7 Ways to Get Your Boyfriend To Do Yoga
July 4, 2016
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The internet is ablaze with photos of yoga power-couples. Gazing at them exploring wild acro yoga poses, meditating side-by-side, and practicing yoga together, I find myself thinking, “why can’t my relationship look like that too?” I am not alone in this desire — for every girl whose man (willingly) practices yoga with her, there is an envious girl who craves that unity too.
How do we entice our partners to practice alongside us? Getting my particular boyfriend to do yoga is a constant battle but one that I’m slowly winning at. Here I share 6 approaches that have inspired my fella’ to do yoga, without needing to physically force him onto the mat.
1)Show him a male yoga teacher
Image credit: Flickr
There are many amazing and inspirational male yoga teachers out there. Beyond the forefathers, like B.K.S. Iyengar, there are contemporary figures such as the radical Michael McCarthy or Todd Tesen. In my yoga teacher training, I had a friend whose trick was to show her husband a Bryan Kest yoga video. The key wasn’t just that he was a male yoga teacher, it was also his style of teaching. Men often have a different teaching style than women, and though each is amazing in its own way, some men simply relate better to a male teacher.
2)Power Yoga
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Some guys are all about muscle and sweat, clued into a “no pain, no gain” mentality. They don’t want to do yoga; they want to “feel the burn.” Well they’re about to learn just how much burn yoga can provide when they join you in a Power Yoga class. After I teach a Hatha or power class, I’m delighted by the frequency with which men come up and say, “Wow, you kicked my ass. I had no idea yoga could be that hard.” And those guys usually come back for more.
3)Pranayama
Image credit: Pixabay
Breathing techniques are a great way to get a guy to start to open his mind to the more subtle aspects of yoga. Guys get stressed out, as we all do, and sometimes even more so than their female counterparts. Take the opportunity to share a simple breathing technique with your boyfriend; when there comes a moment that he is stressed or overwhelmed he’ll have the opportunity to benefit from the calming and clearing effects of yoga. This will help him to see things more openly and gain a little bit of insight into your love of yoga.
An example pranayama: Inhale and slowly count to five, exhale and slowly count to six, inhale and slowly count to six, exhale and slowly count to seven. Repeat.
4)Simple Yoga Poses
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Guys complain a lot, there are even studies that conclude that guys actually complain more than women do (or at least on Twitter). Seriously though, if your guy works hard all day — either in the office or doing labor — he is bound to have lower back pain, muscle cramps, and shoulder aches. After a long day of pain in the body, he may be hesitant to want to use that body even more. Instead of nagging him with the taunt that a yoga class would actually help, simply show him how to do a pose like Downward Facing Dog or even legs up the wall. When you’re alone in your living room, comfortable to experiment, let him feel the effects of the pose and notice how it helps to ease his pain. You can even go as far as giving him an adjustment; a little hip-pull in Down-dog is always appreciated and no one says no to a mini-massage.
5)Aerial Silks
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If you’re an aerial yogi with a set of silks at your house, go ahead and show your beau how pleasantly intense a workout they offer. A lot of men like to train, particularly to build muscle definition in arms and abs, and there are few approaches more effective at this than aerial silks. Simply let them hang upside down, lock the feet in place, cross the arms over the chest and crunch, crunch, crunch away. Even better, show them how to do leg lifts. As an aerialist, you can probably do more of these than he can — sometimes a little competitive spirit is just what it takes for him to get on those silks trying to show you up.
6)Thai massage
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Thai massage, also known as The Lazy Man’s Yoga, is a highly pleasant, relaxing, pain-relieving experience. This hip-and-mind-opening experience may entice him to further explore the world of yoga. If this has you dreaming of becoming a certified Thai massage practitioner, you can start with a simple 16-hour training session, or talk to your local Thai practitioner about a private session so you can learn the basics and simple techniques to do at home.
7) Private Vacations
Image credit: 3 Hearts Wellness and Retreats
Do you and your boyfriend like to travel? Another great way to get your dude into some yoga is to immerse him in a private yoga retreat. As a customizable experience, you get to tailor your trip to your likes... and his too! You can practice yoga all day while he does it just once or twice, to his liking. The rest of your time together can be spent basking on the beach, hiking, surfing, eating delicious food, relaxing in the hammock, or whatever else you can dream of. Personalized private retreats are the perfect way to get your boyfriend interested in yoga, as well as a way to spend time together basking in the warm sun and playing in the salt water.
Of course, I can’t guarantee that any of these tips will have your boyfriend man-bunned and doing yoga every day, or even every month. But it’s worth a shot to plant the seed of yoga in their mind and show them at least a few ways in which the endless benefits of yoga can help in their everyday lives. Good luck girls!
Thanks for reading this post. Looking for a yoga retreat for couples? Check he largest offering of yoga-focused travel and training courses available on the web at BokYogaRetreats.com!