Today, after a long time, I went to yoga.
My body is stiff, lacking in arm strength, and there are many poses I can't do, but I love flow yoga and power yoga.
However, due to my recovery, today I attended a beginner yoga class.
At my yoga studio, about 40% of the members are men. That's the impression I get, but today, older men in their sixties stood out. Many of them seemed to have some kind of pain and didn't move much. With the instructor being understanding, it was a perfect time for me, relaxed and just right for me, ;)
This gender ratio, I wonder what it's like in the country where everyone lives.
It's because, the last time, when I was having dinner with friends in Tokyo and the conversation turned to yoga, A male friend said, "I can't go to yoga anymore," which surprised me.
Apparently, when he participated in a yoga class, he received complaints from middle-aged and elderly women doing yoga in the front row, saying, "I feel uncomfortable being watched. It's hard to do it when I feel like I'm being stared at."
He's not that kind of person at all, and being told that, he felt like he would never do yoga again. It's a shame.
It might be a very rare story, but I wonder.
In America, at least at the studio I go to, there are no people who complain about being "watched."
On the contrary, I heard rumors that there were some people who complained about men who came in overly exposed outfits and boldly posed in the front row, saying, "I don't want to see that body." LOL
By the way, about this yoga, I like the teachings of classical yoga philosophy.
Of course, I haven't read the original books, I only have knowledge from simplified books.
What feels very comfortable when reading is that it's connected to the laws of the universe and mindfulness.
Poses that make the body happy. Relaxed breathing and meditation at the end. A time to be aware of the present moment and feel the richness of the mind.
Returning to being a happy being.
That is also the teaching of the laws of the universe.
To realize that you are already happy, there must be something to let go of.
When you are conscious of yoga philosophy, relationships with people, parent-child relationships, partnerships, they all naturally improve.
By the way, my senior husband is much more enthusiastic about yoga than I am, and this month he's attending a 30-day Mysore class of Ashtanga yoga. From 6:30 in the morning.
I do respect him for that :)