Cape Men's Yoga

On reflection  I go into every retreat with no expectations but a reasonable level of preparation. I know that each retreat is shaped by the great teachers, a good thematic design and pacing, the brilliant creative projects and then the chemistry of diverse men working, creating, exploring together. The Explorer retreat of 2019 did not disappoint. 23 men spent 4 days exploring mind, body and spirit. We picked up a theme of the Katha Upanishad, an Indian myth of a pious young lad who travels to the world of the Dead to learn the secrets of existence. The weekend started with an exquisite blindfolded teaching by Sajiv. That just set the tone and we were off. Sean taught Iyengar influenced hatha yoga; Sam taught a magical Bhakti yoga, Eugene did a fiery vinyasa, Nigel taught a yin class, everyone joined energy to teach an inversion course followed by group and acro-yoga - always a crowd pleaser. Craig taught a masterful Budokon yoga drawing on the warrior theme. In between, David...

Dear Yoga brothers, This is to confirm that we will be having another Cape Men's Yoga retreat at our favourite venue in the Overberg, Western Cape, South Africa. CMY is a voluntary group of yogis based in Cape Town. For 7 years we organised annual or biannual retreats. Our aim is to create a space for you to come and practice, be in a place of kindness and meet some very special people in a beautiful natural environment.  This is again a Winter retreat in the southern hemisphere:   8-11 August 2019 . This is over the long-weekend, so it should be easier for people to join for the whole of the Friday practice. We will again offer the option of coming a day earlier to start with quieter meditation and yoga time, and then a full programme beginning on Thursday 8 August. This in practice means you can come for 4 nights, 3 nights or just the Friday and Saturday nights. The exact cost of the retreat depends on a number of factors, including how many men will attend, ho...

(c) Photo by Paul Watson August 2017 schedule for Cape Men's Yoga Sunday 6 August: Nigel will lead a yin yoga class. This is the slowest form of yoga. Involving the use of gravitational pull rather than muscular strength. It stimulates ligaments and fascia, helping the immune system and nervous system. It is sometimes challenging and requires quietening the mind. We only teach this once a season. Fine for beginners but more targeted to people with yoga experience. Sunday 13 August CMY is on retreat in the Overberg. The retreat is fully booked, no new applications thanks. THERE WILL BE NO CLASS AT OUR REGULAR VENUE in Cape Town. Yes, we had the most awesome retreat, pix to follow! Sunday 20 August Warren is a newly qualified yoga teacher and a professional dancer. He has a wonderful style combining mental focus, serenity with alignement and motion. We really recommend coming for this experience. 10.30 to 12.15 at our southern suburbs venue. Email or whatsapp for deta...

Cape Men's Yoga & Meditation Winter Retreat  10-13 August 2017 We are ready to start organising the 2017 Cape Men's Yoga winter retreat. This year we have again booked Hearth & Soul Eco-Farm http://www.hearthandsoul.co.za/ Our host is the energetic and ebullient Sybille Nagel. Hearth & Soul is a rustic retreat, located behind Napier on the way to Stanford via the back roads of the Overberg. It has confortable accommodation, a yoga and meditation hall, big fire places, lounge areas, great vegetarian food and some excellent hiking trails. We have booked for three nights and four days: Thursday 10 August until midday Sunday 13 August. Note that 9 August is a public holiday so you may wish to come a day earlier for some quiet meditation and preparation for the retreat, even the option of some fasting. Evidently, it is also possible for you to come just for 2 nights / 3 days - though we highly recommend committing to the full retreat as th...

Yes, it is the long weekend, and yes we have some fun yoga for you! For this coming Sunday, we definitely have a class. We will be doing a vinyasa flow with attention to upper body strength and flexibility. Cape Town based community men's nude yoga group - authentic yoga in your authentic body, with meditation and pranayama guidance. Payment by donations. capemensyoga AT gmail.com Whatsapp 0825796868

After having to miss one class, we are back on the mat on Sunday 19 March. All yoga involves the exploration of the body and the mind. Usually yoga also has a spiritual dimension or at least a meditative dimension of trying to understand the world through self-study. It is the ability to focus the mind while at the same time removing preconceived patterns, allowing the mind to open up to the universe while also remaining quietly still and directed - this is where real yoga happens. The body, as my teacher noted at Spirit Fest, is the vessel of our consciousness. Each asana (yoga posture) creates an opportunity to for us to explore our inner landscape, how we are feeling, thinking, the patterns of the mind, and the harmony or disharmony of mind and body. It is a dance, an interplay, and exploration. This week we explore the themes of alignment, flexibility and breath. We'll be trying out some backbends as well as learning how to strengthen the back and shoulders to gain st...

When we started Cape Men's Yoga it seemed like an opportunity to create a fun community space for men interested in their spiritual journey to meet one another and practice together. The inspiration for doing naked yoga came from Nude York Yoga in New York City but also finds its roots in India with the Digambara Jain sect of naked yogis. As the years have passed, CMY has grown into an important space for men to come and be themselves, to come for healing, for sharing, for acceptance, for self-knowledge and for well-being. We have six monthly retreats, international and national guest teachers, and weekly classes in the southern suburbs of Cape Town at a great venue. Our members range for 20 years old up into their mid-70s. We are racially and culturally diverse, with members coming from spiritualist, atheist, Christian, Moslem, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish and Pagan traditions. At a time when the world seems less certain, where human rights are under threat, and where there ar...

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...

12 - 14 August 2016 - Cape Men's Yoga Winter Retreat: Weaving the Tapestry of our Lives This year our winter retreat is at a new venue, still in the Overberg, the magical Hearth & Soul which is between Napier and Stanford. We will be able to accommodate 25 men for the 2 nights / 3 days fully catered retreat. This is our 9th biannual retreat and we welcome you to join us from Cape Town, from the Western Cape or from further afield. A weekend of naked yoga, meditation, co-creative activity and fellowship of men. The pricing depends on how many of us attend as there are some shared venue costs. The approximate pricing (excluding transport but including all other costs, in rands) is: Dorms: R930 Shared accommodation: R1150 Single occupancy: R1450 This is per person for the two nights. The theme for this winter's retreat is weaving the tapestry of our lives. Life is made up of so many different threads - our culture, upbringing, language, sexu...

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...

Cape Men's Yoga has moved to a new venue and a slightly new time slot. We have left our city centre venue and after a spell in Vredehoek we are now moving to our new venue in Constantia in the southern suburbs. We welcome you to come and join us at this beautiful venue with a formal yoga studio, parklands around us and secure parking off a quiet street. We will have our usual format of 2 hour naked men's yoga with breath-work, yoga asana and meditation. This week Nigel is teaching a yoga vinyasa flow class and fire meditations. You need to bring a sweat towel, a water bottle and an open mind. It is best if you have your own mat but we do have extras. It is a community yoga practice - the teachers volunteer their time and the students volunteer their commitment and pay by donation. Donations are welcome - contribute as you are capable. For more information contact us on capemensyoga AT gmail.com or 082 579 6868 Namaste

PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS NO YOGA CLASS ON SUNDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2015 Our next class is Sunday 25 October 2015 We are pleased to announce that Sean is back doing some teaching. Sean is a well-known Cape Town yoga instructor. He teaches a strong vinyasa style, punctuated with pranayama breathing, clear teaching style and a genuine care and compassion for his students. Come enjoy a sweaty, fun and inspiring challenge on Sunday.  Classes are on a voluntary donations basis. We recommend you bring your own mat, sweat towel and water bottle. We do have some additional mats, blocks and straps. Class starts promptly at 10 am until noon. All male, all nude, all genuine yoga with certified instructors.  For the venue contact us on capemensyoga AT gmail.com or text / whatsapp on  083 300 9513 Also, please remember that deposits are NOW DUE for the Summer yoga retreat: Dance of Life - 28 - 31 January 2016. Places are limited. Email for details.  ...

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...

We have received the new prices for 2015. Bodhi Khaya is now VAT registered so all of our previous costs now have a VAT rate on top which has put up the prices since the summer retreat. This retreat will be 3 days and 2 nights, with the option of an extra day / night ahead of the main retreat. Nina is back as our vegetarian caterer, she has been the very best thus far and CMY are her biggest fans. The retreat involves a journey. We have multiple teachers of both yoga and meditation, as well as other forms of self-exploration through art, self-study, nature walks, ayurvedic practices (mostly rubbing yourself with almond oil first thing in the morning and climbing into cold water - for the fun of it). The journey is one of personal understanding and introspection as well as a collective journey of being with others, hearing their stories, loving them with an open heart and supporting their practice as they support yours. My estimate of the costing this season will be about R1...

Fresh from the source - the guru returns from India This is it folks, the moment you have been waiting for: Duncan has returned from a month of advanced yoga teacher training in Mysore, India. This is Duncan's second trip to Mysore and he has studied with one of the great masters of modern Indian yoga in a style of hatha flow / vinyasa. Whatever you do, get your naked backside to class this Sunday to experience some of the inspiration that Duncan is bringing from the Motherland of yoga to the Mother City of Cape Town. As always, classes are open to adult men of all ages and levels of yoga competence, including beginners. We recommend you bring your own mat but there are extras for drop-ins. Classes are voluntary with donations welcome to cover the venue. The yoga is done entirely nude, with guided teaching in yoga movement (asana), breathing (pranayama) and meditation techniques. We respect all traditions of spirituality or whether you just want to improve your body. We...

Dear yoga brothers, It is time to mark your calendar. We are pleased to announce our next two Cape Men's Yoga retreats at Bodhi Khaya retreat centre in the Cape Overberg. CMY has organised six retreats to date, mostly at BK, a great venue for our practice - with a large yoga hall, space for meditation indoors and out, comfortable accommodation, extraordinary walking trails, and delicious vegetarian catering. The retreats are part of our culture of voluntarily sharing skills. We have between five and seven qualified instructors, including published authors and instructors with international experience. We mix up a combination of meditation, pranayama (yogic breathing), philosophy, outdoor exploration, yoga asana in many different styles, and space for you to get to know yourself and other yoga brothers around you. Winter 2015 Our winter retreat will be 14 - 16 August 2015. We will again offer the option of coming 24 hours early to get started with your meditation and...

Our first class of the new year is this Sunday, 4 January 2015 @ 10.00 until noon, at our regular venue in the heart of Cape Town. For further information contact us on capemensyoga AT gmail.com Each year people make new year's resolutions. I find them to be important opportunities to focus myself on what matters and to build that into my schedule, my plans and my consciousness. Sometimes those small and incremental changes in our habits and practices bring about lifelong transformations. Today I had some errands to run. I stopped off at a local deli where they have excellent sour dough bread with rye. I saw a little car park with a white haired lady driving. Something familiar resonated and I recognised it was my very first teacher who introduced me to the mind / body relationship. She taught Alexander technique from her home in Claremont. That practice of mindfulness of body and being present unleashed a great energy and awakening in me, which eventually flourish...

Dear Yogi brothers, As a reminder, classes will be running every Sunday 10h00 until noon right through until the new year at our city centre venue in Cape Town. Duncan and Craig will take turns with the teaching. You can reach Duncan by texting / whatsapp on 084 294 8309 We teach various styles of yoga (hatha, vinyasa, ashtanga and sometimes yin yoga). Classes are designed for a range of experience from total beginners to advanced practitioners. It is a voluntary payment with our focus on building a community of practice. We include meditation and breath work in most classes. As a reminder, our Summer Encounters yoga and meditation retreat is coming up 29 January to 01 February 2015. Deposits are due now. For further information you are welcome to email us on capemensyoga AT gmail.com

You may have heard about us. We are a quiet phenomenon in Cape Town. It is the place where Cape Town guys meet on a Sunday to find their mojo and their inspiration, explore the mind-body connection, and build a community of healthy practice.  All ages, all body types, many faiths and traditions, many journeys and a shared path.  We combine yoga asana, pranayama breathing and meditation to help you find your levels of fitness, well-being, restorative efforts and your path in life. Beginners are welcome. Classes are free - donations welcome to cover the venue. Bring a sweat towel and a yoga mat.  SUNDAY 05 OCTOBER 2014 10h00 until noon - naked, honest, challenging, uplifting If you have medical conditions or injuries please consult a competent medical practitioner. Practice is at your own risk and we aim for an injury free practice.  We start at 10am on the dot and the door is locked, so please be on time. For more info email us on capemensyoga AT gmail.com ...