Enhancing men’s mental health through yoga practice
True strength lies in vulnerability, and yoga is a powerful key to unlocking it. Amid the growing conversation around men’s mental health, societal expectations often overshadow the struggles many face with stress, anxiety and trauma. Yoga practice is a powerful tool for wellbeing, offering men a non-judgmental space to reconnect with their inner selves and manage their emotional challenges.
At Yoga For Good, we recognise the transformative power of yoga in addressing various challenges, from physical health concerns to mental wellness. While its benefits extend to everyone, we want to focus specifically on men’s mental health, as stigma still surrounds this topic. To gain insights into how yoga can benefit men’s mental health, we spoke with two of our previous grant recipients who are actively working in this area.
The role of yoga in reducing stress and anxiety
Yoga integrates physical movement, breathwork and mindfulness techniques, which together promote relaxation and mental clarity. This holistic approach can help alleviate stress and anxiety. Societal pressures often hinder men from seeking traditional mental health support, creating barriers to accessing psychologists and other professionals. In this context, yoga offers a non-confrontational way to address these challenges.
Men frequently face mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and stress, which can be intensified by the expectation to appear strong and stoic. Trauma-informed yoga and yoga therapy provide a supportive environment for men to explore their feelings without judgment.
Through mindfulness and body awareness practices, men can learn to regulate their emotions more effectively. This approach not only helps alleviate symptoms but also fosters open communication about mental health, paving the way for healing and personal growth.
Insights from Amy Brooks on building resilience through trauma-informed yoga
Amy Brooks is a mental health clinician and trauma-informed yoga teacher with extensive experience in using yoga to manage mental health. Her journey began in domestic violence services, where she realised the need to support not only survivors but also perpetrators, many of whom were men dealing with unresolved trauma.
“In the Shoalhaven region where I live and work, mental health issues are rapidly outpacing available services, leading to long waitlists for support. Since I was already running a trauma-informed program for women survivors, it made sense to offer a similar program for men, focusing on resilience and emotional regulation.”
Amy finds that chronic stress is the most common mental health challenge among men, often stemming from trauma related to abuse or neglect. This is frequently accompanied by substance misuse as a maladaptive coping strategy. Societal attitudes promoting the notion of “man up” are unhelpful and can further hinder the natural healing process.
Yoga, especially when guided by a trauma-trained facilitator, allows these men to practice mindfulness and interoception in a nonjudgmental space. By offering choices in movement and limiting hands-on adjustments, Amy creates an environment where men feel safe exploring their emotions.
“The most important element of an effective practice is the relationship between the facilitator and the participant, rather than specific poses. While many men recognise the mental health benefits of yoga, they often hesitate to enter a yoga studio. By breaking down stereotypes and being mindful of the gendered narratives we present, facilitators can encourage more men to participate. Gyms excel at offering gender-neutral classes, but these are not always trauma-informed for mental health and wellbeing.
My advice is to try different classes or teachers until you find one that suits you. Trauma-informed yoga classes are a great starting point, as they focus on minimising triggers and are usually beginner-friendly.”
Insights from Kitty Reddington on making yoga accessible for all people, including men
Kitty Reddington is a yoga therapist working with individuals seeking mental health support, including men of all ages. She strives to make yoga accessible and non-intimidating, recognising that many men are seeking alternatives to traditional mental health care. In her experience, yoga can be an effective entry point for those who may feel uneasy about seeing a psychologist.
One misconception she encounters is that men often view yoga as purely a physical practice and are sometimes surprised by the emphasis on talking and mental exploration involved. However, Kitty’s work focuses on integrating breathwork, mindfulness and movement in a holistic way. She finds that starting with breath retraining helps her clients, many of whom experience shallow chest breathing due to anxiety.
“I found that many of the men I worked with, perhaps more so than the women, would sit in front of me and seek a quick solution. They wanted to know, ‘What’s the answer?’ However, there isn’t a simple cure that someone else can provide. Yoga therapy, like all therapy, is about the journey of the client and practitioner working together to discover what will help the individual the most.”
Kitty also emphasises the importance of empowering her clients to take ownership of their practice. This approach fosters long-term commitment and success as men begin to integrate yoga into their daily lives, whether through physical postures or mindful breathing.
“A significant part of my work, whether with men or women, involves empowering people to see that they already have the solutions within themselves. I’m not there to provide answers.”
The most dedicated male clients who incorporate yoga into their daily routines experience marked improvements in their mental health, including decreased frustration and enhanced calmness. Kitty has observed that these positive transformations often resonate beyond the mat, with family members and partners also noting the changes in their behaviour and emotional wellness.
Breaking men’s yoga misconceptions
Yoga is often perceived as an exercise requiring excessive flexibility, strength and coordination, which can be a significant deterrent for men. Both Amy and Kitty have encountered this resistance in their practice and emphasise that yoga is much more than just physical movements. They focus on educating clients that yoga is more about mental flexibility and highlight that modifications make it accessible to everyone.
Trauma-sensitive yoga sessions are inclusive, removing the pressures of ‘performing’ and focusing on mindfulness, breathing and emotional regulation. While everyone can benefit from these practices, men should especially feel at peace and welcome in these settings.
As men grow more comfortable with their practice, they often discover that yoga contributes to achieving overall life balance. Whether it’s reducing stress, managing anxiety, or simply finding a moment of calm amid a busy schedule, yoga provides men with the resources to enhance their quality of life.
Connect with your true self through the transformative power of yoga
No one should ever feel alone or overwhelmed. While mental health issues pose significant challenges in society, they can be addressed with the right tools and mindset. We deeply appreciate our YFG grantees for their tireless efforts in the men’s mental health space, knowing they are transforming lives and families for the better.
Join our next free community class to take a positive step on your mental health journey. These sessions provide a great opportunity to connect with your true self on a regular basis.
Explore our Yoga for Good Foundation articles for additional insights on trauma-informed yoga and yoga for mental health, as well as numerous other valuable lessons.
Community yoga classes
We are passionate about sharing the joy of practising yoga and offering you an opportunity to connect with your true self on a regular basis.
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Free
3rd February 2025 - 12:00 to 1:00pm Sydney Time (9am WA time)
Nicky Smith – Dynamic Relaxation Yoga Community Class
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Meeting ID: 834 8185 1566
Passcode: 326861
Join Nicky to experience the Dru Yoga difference, finding the stillness within. Dru Yoga is a fresh approach to nurture your entire being, balance the nervous system and leave you feeling deeply connected and calm.
Stay cool and calm this Summer with Energy Block Release 7 or Dynamic Relaxation. This sequence is perfect for those hot days when you want to practice some slow yoga. Dynamic Relaxation is well suited for those with a busy mind and who have trouble settling into the stillness of relaxation. The focus is on the coordination of breath and movement in slow, subtle mindfulness, leaving you refreshed.
Nicky is a Dru Yoga Teacher, Dru Meditation Teacher, Dru Breath Coach and Mental Health Aware Yoga Teacher. Her business is True Equanimity Yoga, and her practice focuses on mental health and wellbeing or “innercise”. Nicky lives in Dalyellup, Western Australia and loves to spend her time walking in nature and fostering rescue kittens.
Free
13th March 2025 - 11:30am to 12:30nn
Melina Murphy – Loving Kindness Restorative Yoga Community Class
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Meeting ID: 838 7373 9503
Passcode: 767969
This loving-kindness yoga class is an extended version of Melina’s insight timer class, held weekly at 7 a.m. at the weekend and sponsored by YFG. The asana sequences are based on traditional yoga and guide our awareness to be super kind and loving to ourselves as we move through this restorative yoga practice.
We fall into Self-love as we move and stretch to open the body, mind and spirit to flow and dive into the deep well of happiness within.
Melina presented at our Annual Retreat 2024, where her joy brought us joy and laughter. She is a healer with thirty years of experience helping people create joyful wellbeing through counselling, herbal medicine, nutrition and yoga.
Melina fell in love with yoga as a teenager, and her passion is going strong. She has been teaching yoga since 2005 and has taught at festivals, in halls and rooms, at her local gym, online, and in her Natural Health Clinic on Djangadi Country.
Testimonials
Our sole mission is to create opportunities to do good for others through yoga.
And we’re making an impact.
A huge thank you to the Yoga For Good Foundation...
…for their incredible contribution to our Life Now Yoga and meditation programs!
This generous donation will mean we can buy new yoga equipment, run a new yoga class in Broome, and enhance our meditation program for cancer patients and their primary carers.
Cancer Council Western AustraliaSending out gratitude to the Yoga for Good Foundation.
Their grant is enabling me to offer FREE trauma informed therapeutic movement and relaxation to frontline mental health and social services staff in Bega.
Participants are really valuing the time out for themselves and experiencing integrated poly vagal theory. And I get to be in a teaching space, yay!
PremKranti CounsellingThe generous grant we've been awarded from the Yoga For Good Foundation...
…allows us to reach more underserved and vulnerable community groups who can benefit from a trauma-informed yoga and embodied mindfulness practice at zero cost to the participants.
Some of the community groups we’ll be serving in the current months include 000 Foundation, Men’s Walk and Talk and WAGEC.
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