When I do yoga I hear what I want to hear, and when I hear the Sanskrit for legs up the wall I hear Rita Kirani – and quite frankly I think that she is a b*%@h! Now the actual sanskrit for legs up the wall is Vaparita Karani, however, I believe that the first part of the word is often drowned out by my audible groans.
I am not the only man who I see having difficulty with this pose. It sounds like it should be simple; lift your legs up perpendicular from the ground. Legs up the wall is considered a mild inversion with a myriad of health benefits and is also a stepping stone to shoulder stand (which conversely I have no difficulty doing). For the most part in class, you will do legs up the wall WITHOUT THE BENEFIT OF AN ACTUAL WALL! This guy doesn’t play that way anymore. My legs will not straighten and I can not achieve an angle of greater than 45 degrees without the aid of the wall. What was once an embarrassment for me, is now a matter of me owning up to my body and realizing that there are certain things that it just cannot do anymore.
Legs up the wall…note the modifications.
So why is it that me and many other people (mostly men) struggle with certain poses? Well it comes down simply to one thing: strength to flexibility ratio. Men are typically stronger than women, however women tend to be more flexible. This does not mean that a man who is good at yoga is not strong, it is simply a matter of his muscles have adapted to use the strength differently to become more flexible. That being said, there are typically 3 areas that make yoga difficult, especially for men.
- Hamstrings – Hamstrings are why I cannot lift my legs higher than 45 degrees while in a legs up the wall pose. They are also the reason I, and many others have difficulty doing anything involving touching your toes whether standing or seated. Hamstrings can also affect the rest of your body by pulling on your hips and lower back. This can wreak havoc on alignment and cause difficulty in maintaining poses causing fatigue easier and sore muscles. For a male, tight hamstrings can lead to a unfulfilling and frustrating practice.
- Hips – Hips are secondary to the hamstrings and can cause those alignment issues. Tight hips and hamstrings can make simple poses such as sitting a chore. Sitting cross-legged can prove to be a huge challenge as it involves both hamstrings and hips.
- Biceps – For the most part, women don’t need to worry about biceps like men do, and for those that do I suggest not challenging them to an arm wrestling match. Large biceps make it difficult for men to extend their arms fully. In yoga, large biceps do not necessarily mean a strong practice. I have learned the hard way, that a standard “boy” push-up as my wife calls it, is no match for a properly executed chaturanga push up. Once again, there are poses that rely not only on arm strength, but full extension. As with the hamstrings and hips, this can lead to muscle exhaustion during practice, most notably in the shoulders, as men will try to over compensate (not with a sports car or motorcycle) with the strength in their arms, only to cause shoulder soreness and stiffness.
For those men who may not have tried yoga, or even those who are experienced like me, do not despair. One of the keys to a successful practice is truly knowing yourself, your capabilities, and your boundaries. There is absolutely nothing at all wrong with modifying your practice to fit you to the best of your abilities. Also, don’t be discouraged when you see a fellow female classmate of yours get up in to a handstand after practicing for only two weeks, when you can’t even sit cross-legged after 7 years. Leave the ego out of the yoga or relish in the fact that there may be that one pose that nobody does better than you.
The Reluctant Yogi 