Cape Men's Yoga

Naked Men's Yoga - a great way to enter 2015 - Sunday 11 January  Wow, great start to the year. We had 24 men at the first class on Sunday. We did a dynamic yoga class focussing on opening the heart centre, some partnered stretching work and a focus on downward facing dog, ending with a heart meditation. This week, Craig will be teaching the class. He has recently qualified as a professional instructor, studying with one of the top yogis in South Africa. He'll be sharing some of his technique involving synergistic use of the muscular and nervous system in yoga movements. Attention to arm strength and upper body focus. We are also on the count-down to our summer encounters retreat. Great time to increase the intensity of your practice to prepare for the retreat. If you have never tried yoga, and like the idea of working with a community of men practicing naked, you are most welcome to join us. The group focusses on the wellness of mind and body. We provide qualified in...

It is that time of year again .... Cape Men's Yoga - the all male, all nude yoga and meditation community is gathering at our favourite retreat centre - Bodhi Khaya in the Cape Overberg region - just a few hours out of Cape Town. 12 - 14 September 2014 This is our sixth such retreat. There are usually about 20 guys on the retreat. The venue is beautiful. Accommodation is shared - mostly two single beds in cottages around the quad but there are also cottages for group bookings and the two dormitories which take 3 and 5 men respectively.  Bodhi Khaya has been ranked as one of the world's top 'secret' retreat centres. It was founded by local Buddhists but has emphasised an ecumenical approach to spiritual development. They have always been welcoming of Cape Men's Yoga and we honour this welcoming. It is only the yoga that is practiced nude as the centre is not designed for naturalism in other regards. If the weather is warm, there is however a dam for sw...

It is our great honour to announce that Volker Moritz is back in Cape Town to run men's erotic workshops. He was here two years ago and ran the highly successful Fire on the Mountain series. Then next session is on 14-16 June 2014 in Rondebosch. The link is here: http://www.authentic-eros.com/en/workshops/authentic-eros.html Authentic Eros is Capetown 14-16 June 2014 authentic eros  is an invitation to enter your body, to sense, to feel, to be guided by your heart and your desires! To be yourself! To find and to create community! We facilitate deep connections between body, mind, sex and spirit. We support men to proudly take their place inside the larger culture, to live from their deepest longing, to own their gifts and share them with the world. For that, we draw from various cutting edge disciplines concerned with embodiment, sexuality, systems awareness, psychology, spirituality, intimacy, communication and creativity.  authentic eros  provides a s...

We have made the big move. We are now practicing at a venue right in the heart of Cape Town. If you have been thinking of stripping down and getting into men's nude yoga - this is a great opportunity to get started. Cape Men's Yoga has been practicing for almost three years now. Men of all ages, backgrounds and degrees of athletic capacity have found our group to be supportive, friendly and a positive learning environment. We practice variations of vinyasa, ashtanga and hatha classes, with occasional forays into kundalini and yin yoga. All of our classes combine yoga movement with attention to life lessons, yoga philosophy, meditation and yogic breathing (pranayama). If you catch us on a good day, you may also get instruction in Thai reflexology. We invite you to discover your inner self and your physical expression through a sustained yoga practice. Whether you are young or old, super fit or looking to do some body work, there is a place for you in the practice. What ...

Hi Yogi-men, After almost three years at our venue in Hout Bay - and many good memories of sweat and serenity - we are moving to a new venue in the heart of Cape Town. Some business support has provided us with a great space over the winter months for Cape Men's Yoga. We'll have our first male nude yoga session at 10h00 until noon on Sunday 11 May 2014. We hope the new venue will increase our accessibility and provide you with a clean and conducive environment to practice nude yoga. The floor is tile, instead of the old carpeted floors, which means you should be sure to have a towel in case you need to protect your knees during practice. You may also want to bring a water bottle with you. There are no showers but proper toilets available. Beginners are always welcome. If you are new to yoga, please contact the instructor in advance to discuss any medical or injury issues. Class will be a vinyasa-ashtanga style class - a dynamic and flowing practice, while keeping...

Join Aidan for a two hour class of hatha nude yoga for men. Our yogic practice includes meditation, yoga asana and other elements of the mind-body-spirit awareness. Classes are for all levels, including beginners. You need a yoga mat (a few spare available), a sweat towel and a water bottle. The venue is in Hout Bay. Contact us for details. Class starts at 10h00. Classes are free, donations are welcome to cover the venue costs. Find your inner truth through a dedicated practice in a supportive environment. Email us on capemensyoga AT gmail.com or bbm 2a2183bd Namaste

This is our first notification of CMY's summer retreat. Entitled the Summer of Love  on 9 to 12 January 2014.  We will be about 20 guys spending four days out at the beautiful Bodhi Khaya retreat centre near Gansbaai in the Cape Overberg.  Bodhi Khaya  is our regular retreat destination. It is well set up with a large yoga shala, indoor and outdoor meditation spaces, a walking maze, two dams for hiking, comfortable accommodation and a rolling landscape of Cape fynbos for hiking. The venue is rented for our exclusive use and fully catered with excellent vegetarian cuisine. The price is affordable with the option of sharing accommodation or even staying in a dorm. Single accommodation has to be booked early and involves a surcharge. Prices will be available on request. This is our first four day retreat. The other summer and winter retreats have been so successful and popular we decided to give it an extra day to support your meditation practice. We have ...

Hatha yoga class this week Brad will take this week's class. It will be a classic hatha yoga practice followed by guided meditation.  2 hours of nude yoga as a journey into the mind / body / spirit relationship in a supportive all male environment. We have built a community of practice and you are welcome to join, whether a complete beginner or an advanced yogic practitioner.  Class runs from 10am until noon in Hout Bay. Classes  are free; we ask for donations to cover the cost of the venue. Please be in the gate by 9h55 latest. Best to bring your own mat but there are a few extra. You will need a sweat towel and you may want a water bottle. Please advise the teacher if you have any injuries. For more information contact us on capemensyoga AT gmail.com

After exploring Kundalini with Duncan last week, we are back to vinyasa yoga this week. Vinyasa is a dynamic style which has emerged from the Pattabhi Jhois tradition of ashtanga yoga - an organised sequence of postures designed to develop flexibility and awareness. Vinyasa is typically sequenced to lead to the full use of the body, usually linked some some accompanying music. Yoga can be fun, it can also be challenging. If you've been looking to get more out of your life, come join us on this journey of sharing and self discovery. For class, you need your own yoga mat, a sweat towel, a water bottle and an open mind. Classes are free, donations are welcome for the cost of the venue. For more information email us on capemensyoga AT gmail.com Beginners are welcome. Classes also involve guided meditation and pranayama yogic breathing. All ages, all body types welcome. 

On Sunday 18 August we had a great session of yin yoga. Yin is a very slow yoga that uses gravity rather than muscular power to take you into the posture. In our reflections, guys noted that yin is about letting go; it is also about accepting yourself. More than other forms of yoga yin is deeply introspective and quiet. Your body does things and does not do other things. You are not trying to take it anywhere, you are journeying with the body and allowing the mind and body to find peace with each other. Next week Sunday 25 August 2013, we have a guest teacher who will be running a Kundalini class. Kundalini is the most esoteric of the yoga traditions - in the sense that the body is only used to get the mind to let go, to move into a different plane of consciousness. Kundalini relies on a series of 'kriya' efforts, a repetitive exercise which challenges the body and the mind. Pushing yourself out of your comfort level until you mind lets go and your intuitive and 'true...

In class today we explored the air meditation. Life on Earth is possible due to our atmosphere. Though we may think we are quite autonomous, the truth is that we are completely dependent on what the Earth and other life forms provide for us. Air comes from plant processes and is managed by the oceans, moved around by the air currents. It is what feeds and nourishes our cells, fills our lungs and makes life possible. At a metaphoric level, air is also about letting go, finding expansiveness, opening the heart, letting go of pain and fears, and opening to a new breath, new possibilities, freshness and serenity. Meditation on air connects us with the heart and our inter-being with the rest of the planet. Yoga with an air focus is light, heart opening, expansive and generous. The class included sun salutations, and the peak postures was Ustrasana, the camel, which is a back bend that allows the heart to open and the chest to fill with air. Godrey provided us with this poem after the...

After a great retreat weekend, we are back at our regular practice. Today, 28 July 2013, we had some new guys on board, regulars and returnees. We practised the fire meditation, examining the fire element and how it links up with our ability to generate heat, effort, power, creativity and change. Why get stuck in a bad place when through skilful effort we can bring about valuable changes? Life does not always deal easy cards and it certainly brings challenges and disappointments. That is part of what it is to be human. The key to a yogic life is to allow life to unfold and to find inspiration and quiet within the changes and flow, to turn the shocks into opportunities, and to avoid doing harm to yourself or others - ahimsa . What we focus on, how we interpret certain events can pull us down, lift us up, make us feel stuck, or open up new ways of seeing a situation. This is also true in our yoga asana practice. If you are looking to touch your toes, get stronger, become calmer or...

It is a humbling experience. Imagine having a dream about connecting people and sharing life-skills to bring men into a supportive network of yoga practitioners in the full sense of the word. And then it happens! Twenty-one men gathered at the beautiful Bodhi Khaya retreat centre between Gansbaai and Stanford in Western Cape Province for a weekend of yoga and meditation. The theme of the weekend was exploring four basic elements: air, fire, water and earth and how these link to our understanding of ourselves and the India yogic system of chakras. The focus was on the lower chakras which are associated with the main elements and which are governed by the heart. One can take this literally or figuratively. In either form it creates a framework for considering how our body is truly made up of other elements which have come together in such a configuration that it permits us to be alive. And on another level it is a metaphor for how we live, how we balance our habits and attitudes to ...

Dear Yogi brothers, We had a great class today - an asana practice at intermediate level, a savasana meditation and then a meditation on our inner light - connecting with the other men's light and sharing compassionate brilliance to all who need it out there. It was an inspiring class to share together. There is no class on Sunday 21 July 2013 as we have our Overberg retreat weekend. There will be 19 of our members there for a weekend of diverse yoga, meditation, sharing and deepening our lives through our community of practice. If you are in Cape Town and looking for something to do, there is a very special event on at the River Club in Observatory. Renowned dhamma and meditation teacher Thanissara (from Dharmagiri retreat centre) will be in dialogue with social activist and national icon, Dr Mamphela Ramphele. The poster is below. The next Cape Men's Yoga class is on Sunday 28 July 2013, at 10h00 until noon. Kindly contact us by email for further information: capeme...

Our regular classes are back on schedule. We welcome you to two hours of nude men's yoga, meditation and pranayama breathing. Classes are from 10h00 - midday, Sunday 14 July 2013. You need a mat and a sweat towel. The room is heated. Yoga style is vinyasa dynamic yoga. The venue is in Hout Bay, Cape Town. There is secure parking. For more information email us on capemensyoga@gmail.com Namaste

Getting ready for the retreat! Cape Men's Yoga will hold its third major retreat from 19-21 July 2013. We have 18 confirmed participants. Teaching will be provided by skilled and qualified yogis - Sean, Aidan and Nigel, with input from Duncan and Bradley. The yoga hall has underfloor heating, there is a nice log burning fire. Participants are invited to bring blankets with them for some of the early meditation sessions. A renowned chef will be providing vegetarian meals throughout the weekend. For any further information, contact capemensyoga@gmail.com 

FAQs Frequently Asked Questions Cape Men's Yoga  Naked yoga with men? Naked yoga is honest. Just who you are - without dressing it up. Bringing men together naked to do yoga is a way of stripping off social norms and customs. We dress up to give a particular picture of ourselves to the world. Stripping down is telling it like it is. Our aim is to bring yoga back to its roots. It takes balls to drop your shorts, and that is a great place to start. Yoga is all about knowing yourself and being honest about yourself. For some this is fun, for others it is quite a challenge. Naked yoga has a long tradition in India. The Digambara (sky clad) yoga tradition dates back to ancient times and was even practiced by Siddhatta Gotama. Both the Digambara sect and the Naga sadhus continue a naked practice today in India. They reject material trappings and strip themselves bare to focus on their spiritual practice, renunciation of status and social acceptance, and to pursue their liv...

Cape Men's Yoga - changing your life from the inside out CMY was started in June 2011. It is a weekly yoga space for men in Cape Town, South Africa to work with their bodies and minds in a supportive, judgement free environment.  Teaching is provided by qualified yoga instructors. Most of the yoga is vinyasa style, that means it involves a series of sequenced postures, based on the classic ashtanga series with modifications. Each class also involves some meditation and usually pranayama (controlled breathing exercises). It is a nude practice. Nude yoga has become popular around the globe since it was initiated in New York in the 1990s. Nudity in spiritual yogic practice is not new and is still a major feature in India amongst the Naga Sadhus. They are renunciates who abandon clothing as part of their liberation from social norms and constraints. For men who practice nude yoga, the motivation is similar if exercised differently.  Nude yoga allows us to be in ...