Cape Men's Yoga

New month, new cycle of the moon. Welcome to July, which brings us just six weeks away from our next retreat,  14 - 16 August 2015. One of the great truths in yoga is that our life is both unique and part of a much great whole. The energy that manifests to give us breath, personality, agency and options is that which underpins the whole of the universe - both the material world which we perceive on a daily basis, and the energetic or spiritual world which is not so easily perceived and yet informs all things. Yoga invites us to live authentically. To be who you are meant to be. This does not mean that you can do anything with impunity or arrogance. The universe has a moral and ethical character to it. This is the law of 'karma' - the moral law of cause and effect. If we turn our mind to be harmful to others - either in ignorance or by intention and anger - then we poison the mind, drag ourselves into a mental space that will cause suffering. Sounds like hard work? We...

Naked Men's Yoga In Cape Town Join us again this Sunday, 3 May 2015, for another session of Cape Men's Yoga. This is a nude men's yoga and meditation practice offered for the betterment of society and for the growth of personal happiness. Our energy gets absorbed into so many things in life: work, relationships, our emotions, sucked up in technology, often wasted in our anxiety and confusion. The ancient Indian practice of yoga is a method to harness our inherent energy and learn to work with it for our wellbeing. It brings improved health, improved mental skills, reduces stress and creates the foundation for a new path in our lives. We welcome you onto the mat and to be part of our journey. Duncan will be teaching another of his beautiful Mysore Hatha flow classes this week. Duncan has spent another month in India on an advanced teacher training course. The class is fine for beginners or experienced yogis. You don't have 'believe' anything in partic...

A bunch of us had a great time at Spirit Fest 2015 - the big yoga festival in Paarl. Some great offerings including a superb philosophy talk by our very own Gavin R... more on this later. We are confirming that there WILL BE yoga on Easter Sunday - 05 April as well as our regular Sunday class on 29 March. One thing I really was reminded of at Spirit Fest, yoga is a practice which requires constant attention. It does not mean you need to knock yourself out or push past your limits - it does mean that a regular practice refreshes you, inspires you, heals you and keeps you to a path that will open up many opportunities in your life, through friendships, self-awareness, insights and stripping away the crusty bits that life throws your way. We use the body to take us back to the universal and core teachings - the famous 'unity' which is the meaning of yoga. The stilling of the mind to take us to a truth that infuses all of our choices, decisions, moods and directions in life. ...

This week's class will be a dynamic flow yoga, based on the Ashtanga Primary series. CMY is a nude men's practice, including traditional yoga instruction, meditation and yogic breathing exercises (pranayama). The focus is on living well, integrating our use of body, mind, breath and as appropriate our spiritual practice. We aim to build a healthy, generous community of practice to support you in your yoga and meditation. We have men from all different backgrounds, cultures, faiths and ages working together. The class is open to beginners or advanced yogis. We are between 10 and 20 men per class. We recommend you bring your own mat and sweat towel. There are some extra mats for visitors. If you have injuries or medical conditions, you should consult a professional before practicing yoga and inform the instructor when you join us. We aim for injury free yoga - practice is at your own risk. We practice in central Cape Town. Email us for details. Contact us on Capemensy...

Samyama is a concept that features prominently in the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali. Patanjali was either one very wise yogi or a series of authors who honed yoga teaching down to a tight and clear philosophical treatise. Samyama refers to the power of the yogi meditator to study something with great attention, to enter into its character, elements and meaning, and to deeply understand it, including being able to take on some of the characteristics. This could be understanding an element like the Earth, or watching the cycle of our emotions, to understanding how the body works, to being able to understand the flow of life energy through the body. So who cares? This morning I had a dream about teaching concentration and the power of the mind. I would not describe myself as ordinary. My life has been pretty eventful and interesting. My mind was I guess like most people - full of instability, moments of anxiety, looking for good sensations, running away from bad ones. In my thirtie...