Cape Men's Yoga

Much of my yoga experience has been at gyms in Cape Town. I go to three or four classes a week, for 13 years now. We are lucky that Cape Town is pretty much the yoga capital of Africa - with a wide range of styles and some very good teachers - even at the gym. What is conspicuously absent though at gym is attention to how yoga is a mental practice as much or even more so than a physical one. Tonight, we were doing a strong but nicely measured vinyasa class in Claremont. I know the teacher well - she is creative, sincere, knows her asana, and is aware of the mental journey of yoga. At the same time, she rarely if ever gives guidance to the students about the mental states - so key to understanding why we do yoga, what it offers us, and how the eight limbs of yoga are part of an integrated system of practice and living. Nonetheless, tonight, about halfway through the practice, focussing my mind on the asana - a key meditative mental state is to know what am I doing, where am I,...

NAKED MEN'S YOGA RETREAT IN SOUTH AFRICA We are approaching our 9th consecutive Cape Men's Yoga & Meditation Retreat, 19 - 22 January 2017.  Bodhi Khaya is a superb venue with dams for swimming, a large yoga hall and meditation space, and wonderful walking trails including into the most southerly indigenous forest in Africa. The venue is near the charming coastal town of Gansbaai on the Cape Coast, about 3 hours drive from Cape Town, South Africa.  http://www.bodhi-khaya.co.za/ Bodhi Khaya is not a nudist centre - nudity is part of our yoga practice and you are welcome to swim naked. Dinners are with at least your shorts on.  There are different types of rooms:  dorms  that sleep 5 guys;  twin rooms,   luxury  rooms with en suite bathrooms and the monk's cloister rooms  with shared facilities.  The monks rooms and twins are more or less the same price this year: estimated  R2750  per person ...

Join us this coming Sunday for a class dealing with flexibility. We'll be working particularly with shoulder and hip flexibility - an important aspect of yoga training - both for the body and for the focus of the mind to understand what it is being asked to do and why. We will also be working with the prasarita padottanasana forward bend sequence. This is a classic yoga move that requires strengthn in the legs as well as an ability to lift the navel and perineum to facilitate a deep forward fold. From the forward bend it is also possible to lift up into a headstand; notably into the tripod headstand. This requires that you have some experience already with headstands and sufficiently strong neck muscles. CMY is a voluntary nude men's yoga group in Cape Town, South Africa. It is open to men of all backgrounds, sexual orientations, and levels of yoga experience. The goal is an authentic understanding of your body, mind and spiritual practice. Join us on the mat. 10.30...

Wow! A month has come and gone! Nigel has been overseas for work and exploration and we have had four different and highly regarded yogis taking each of the weekly classes. A deep thank you to Aidan, Sean, Gavin and Eugene for teaching and for all of you for practicing together. Nigel is back teaching this Sunday, 25 September 2016. It is a men's fully naked vinyasa yoga class. He will be integrating some elements from his tropical experiences - exploring how what we generate in our lives shapes our world. We experience life through the lens of our senses and our habitual understandings and mental patterns. Some of these may be great for you, but some may have outlived their relevance and you may be struggling to find the life quality you want right now. There is a Zen saying: Man stands in his own shadow and wonders why it is dark. We invite you to step into the light! Classes are at a great venue in the southern suburbs of Cape Town. 10.30 to 12.15 and involve yoga mov...