Where the Boys Are

Men making their way to the mat

By Lisa Moore
Photography by Meredith Jones

Men may run most of our government and dominate sports, but women rule the yoga mat. Even though more yoga studios are popping up, an estimated 75 percent of the yoga practitioners in America are female. Originally studied and taught primarily by men since its beginnings in India thousands of years ago, yoga has never caught on for men in the west.

Could it be the thought of entering a blissful room of spandex-clad women with pink toe nail polish and limber bodies is keeping the Y chromosome on yoga’s sidelines? We spoke with five local yogis about their personal yoga experiences and learned the physical, emotional and social realities that discourage men from hanging out in down dog.

No Pain, Lots of Gain

Doug Cosby, an avid rock climber and owner of Inner Peaks Climbing Center, had been encouraged for years to try yoga by his wife, Page. But it wasn’t until he suffered severe back pain from a bulging disc that he took her advice and began to bring his body back into balance.

“After two years of regular practice, I was completely functional again. I can climb and mountain bike and I am nearly pain free. I continue to improve,” said Cosby, who was so sold on yoga’s benefits that he and Page opened Inner Peace Yoga earlier this year.

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