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Think of yoga and it’s either a wizened Indian yogi or a buffed female celebrity. Western men don’t seem to get a look in. But Adam Shostak, 63, a yoga devotee for about 20 years and a teacher for nine, is a stark example of why this perception can - and should – be changed.
"One morning I woke up and I couldn’t move," Mr Shostak said of the day his body sent him a harsh message as to the toll many years of playing AFL football had taken on him physically. The most serious effect was a prolapsed disc in the fifth lumbar of his back.
"I was about 43 when it immobilised me. After trying the usual gambit of chiropractors, physios and acupuncture, nothing worked for me until I tried stretching and I knew then that was for me," he said.
Alan started out on a regime of classical Indian poses that were readjusted to suit his needs.
"I could only do really gentle stretches for about 12 months until I could do more weight-bearing ones," he said.
"Because my muscles had tightened up so considerably and the pain from my back was going all down my legs, everything had to be done really slowly until the muscles started giving. Once I started seeing a slight improvement, that inspired me to work harder."
Alan now stretches for two hours a day. And the results? "From 100 per cent pain, I’m now down to five or 10 per cent," he said. "It’s pretty incredible. I can sleep at night.
"When I felt the sciatica pain, it was really doom and gloom for me, the pain just didn’t go away. Acupuncture helped but only temporarily. With stretching, it wasn’t overnight but over a certain time … stretching was the ultimate, incredible fix-all."
He has since taught that system of adapted classical Indian poses at both the Caulfield School of Yoga in Melbourne and the Mullumbimby School of Yoga in coastal New South Wales.
"I said to myself if this can help me, get me back on my feet again, I promised myself I would teach it so, about nine years ago, I did," he said.
Alan said yoga tended to be a female-dominated industry in Australia. His daytime classes would have a 70-30 per cent mix of women to men, while his evening classes were more evenly split. Part of discrepancy he attributes to men traditionally preferring exercise regimes such as running or weights training.
"With stretching, not many men like it because it’s a painful process and they don’t like that. They’re more into regimes that shorten their muscles," he said.
He said men might also be wary of yoga because of its religious associations – a feeling he once shared.
"Over the years, yoga has changed so much and there are about 1000 different forms of it in India, so it doesn’t have to be religious at all."
Alan said while the benefits of yoga were universal, there were particular benefits for men. He said those suffering from prostate problems could have stretches designed to exercise related muscles, while yoga could also help keep blood vessels open, maintain good circulation and ensure a healthy respiratory system.
Alan said while it would be preferable to take up yoga when young to create a routine for life, age was no barrier.
He said he had been approached by a champion golfer aged 68 who, because of adrenal failure, was unable even to grip a golf club.
After living in Melbourne for the past seven years, Alan, who now teaches privately, will be returning to Mullumbimby later this year.
He has produced five videos for those wishing to undertake yoga in their own homes, including one for seniors.
Contact: Adam Shostak Ph: (03) 9592 4592
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