisdom in our lives.

Classes are free, Donations are welcome. We are at a venue in the city centre. Contact us before the time for get the details. You need a sweat towel.

Classes are filling up so please consider bringing your own mat. We have some extras for the new guys.

The purpose of the practice is to bring you together with other men in a physical, mental and spiritual practice that is healing, positive, uplifting and insightful. We are respectful of everyone's diverse belief systems.

Blog note:
One of our yoga teachers and clinical psychologist has emphasised the role of yoga in finding a relationship between our inner self and our outer persona. This lesson keeps coming back to me. We all do things we are not proud of, have personality traits that can be selfish and ugly. We can also be generous and loving. When we meet new people we want them to see our best side, the surface, the external persona. Inside we may doubt that face. We may have feelings of self-doubt, anger, shame, hurt, vulnerability, confusion... whatever it is we have picked up over time and carry around with us. 

Yoga is not about the surface; it is a journey inwards, past all the habits and defenses, the judgment and the noise. Yoga and meditation take us to a core that is in itself pure, serene, well, whole. In fact, when we get right in there, the persona falls away and we find our most inner being is spacious, vast and silent. There are no walls. There are no fears. 

Getting naked with a bunch of guys can go either way. We can look at the surface and react - with desire, admiration, disgust, judgment, anxiety, uncertainty. These are fundamentally feelings about how we see ourselves but we project them into an outer space. As we learn not to judge ourselves so harshly, to turn the attention inwards (pratyahara), so we become less judgmental of others. So we see that the young man's firm, trim and hard body is just at a different point in time than the older man's body, his signs of a life of living with his body and the passage of time. Wisdom is not to be found on the surface. It is something that radiates from within. So too for loving-kindness, compassion, emphathy, grace and inner peace. Surface beauty does not assure a life of happiness. It may come with its own burdens and challenges. 

In our yin practice this Sunday, we make a greater effort to journey inwards. Some postures are frustrating, uncomfortable, even push our buttons. Others are smooth, fun and contemplative. This practice is a journey of discovery which you undertake for yourself and for which we will help create not just the space, but the team spirit to support you. Bring your mindful curiosity with you.

For more information contact us on:
capemensyoga AT gmail.com
or bbm:
2a2183bd