Cape Men's Yoga

Cape Men's Yoga is celebrating its 6th year of energy this month. This all started after a trip to New York and a few classes with Hollis and the team at Nude York Yoga. South Africa is a conservative place in many ways, and Cape Town - though the most beautiful city on the planet - is sometimes like an uptight little village (*grin*). So the idea of getting a bunch of guys, off all different sexual orientations, cultures, races, religions, economic levels and ages to ALL get butt naked and do yoga together - well, there was not much hope it would last - but we all agreed that it would be fun to try.  We were amazed, moved, touched, inspired, brought to tears, brought to laughter, brought to love, to find how many men were willing to bare it all - dropping their shorts and their defences, letting themselves be truly authentic, honest and open - in a community environment, non-judgemental, kind and supportive. Big ones, small ones, skinny and beary, grey-haired, bald, gell...

July 2016 We have two distinguished guest teachers at CMY this month - Gavin will be teaching on 17 July and Aidan on 24 July. They are both respected senior yoga instructors. Gavin has a background in psychology, orienteering, kahuna massage therapy and yoga teacher training. He specialises in the mobilisation of inner energy and wisdom to guide yoga movement. Aidan is a hatha instructor, a published author and a reflexology massage trainer. He has monastic meditation training. Both teachers will also be contributing to our Tapestry of Life retreat in mid-August in the Overberg. Please join CMY for these two distinguished teachers at our new venue in the southern suburbs of Cape Town. Beginners are welcome. Note we only have a few extra mats for these particular classes so try to bring your own plus a sweat towel. There are showers on site. On 31 July we have a specialist class on headstands, handstands and forearm balancing. This is the in the small studio so only 10 st...

We are honoured to have one of our most senior teachers offer to teach this Sunday. Aidan is a published yoga writer, runs his own studio and is an outstanding Hatha yoga instructor. He has been supportive of CMY's retreats and you have an opportunity to practice naked yoga with him this Sunday, 29 May at our southern suburbs venue. CMY is a cooperative community project to promote authentic yoga and meditation and build a community of practice. We practice a fully naked yoga for men only. The philosophy is to strip ourselves of the expectations of the outside world and concentrate on our true life journey, who we are underneath and letting that energy shine. A wide range of men form the group and you are most welcome to join us. 10.30 until 12.30 Payment by voluntary donation Bring your own towel and water bottle. There are showers if you require. Secure parking. In the southern suburbs; email or whatsapp for further details. capemensyoga AT gmail.com 082 579 6868 Na...

15 May 2016: Naked men's yoga in Cape Town Duncan will be teaching a naked men's hatha class with pranayama breathing. Duncan has done much of his training with a leading yogi in Mysore and also competed a retreat with pranayama and meditation training in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. Cape Men's Yoga has been running for five years, bringing together men of all ages, cultures and body types to discover the deeper meaning of yoga. Whether you can touch your toes or do handstands, you are welcome to join us. Two hours of weekly naked men's yoga on Sundays at our venue in the southern suburbs of Cape Town. All you need is a towel and a open mind. It helps to have your own mat but we have some to lend. It is community yoga so you pay what you can and partake fully. Our aim is to make yoga accessible and build a community. All the teachers have international yoga certification. If you have any injuries or medical conditions which may influence your yoga, please consult a...

Dear yoga brothers, Duncan is freshly returned from India.  He spent a month in an ashram training centre in the holy city of Rishikesh on the Ganga (Ganges). He will teach this week's men's hatha yoga class with a special session of pranayama (yogic breathing). This is one of the major practices in yoga along with meditation and asana (yoga movement and postures). Join us for this very special class. Please note that we are in the SMALL yoga hall this week and next so we can only accommodate 16 people max. We advise you to let us know if you wish to attend. We have also discovered that the new venue has showers for those who wish to freshen up after sweaty classes. Please contact us about venue details. Classes are in the southern suburbs, Sundays 10.30 to 12.30. This a community yoga practice. It is for men only, a naked yoga practice in a traditional style. Class range between hatha, hatha flow, vinyasa, ashtanga, yin and kundalini. We aim to build a caring and ...

Welcome to Cape Men's Yoga blog page. Last week we explored the use of bandhas - the energy locks which intensify yoga practice and power up the cleansing fire energy of the body. We also took time to open up the shoulders and practice handstands. This week we will have another hatha flow class, exploring the use of breath, posture, the mind's focus and contractions of our muscles to create a harmonic approach to wellness and well-being. Whether you are a total newbie or an experienced yogi, you are welcome to join our community-based practice. Our teachers are all qualified and volunteer their time to build the community of practice. Our new venue in the southern suburbs of Cape Town is great! A real home for CMY. Plenty of parking and an ideal yoga hall. We start at 10.30 and the class runs for 2 hours - including meditation, yoga asana and breath-work. You need a sweat towel and a water bottle. It is best to have your own mat though we have extra for drop ins...

 Join us this week at our Vredehoek venue, Sunday 28 February at 10 am until noon for another Cape Men's Yoga & meditation class. Craig will be teaching a mindful hatha flow class. He is gifted in bringing our attention to each posture and drawing these into a flowing sequence. CMY is a community yoga group for men in Cape Town. The practice is done completely nude, men only. Naked yoga is an ancient tradition in India - practiced by the Digambara sect of yogis. We do it as part of getting back to basics - stripping off the social coverings to find our authentic self within - trusting yourself and others to practice as you live. You are welcome to join us. Beginners or advanced are all welcome. If you have any injuries or medical conditions, check first with your medical advisor and inform the instructor. We are not responsible for injuries and encourage you to practice carefully. Try to bring your own mat, we can lend a few mats to new comers. A sweat towel and wate...

Dear Yoga friends, Duncan, our Mysore hatha yoga teacher, will be back on the mat with you this Sunday, 17 January 2016. He will be teaching one of his classic Mysore practices with attention to alignment, patience and focus. This is an ideal class for beginners and for those more advanced students wanting to hone their skills and focus. This is a nude yoga practice for men. Beginners are welcome. Payment is by a voluntary donation. Our class is in central Cape Town at a convenient venue until the end of this month. Note that our last city centre class will be on 24 January 2016. To join the class, you may text / whatsapp Duncan on 084 294 830 nine.

Hatha Pradipika practice this week This week Duncan will be following some of the older hatha yoga postures as detailed in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. These are some of the oldest recorded postures in yoga's written history.  It will be fun for us to gain a deeper knowledge of these more ancient postures. This form of yoga is accessible to complete beginners with modifications and to advanced practitioners. Yoga allows people to practice within their own ability without competition with others.  The Hatha Yoga Pradipika is a classical text describing Hatha Yoga. It is said to be the oldest surviving text on Hatha Yoga. Swami Swatmarama wrote the text in the 15th century CE, drawing upon previous texts and his own experiences.  While the text describes asanas (postures), purifying practices (shatkarma), mudras (finger and ha nd positions), bandhas (locks), and pranayama (breath exercises), it also explains that the purpose of Hatha Yoga is the awakening of kundalin...

Get your Spring Naked On!  Duncan is back from North Africa and ready to inspire you with another 2 hour naked men's yoga class in the Mysore hatha flow tradition. Duncan trained in India with a leading yoga guru. He brings to Cape Men's Yoga his detailed training in yoga physiology, pranayama (breathing techniques) and Sanskrit chanting. This week will include the hatha flow sequence, work on strength and flexibility, and keeping with our October theme of taking yourself into new areas, he will be continuing the work with headstands and inversions. The class starts at 10 am promptly. You need to inside before 10 as the doors are locked. Bring a yoga mat (some extras for drop ins are available), a sweat towel and an open mind. CMY is a community-based naked men's yoga group. Payment is by voluntary donation. All of our instructors are certified. Beginners are welcome as well as more advanced practitioners. Our aim is to help you develop your body-mind relation...

Welcome to our 8th biannual  Cape Men's Yoga retreat. We are again preparing for our Cape Men's Yoga Retreat at Bodhi Khaya​ near Gansbaai. This is our summer retreat. It is four days and three nights long: 28 to 31 January 2016. The weekend involves various forms of yoga (hatha, vinyasa, kundalini and yin), meditational instruction and creative projects, as well as pure enjoyment of the natural environment. Note that BK is NOT a nudist centre - only the yoga is done entirely nude throughout the weekend. To reserve a room, kindly deposit R800 per person into our account. This information is available by email. Please send a confirmation to me on my mobile 0825796868 or by email to capemensyoga AT gmail.com Final deadline for deposits is 10 October 2015. Deposits are in principle non-refundable. If you have shift work or unclear work responsibilities, contact us to ask to be on the tentative accommodation list. After the cut off date or when we...

14-16 August 2015 was our 7th Cape Men's Yoga retreat, again at Bodhi Khaya retreat centre in the beautiful Overberg of the Western Cape Province, South Africa. The retreats each have a theme to them and some tools to help guide the men while on retreat. We draw on traditional yogic teaching and philosophy and add to it Buddhist, Daoist and indigenous concepts which may be useful for people exploring their path in life. Our members include Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, spiritualists, pagans and explorers of various paths. The aim is to create an inclusive, sharing, co-creative weekend space for people to deepen their practice of yoga, meditation and understanding the mind body relationship. Each retreat is so different in character but each one has been extraordinary in its bonding, sharing and learning. This retreat was characterised by a lot of joy, friendships, uplifting sensations, good food and beautiful moments. Fire & Ice was built around the t...

We are overjoyed that we raised R1850 for Nepalese earthquake relief. This was a great act of compassion with our members doing the traditional 108 sun salutations in the hatha style. This month, we will have a variety of teachers taking the Sunday classes - always at 10.00 am in our inner Cape Town city venue (email or whatsapp for details). Duncan will be a teaching a hatha flow class on Sunday 31 May 2015 We'll have regular yoga classes on: Sunday 7 June: Duncan Sunday 14 June: Craig Sunday 21 June: Duncan - International Yoga Day class Sunday 28 June: Gavin Our teachers are all internationally certified instructors. All practices are male only, nude yoga (see FAQ). There is also meditation and prayanama teaching. Classes are by donation. All levels welcome. If you have injuries or a medical condition that might be relevant when starting yoga, please consult a competent specialist. We are not responsible for injuries - we encourage an injury free practi...

Sunday 24 May 2015 - CMY Naked Fund Raiser for Nepal Yoga is about having a heart and using your body to get it to work - both practically and emotionally. Join us for this very special event. On   Sunday 24 May  we will dedicate our regular Cape Men's Yoga class to a fund raiser to help relief work on the ground in Nepal. We'll be doing the sacred practice of 108 Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskara) in homage to those who lost their lives and for all of those trying to pick up the pieces, nurse the grieving and the injured, and to rebuild their country. 108 sun salutations are not easy, so keep in mind that you need to practice, be in shape and know your limits. It takes about 90 minutes to get through the practice. We'll have two or more teachers coaching. As always, we'll be buck naked and sweating as we go through the cycle. We ask you to bring cash and donate generously. We'll be sending the money directly to people we know working on the ground...

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...