Breathe in slowly and hold it… Now exhale. Let your body begin to relax, and follow what I do.
Namaste. Although yoga is not practiced competitively, it is an increasingly popular training option due to not only its athletic boost, but also its health benefits without exerting oneself to extreme bodybuilding activities, ingesting the latest revolutionary pill, or assuming a dramatic dietary change.
However, because of fictional media creating false stereotypes, those who have never been truly exposed to it become disillusioned by the spandex-clad, lime water drinking, Louis Vuitton carrying mothers doing yoga on the big screen. Junior cross country runner, Anika Jensen said, “I thought it was just like expensive stretching, but [after I started it] I realized it is so much more than that.”
This prevalent façade undermines the true actions of yoga, and its actuality is further masked by celebrities such as Adam Levine, who said, “Let’s face it, I only practice yoga, because the classes are always packed with beautiful women.”
Delving deeper than this superficial “reason” for practicing yoga, pragmatically, its health benefits and athletic capacity enhancements overwhelm the momentary eye-candy. During physical activities, it helps athletes “stay focused and calm and lowers blood pressure,” said senior water polo player Kaitlin Leimbach.
These yoga techniques are applicable on field, in water, and even on other animals. Junior equestrian Taylor Golding said, “Yoga is all about using your core and inner balance, and so is horseback riding… I know it may not look like it, but in equestrian, you use a lot of core.”
It is also a wonderful way “to lean out [one’s] body” as professional tennis player Serena Williams said, but with such physical effects, the masculinity of this activity seems to be questioned by the public.
A lean body is generally viewed as a feminine characteristic, so this affects the reactions of those who hear of yogis (males who do yoga). However, the all-star PVHS boys’ soccer team practices yoga weekly, and senior soccer player Christopher Rieger said, “It has helped us learn to find a calm place in our minds so that we can put all our effort into the game/situation without losing our concentration.”
Yet even with the team’s successful record, their gender causes a double-take when informing others of this training. Rieger observed, “Whenever I tell people we do yoga, they think of guys wearing tights instead of guys stretching and working hard.”
Not alone in detecting this gender-prejudice, junior choreo member Sophia Yeh said, “I do believe yoga instructors are easier on the men, because they believe men are not as flexible as women.”
Impressive pictures of advanced yoga practitioners in excruciating poses do scream flexibility, but strength is also needed to attain mastery of this physical form. Jensen recalled, “The first time I did it, I could not do half the moves for the amount of time we were supposed to.”
However, “boy or girl, yoga is great for everyone,” said Leimbach, “I did not realize how much it can help with fitness and keeping you in the zone for sports.”