For many people both in India and the West yoga is more than a way to stay in shape, it is a way of life. Of course, this is the traditional purpose of yoga which actually encompasses much more than just the physical poses that are so common in the West. However, even if you are only doing Western fitness-based yoga, will you find that after some time yoga begins to define a part of who you are. There are many different variations of yoga available in the West including “flowing” yoga, a yoga and Pilates mix, and even “hot” yoga, yoga done in a hot room so that you sweat out toxins while you exercise. Yoga is a very individualized way to exercise; you only do the poses to the level at which you are comfortable. That also means that classes should be a very comfortable place where you feel safe enough push yourself to your limits, but not beyond. Because of this, many yoga classes have been created to put people together from the same community such as prenatal yoga, yoga for women, or gay yoga.

From the moment that you walk into a yoga class, you should feel comfortable. Instead of worrying what the other students or the instructor are thinking about you and your fitness level, you should be clearing your mind in preparation for the task ahead. The atmosphere of the studio is important for this.

A good instructor will have a tone that is both encouraging and soothing. This means that you should push yourself has hard as your body lets you, but not feel tension if you can’t immediately accomplish full-blown poses. Being surrounded by people who are at your same physical level also helps to make you feel comfortable.

The flow of a general yoga class is also designed to challenge you without stressing your mind or your body. Generally the class starts out with some easier warm up exercises.

You might even do some refreshing breathing exercises to cleanse your system before you start moving. Then, once you have eased into the class, you will start to do more and more difficult poses. Y

If you are doing a Pilates combination class, you will do those exercises toward the tail end of the classes when you are fully warm and ready to push yourself up to the next level.

Then, by the end of the class you should really be pushing yourself to take it to the next level. Finally there will be a period of cool down and relaxation that includes more breathing and relaxation exercises. By the end of a yoga class you should have an energetic body but a relaxed mind.

Since the whole point of yoga is to calm your mind and reduce stress through physical work, the entire yoga experience should be comfortable for you. This is why the atmosphere of the class is almost just as important as the exercises themselves. If you don’t feel safe enough to try new things you won’t get the full benefit of the yoga experience. Therefore, the rise of specialized yoga classes, such as gay yoga, should not be surprising.

Information about gay yoga by Howie Holben. He and Spirit Journeys have put together a gay yoga retreat trip and they also have gay naked yoga retreats for men.