Did you know that BROGA is a thing?! Like a real-live-Googleable-copy-written thing?!

I just learned about it.

Broga is yoga designed by “bros” for “bros”. This concept is where they lost me. You see, centuries ago, yoga was created by men…for men. Skinny little men in caves invented crazy pranayam and asanas that they passed on to their fellow “bros” with, I imagine, a fist bump or two. And possibly a hallucinogenic leaf.

Saying “broga” is like people saying “PIN Number”. Broga is redundant.

I understand that the creators are trying to capture the male market in yoga and I do think it would be great if more men participated. But there are a million reasons that men do not do yoga. There are a million reasons women do not do yoga. Something about the practice of yoga is uncomfortable or unappealing to either sex and that is completely fine. Marketing a more masculine yoga is sexist and insulting to the amazing men who practice.

Broga is harmful to the industry they are trying to create by fabricating a right and wrong yoga for men to practice. It implies that real, testosterone filled, red meat eating, football watching “bros” practice Broga, leaving ‘normal’ yoga to the women, hipsters, and gays. 

When a practice is passed on through men for centuries but cannot translate to the men of today, the solution is not as superficial as chaturanga push-ups. (Bro-ups?) We need to look into our expectations of ‘masculine’ or our history of segregated recreational sports.

I know many incredible and talented men who were able to merge into and benefit the yoga community. They can handle getting into the messy, unknown aspects of yoga as well as the physical parts. That’s a true yogi. They do not hide in military push-ups intermixed with light hamstring stretches. Real yogis get their hands dirty.

*I should note: Broga is open to practice with women. I imagine you will do a lot of assisted keg-stands, but if you want to bro-out, ladies, feel free.