"Inappropriate Yoga Guy"

Yoga classes should be a safe place for the study of yoga. And if you make friends in there, or find a soul mate, great. But the idea of touting yoga classes as " a place to meet guys" (or girls) is a bit off the point and will make most students and teachers uncomfortable. Not to mention that it is entirely against the yoga teacher's code of ethics listed through yoga alliance, to date or advocate the dating a student.

Well, I made no mention of teachers dating students either way, and I don't think it's a huge deal to suggest to some folks that yoga class is a good place to meet people. A good male friend of mine told me to try some classes as a place to meet men of a certain age (they are the minority though); I've told another male friend of mine to go to yoga so he might find a wife. I just think it should not be a huge taboo. We're adults, we are allowed to make connections with people, just don't be a cheesy jerk about it.

I also think it might be fun if organizations hosted yoga singles nights, where you expressly went to a class for the purposes of meeting people. It could be set up in such a manner that people would be guided to be respectful with one another. That could be a wonderful thing and totally appropriate for the yoga community if done consciously.

Yoga singles nights would be a fun thing to host and would be a great community building event. Perhaps it's something you should look into coordinating?

I agree with a singles night - a lot of businesses do this and everyone who goes understands the intensions of others there. One of my gripes about going to the gym was getting hit on. I was there to workout, not look for a date. On the other hand, I know it's difficult to meet people. There is no harm in meeting someone at a yoga class or the gym, but men (or women) should not go to a yoga class solely with the purpose of meeting someone (unless it's a singles night).

I like the idea of a yoga singles night also (for my single friends who do yoga, since I'm married). Like Candice, I'm not comfortable with the idea of men hitting on women while they're doing their poses, or men going to yoga classes as a way to meet women, but I feel that meeting someone in a class is probably more healthy than meeting them at a bar. If I were single and met a nice guy at a yoga class, I'd probably be safe in assuming that he's health-conscious, spiritual, and in touch with his feminine side, which are all very good things in my book. :)

From a guy: Hi my name is Mark and I have no ideal how I found this site.

If someone does meet someone in a Yoga class that's great, but better if they are just in there not looking and something magical happens. Of course from the guys point of view, I enjoy all the lagre numbers of women in my class.... LOL... Don't hit me.

Most of my students are women, I do have a few men in my classes. We all have the same outlook, we're here to to learn. And your right, if I was looking for someone, it wouldn't be at a bar. I would prefer a nice lady that takes care of herself mind, body & spirit in a Yoga class.

I am not the best at Yoga yet, I'm still learning, and guess I'll continual to learn till the day I take my last breath. I have practiced Yoga for a little over four years and have been teaching one year. I'll be over the halfway point to becoming a RYT in Feb 2008.

As I said, I have no ideal how I found this site and may never find my way back. If you would like to give any words of wisdom, I'm at yardman96@hotmail.com LOL let me know your from here somehow..... I'm much older than most on here I'm sure, but young at heart.

Have a wonderful day, Mark

PS...... I'm looking for a name for my new Yoga Studio. Any ideals are welcome

Well, I can't say much about meeting singles, as I'm rapidly approaching 14 years of marriage. But as a guy considering taking yoga, I would actually be more likely to keep things "professional". We have many women who train with us in BJJ and the close contact would be uncomfortable if I thought about them as other than training partners.

When you begin to mix things up, it can be distracting to you and your training, and disruptive to others as well. Of course, you never know who you're going to click with, but I'd suggest that if the guy is there to meet women, that's probably all he's there for. That's my two cents.

There's not a single woman I know who wouldn't be able to point out a "serious" yoga guy from the guy that's just there to check out women. I'm sorry , but with such compromising poses as even downward dog, with our butts pushed up into the air, we want to feel safe and not gawked at by any male presence in the room. If he's looking at his ankles in DD then we're okay.

And too, I often ask my students to partner up. I want to know my ladies feel (relatively) comfortable with their partners. Personal space is a touchy issue. If you lined everyone up and did an experiment, walk up to them and see how close you can get without them subconsciously backing up. Everyone is different. Add an inappropriate person and it's even worse.

As a female teacher with male students, I am just as conscious of them as I would hope they are of others.