When: Feb 26, h 13:15 – 14:15
Where: Blue Cow
Yoga, Moorgate, EC2R
How much: £ 18
for 45-60m class
The Broga
Code
I have been quite
curious for a while about this Broga thing. Especially since that day I happened
to walk by a studio room where a Broga class was held: the overly keen ‘inhale,
exhale’ that could clearly be heard from outside did raise some attention.
So, what is
Broga? Yoga for men (bros or even dudes, if you rather). Well, not only - I
hope.
So here I am
today in this City yoga & pilates studio located in a basement in Moorgate
for my first lunchtime Broga class. The class schedule is predominantly filled
with flow classes. And given the location, Broga definitely seems to fit in.
This time, I have done a bit of research beforehand. Matt Miller, the (big) guy
behing Broga in the UK, has a very interesting bio: a former American football
player (Miller the Pillar was his battlefield nickname), body builder, sports
training and physiology graduate, fitness instructor and, dulcis in
fundo, yoga teacher. Matt makes no mystery of his yoga muse, Rachel Okimo –
one of the most creative teachers on the London scene – who is also his business
partner.
I can see the
idea behind this – nowadays, yoga seems to be predominantly a women affair. Too
often I hear from men that they are not flexible enough and hence yoga is not
for them. Left aside that the point is not to be able to cross your leg behind
your head or touch your toes with your fingers in Pashimottanasana, this seems
to be enough to prevent most men I know from stepping on the mat (not to mention
the spiritual side of the practice, that equally scares them). Broga tries to
demistify this adapting traditional asanas and sequences to those who may be
strong and fit, but struggle with agility and flexibility.
It is only five
of us today, great size for a class – and despite guys being the majority, I am
not the only girl! Matt starts by introducing today’s theme – legs (at which
point, I confess, I have swallowed). What follows is a strong, slow flow class,
with a remarkable focus on alignment and the best anatomy cues I have come
across in a long time. While weak on philosophy (pourquoi?), I have found the
class pretty well rounded and varied – offering options and raising awareness on
common ego-driven mistakes. As we roll the mats at the end of the class after a
savasana-meets-yoga-nidra, I ask my neighbour if he enjoyed that. ‘Very much!
This is no-nonsense yoga’. I am not too sure about that. I can see though why
Broga can be an attractive yogic entry point for the so-to-speak ‘male
athlete’.
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