I read somewhere recently that yoga (or at least some type of yoga) was originally designed for male bodies. Is this true?
I’ve been practising more and more seriously this past year, and I have noticed that my body has become increasingly “masculin” in that my upper body has really bulked up.
Is there any way to vary the series to lessen the constant strength building in the upper body (particularly the upper arms) and distribute the strengthening to other parts of the body?
The most popular contemporary styles of yoga asanas are created by men it is true. However the ancient tradition of yoga is not merely asanas. A great yogini today Nischala Devi said “What is practiced today is very popular but it is not yoga”. For both of us what is yoga is the comprehensive yoga taught by Patanjali. It would be called yoga of sattva (harmony) that which is in alignment with your nature. As a woman the effort should be milder than a man. The practices should be acording to your Ayurvedic constitution, body size, age, dharma - lifes work, and spiritual path. Many factors are there to truly have a personal practice. That is optimal rather than following the moods of our rajasic (hyperactive) culture.
upper body is overemphasized in some of the asana yogas like power and asthanga. seek a program that is more balanced in its treatment of the entire woman's body. seek and you will find.
Yoga is feminine to me. It is an internal path to knowing yourself. Historically all the impactful teachers were women, Parvati and her incarnations. Among the most impactful women teachers is Indra Devi called the first lady of yoga. She was the woman who Krishnamacharya trained and taught until her recent death at nearly 103. She was one of my teachers. Every woman should read her most recent book Yoga For You and others. namaste mukunda