In France, the practice of yoga is now massive, with several million regular followers. But among the practitioners, and even if they are more and more numerous to frequent the studios, even assiduous, the men yogis remain in a largely minority proportion compared to the women, according to the large survey carried out in 2021 by the National Union of teachers. of yoga (SNPY). It is that yoga, as plural as it is, because it promotes flexibility, breathing, self-care as well as tonicity or balance, is often considered (and wrongly) as an activity physical reserved for women while it is beneficial and accessible to all bodies, including men. And it is the yogis themselves who talk about it best. Three of them bear witness to this Freed.
Thomas, 35, architect in events in Pantin (Seine-Saint-Denis)
“It has become a necessity”
“I remember attending classes through a friend when I was a design school student. In times of stress, I tend to be breathless and yoga has allowed me to relax. I got into it little by little. Five years ago, because of back problems and because I needed a physical activity that allowed me to work in consciousness, I took up iyengar. It is a current in which we go into the detail of the postures. But I hurt myself, and I only came back to it during confinement. From now on, I have a regular practice, about three times a week in the studio. I noticed that yoga had a huge influence on my daily life: on the management of my stress and my emotions. The practice has calmed me a lot, with mental benefits that go beyond the simple desire to work on the body. It has become a necessity and I regret that it is an activity that is not practiced more by men. In the collective imagination, yoga remains reserved for women, but it may only be a matter of time.
Richard, 28, actor in Limoges
“A way to maintain tone for the stage”
“I discovered yoga as part of my acting training between 2014 and 2017. It was a compulsory three-hour class, I went into it not expecting much and all that involves physical work quickly amazed me. Our teacher mixed several types of yoga to adapt it to our needs: postural, exercises related to the profession and yin yoga (slower and meditative, editor’s note) at the end of the session. Then I stopped because I didn’t have too much time to practice but six months ago I got back into it via an American platform, Inner Dimension TV, and even if, at first, I was quite cautious because it is very bling bling, it makes me feel good. I especially try to arrange my practice with other activities such as indoor sports or swimming. I am very flexible so I have an ability to overcome the difficulty of the positions to concentrate on letting go. Besides, I realized that yoga was a bubble that I had missed. It’s also a way to maintain the tone for the stage.”
Yury, 48, artist and professional coach in Paris
“A tool to combat stress”
“In 1998, I came from Vladivostok to New York to finish my studies. In Russia, I had never had the opportunity to practice, but I was already interested in yoga. I turned to the jivamukti yoga center, a complete method developed in the United States in the 80s. It was the factory, I was stressed because I did not know how to dress, but finally I found it very sweet. At the end of the hour and a half of initiation, I came out transformed. Thereafter, I went there two or three times a week. It kept me in physical and mental shape and I’ve been practicing for twenty-five years now. In Paris, in the early 2000s, the offer was not comparable to what we have today. I was forced to develop my personal practice and it became a tool to combat the stresses of life. It also allows me to reconnect with myself. And if it is women who carry the torch, there is no contraindication to the practice for men. On the contrary, yoga is for everyone with breathing practices or athletic practices comparable to CrossFit.