Raise your hand if you’re the dude who walked into yoga class feeling like a minority amongst a room full of women. Now raise your hand if you didn’t mind being in aformentioned sea of Lululemon cladded yoga gals…thought so.
Whether a seasoned yogi or a newbie on the road to enlightenment, yoga is so, so very beneficial, even for guys. I personally think there aren’t enough yogi dudes out there. Whilst girls might fiddle with their ponytails, pick at a piece of lint and think about what to have for dinner all while in downward dog, guys can sometimes be more present during practice due to their ability (or handicap, according to most women) of being able to focus on one thing at a time.
As a certified yoga teacher, I can’t get my partner to cross the threshold of a studio. Although he is well aware of the benefits of yoga and enjoys the aftermath of all those chaturangas, the spiritual inclination and philosophical approach in a traditional class is somewhat intimidating. Even though men actually enjoy the stretching, toning and even mindful proponent; it can be hard to open your heart to the universe and simultaneously grab a beer and watch the footy with the boys, manhood intact. The truth is, yoga has been perceived by most men as a) predominantly feminine and b) not a real workout. This perception, however, is slowly shifting thanks to myriad of classes on offer, (of the non spiritual, more fast flowing kind), and some inspirational top-notch male instructors to boot (Our contributor, Kate Kendall debunks a few more yoga myths here).
Low and behold, the Amodrn team were all too happy to research and round up seven of the most influential yogi dudes on Instagram, not to mention, ahem, pretty easy on the eye (hey, we aim to please everyone). These guys are a handful of the male yogis out there who aside from being (way, way) easy on the eyes, may just spark an interest for the fellas to roll out the mat a little more often.
7 male yogis you need to know about
Jonah Kest
With both parents being very successful yogis in the business (His dad is Vinyasa pioneer Jonny Kest), you could say Jonah’s passion for yoga sprouted at an early age. Now, the L.A-based yogi teaches powerful flows and we can’t help but love the Californian beach vibes sprawled throughout his Instagram.
Follow @kestyoga
Patrick Beach
With piercing blue eyes, Jake Gyllenhaal-like features and his precious pooch, there’s little reason to not check out Patrick Beach on Instagram. Along with being able to nail some seriously cool poses, his little dog sometimes features in videos and we all know what happens when there’s a puppy involved – instant swoon.
Dylan Werner
Don’t let the colourful tattoos fool you, this traveling yogi is as bendy and gravity-defying as it gets. His impressive snaps show a well traveled and, ahem, well balanced yogi. Even if it’ll take another couple years before we reach that level of strength and flexibility…we seriously appreciate the #fitspo.
Follow @dylanwerneryoga
Stable mind. Stable body. #yoga Shorts by @aloyoga
A photo posted by Dylan Werner (@dylanwerneryoga) on
Señor Sean
Can we please take a moment to acknowledge the proper form and alignment of Señor Sean balancing it out on a Costa Rican beach, palm trees included? Although he may need little to no introduction, this Latin yogi gets ultra flexi and spiritual with his round the world snaps and videos. Muy caliente.
Follow @seanphelpslife
Duncan Peak
As one of Australia’s most influential and successful yoga entrepreneurs, Duncan Peak is the founder of Power Living Yoga studios. He travels the world, along with his S.B.O (significantly bendy other) @life_of_fee, and together they form what is perhaps considered the yoga couple of fairy tales. Queue romantic acro-yoga posture. Enough to say we get some serious inspo from the two, and might just try it out with our own S.L.B.Os (significantly less bendy other).
Follow @yogidunx
Mark Robberds
With over 19 year’s experience in Ashtanga yoga and Yogic philosophy, Mark Robberds has trained with yoga’s finest and traveled extensively to India and other parts of the world to fulfil his many passions in yoga, surfing and music. Who doesn’t love a little world-class spirituality? Nama’stay on his Insta page.
Follow @markrobberds
Jordan Thackray
Jordan Thackray is the owner of boutique studio Finding Lotus Yoga, which is in the heart of sydney’s Surry Hills. He has a fun and lighthearted approach to his practice, which we all but love in his candid snaps filled with humour and a “life’s too short let’s enjoy it” aura. That cute smile doesn’t hurt, either.
Follow @findinglotusyoga
