It started with the competition, “Share the Shine,” to recruit the most people to Zuda in 30 days and win a year of free yoga. By all projections, I had it in the bag. Surely my circle of workout buddies, co-workers, and friends would be game to help me win. 

Take Matt for example. He is a gym friend and running partner. Without hesitation, he’ll rise before dawn and scramble the mountain trials near Auburn. But when I asked him to join me at Zuda for a yoga class, you’d think I’d asked him to shop for drapery fabric on Super Bowl Sunday.

“Not gonna happen,” Matt said. “No way, no how.” To which I responded incredulously, “You’re kidding?”

“Nope,” he affirmed with no uncertainty, “get your boyfriend, cuz I ain’t going.”

Truth is, Jennifer’s husband won’t go either. And while he will do yoga with her in the privacy of their home, he will not join her at Zuda. When they practice at home, he loves it, swears that it is a great workout and helps relieve his back pain. But he’s afraid to do it in public because, “it’s too feminine.”

Apparently, this is not a local phenomenon. A recent Yoga Journal market study cited that 77 percent of yoga practitioners in America are female, suggesting that social, physical, and emotional realities discourage men from practicing.

I’d by lying if I said that I wasn’t discouraged by Matt’s rejection, which left me even more determined to recruit others with the Y-chromosome.

If men (and they sure seem to) like to see fit women clad in minimal, tight-fitting clothing, this would be the place. This place, it turns out, is part of the problem. According to many of my male friends, they are afraid of embarrassing themselves in such a setting; being out-done by their female counterparts; and heaven forbid, wearing the wrong outfit.

Quite honestly, I have those fears, but it doesn’t keep me from going. Matt says that for him, it’s not about fear, but priority. He only has so many hours in a week to achieve his fitness goals, which include strength and cardiovascular training, and “yoga would be an extracurricular activity that holds no interest.”

It was easy to get Deanna to Zuda; who, by the way, is also trying to coax Matt. She wants to share the benefits that she gets from class. “Every time I go to Zuda,” she said, “I am welcomed. I am constantly challenged, and I am completely at peace when I leave.”

Perhaps the overwhelming difference between Zuda and your basic gym, is a strong sense of community, and the integration of body, mind, and spirit that is achieved through regular practice. Indeed, Zuda is as much a power yoga studio as it is a spiritual center.

The spiritual aspect of yoga is what makes Zuda special for Bradley.

“Like most westernized men, I got to Zuda by way of a woman (my wife),” Bradley admitted, “but once I discovered the benefits, I stayed. Initially I went because I wanted to support my wife. I also respect her opinion, and she thought it would be good for me.”

Bradley has added yoga to his weekly gym routine. At Zuda he has learned how to breathe and relax, and become aware of his entire body, both physically and mentally.

“I have gained flexibility, core strength, and experience less pain. The small constant adjustments that I make in every pose, enable me to be more comfortable in my body. This helps in all aspects of my life.”

From pecs to Tree Pose, gym to Zuda, Bradley’s regular routine of weight training and yoga help him live more comfortably in his body and all aspects of his life.

Bradley believes that men hesitate toward yoga because they associate it with a feminine art, one in which they have little experience and competence, nor interest. They liken it to “jazzercise and won’t have anything to do with it. “Yoga is just not manly,” he stated.

Truth is, I won’t have anything to do with jazzercise either. I have nearly as much testosterone as many of my male friends and I have no interest in fabric stores. I’ve tried to like yoga at many times in my life because I thought it would be good for me, but I’d usually drop out after the second session from boredom.

Then I stumbled into Zuda, and, it’s manly enough for me. Co-owners Anne Marie Kramer and Bill Prysock believe that the proof is in the practice, and offer new-comers all the yoga classes they can take in 10 days for just 10 bucks. With nearly 40 classes per week, you’ll get your money’s worth. Given his gender and experience, I figured that Bill might have some insights as to why more men don’t do yoga.

“The most frequent reason I hear from guys,” Bill said, “is, ‘I’m not flexible enough’. The media, even the yoga press often depicts yoga as a practice for beautiful Gumby-type women and lean fit male models, when the reality is that almost anyone can do yoga.”

Bill has practiced yoga for seven years, initially using it as a way to cross-train while doing a lot of athletic activities that pounded his body, such as running, mountain biking, and weight training. “Power Vinyasa yoga was a way to get a great workout and allow my body to heal and recover. It didn’t take long to discover that there was so much more going on than just a great workout.”

The life lessons of yoga changed Bill’s life. “Not only did my body open up, but also my mind and heart began opening. You see, before yoga I felt little compassion for people. I was quick to anger, very rigid, rarely content, and unsatisfied in my career.

“Now, through practicing and studying yoga, I am able to truly connect with others in a way that was not available before. I take better care of myself and sleep so much better. I am less fearful of change and know I can create my own future. I can honestly say that I am happy in every aspect of my life!”

Don’t we all want that? Happiness.

A full-time yoga teacher at Zuda, Bill is also a physician. “If I were to prescribe a regimen for great health, I would prescribe plenty of rest; healthful eating; daily exercise consisting of cardiovascular work, strength and flexibility training; and studying the art of happiness.”

Men. Women. Zuda yoga is the perfect remedy.

Author, Joy MacPherson, SMUD Wellness Program Director
and Zuda zealot, loves the expansiveness yoga gives her.