- How can you define what it is to be a man in today’s wild world?
- How can you stay true to your yogic path with life tempting you in so many distracting ways?
- How can you define yourself in such a way that reflects the deeper parts of your being?
These are questions that I ask myself often and have been exploring in many ways for the last 20 years. Although in the ‘Big Picture’ our ‘human-ness’ needs no definitions and often creates false identities, we are still living and functioning in a world that operates with labels and a brain that needs direction to support an honest path of self-realization.
Yoga and men
Yoga is so much more than just stretching hamstrings and being a mature and ‘good’ man is much more than is presented in modern media and stereotypes. Yoga is a deep personal path that requires commitment and a willingness to grow in order to re-establish a connection to the higher self.
Being a man of integrity who is trustworthy, powerful and loving also requires the same commitment and willingness as well as guidance and support.
Many of today’s political and social challenges can be linked to immature masculine actions and qualities. When we apply a conscious effort to ‘grow up,’ to take responsibility for our actions and to support others we can make a positive change in the world. And we need great leaders and guides to make the journey an effective one.
The immature and mature man
Jung talks about 5 archetypes of man being in their immature or mature states. The steps to evolve from ‘boyhood’ into ‘manhood’ require effort, rites of passage, guidance and personal will. The same is true to “advancing” in our yoga. Whether it is on the mat to deepen the experience of our poses or off the mat to develop emotionally and spiritually we need these stepping stones to grow up.
Inspired by Jung’s archetypes of man, I have designed a series where we look at 5 archetypes of man, exploring the positive and negative (mature and immature) qualities of the King, Warrior, Joker, Magician and Lover.
Through developing important qualities and ‘ways of being,’ on and off the yoga mat, I hope to support men in bringing clear results when engaging with others at work, in relationships, in families and just about everywhere.
What to expect?
We will explore and discover positive and negative qualities (also known as Mature / Immature) of five Archetypes of Man and put them into practice in short Yoga sequences where the poses reflect the qualities we wish to create.
- The power and humble pride of the King.
- The strength and focus of the Warrior.
- The playfulness and entertaining essence of the Joker.
- The mystery and surprise of the Magician.
- The compassion and sensitivity of the Lover.
Through developing important qualities and ‘ways of being,’ on and off the yoga mat, I hope to support men in bringing clear results when engaging with others at work, in relationships, in families and just about everywhere.
This ten week series of Yoga classes, philosophy and integrated action is my approach to living in the world and how I find ways to ‘define’ myself as a man.
I offer this as a personal challenge and an invitation to take body, mind and spirit to new depths of awareness. It is there where we can truly step into our greatness and embody the mature masculine.
Delve deeper…
For further insight into these archetypes, read:
- The King – properties of the King in his immaturity and maturity reflect similar properties in the everyday man.
- The Warrior – protector, disciplinarian and decision maker…
- The Joker – playful, humorous but also insightful and honest…
- The Lover – emotional, sensual and romantic …
- The Magician – intuitive, knowledgable, mysterious…
