Yoga For Athletes And Men: Notes And Articles From Flametree

Yoga for athletes: the short version

You can run for an hour but can’t touch your toes. That gap is exactly where yoga for athletes helps, and it is a common reason men try yoga. This page gathers everything Flametree has written for men and sporty people. Iyengar yoga is the style developed by Mr BKS Iyengar. In the 20th century he did more than anyone to set down traditional Indian yoga, through his books and his teaching, and he pioneered the use of props. It is sometimes called modern classical yoga, and it’s the style we teach at Flametree. Its precise, held poses build strength and range together.

Yoga for athletes in short form

Men and yoga: why stiff men often gain the most.
Strength: yoga is not just stretching.
Sport: range, balance and recovery.
Fitness: where yoga sits next to other training.
Classes: beginner classes, studio or LIVE online.
First class free: for newcomers, plus a half price pass.

This page is one of the topic hubs in Yoga Notes From Flametree.

Why do sporty people often find yoga hard?

Because sport builds strength in one pattern, over and over. Yoga asks for strength through the whole range of a joint, and that is new work.

Stuart grew up on cattle stations in North Queensland and the Northern Territory, a long way from any yoga mat. That is why our beginner classes start from the body you bring.

Stuart McGill in Headstand, Salamba Sirsasana, by the water at Palmerston

Headstand (Salamba Sirsasana): strength and balance upside down.

Does yoga build real strength?

Yes. Holding a standing pose or an arm balance works the muscles hard for many breaths. The muscle article explains how.

Stuart McGill with the yoga wall ropes at his hips, reaching his hands to a chair, Darwin

Wall ropes hold the hips so the spine can lengthen.

Start here: the main yoga for athletes and men articles

These are the owner pages. Each answers one main question in depth.

Yoga Notes for athletes and men

Yoga For Cyclists: What Stiff Riders Gain From An Iyengar Class

More notes are being added. You can also browse every Yoga Note in one list.

Classes for athletes and men

Beginner class options, in the studio or LIVE online.
The beginner timetable.

Try a class this week

Your first class is free if you’re new to Flametree. New students, and anyone who has been away three months or more, can also get a half price 10 class pass with 2 extra classes free, to use online, in the studio, or both.

See the half price pass

For the studio, check the beginner timetable and just come along. For a LIVE online class, go to our online class list, click the class time you want and we email you the link to join.

Questions about this athletes page

What will I find on the Flametree men and sport page?

You will find every Flametree article and Yoga Note on men and sport, grouped so you can start with the main articles and then read the shorter notes. Each link goes to one page that answers one question, so you are not reading the same thing twice.

Which Flametree article on men and sport should I read first?

Start with the article on male yoga classes, then the one on yoga for stiff guys. If strength is your question, read the muscle article.

Are Flametree’s men and sport notes only for people in Darwin?

No. They are written in Darwin, from our teaching at Woolner and Coolalinga, but the poses apply anywhere, and classes are also taught LIVE online, so you can join from anywhere in Australia.

How often are new men and sport notes added?

New Yoga Notes are published in batches of about twenty, and this page is updated each time a note on this topic goes live. Older Flametree blog articles stay linked here too.

Flametree Yoga Studio teaches Iyengar yoga in Darwin, at Woolner and Coolalinga, and LIVE online anywhere.

General information only, not medical advice. Talk to your yoga teacher, yoga therapist, and your doctor if you wish, before changing what you do.

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