Most men, especially those who grunt and heave weights in a gym, think yoga is for women, old people and, well . . . sissies.

But Patrick Creelman has a challenge for you iron-pumping dudes: Try these yoga poses and then decide who's the sissy.

The former Vancouver resident, who used to be an adrenaline junkie who did sports like rock climbing and downhill skiing at Whistler, picked up yoga as a teenager.

In high school Creelman was first introduced to Yoga by his uncle who passed him a set of beautiful lecture tapes by Ram Dass. This was his first conscious step towards his spiritual path. After years of ski racing and rock climbing, Patrick took his first Hatha Yoga class in the Sivananda Tradition at Simon Fraser University in the spring of 1996 and was struck by the calm, yet powerful effect it had on his hectic college life. After an 8-week intensive, it became clear that the blending of spirituality and physical experience of Hatha Yoga was a path that had a deeper message than anything he had done before.

Once he realised that it served both his physical and spiritual needs, he stuck with it.
Patrick went on to explore different disciplines of Hatha Yoga, Martial Arts and Pilates until he found himself in a Hot Yoga class made famous by Bikram Choudhury. In 1999, he began a daily practice of Hatha Yoga. In 2000 Patrick completed the 9-week intensive Bikram Yoga Teacher Training, fell in love with the vast community of yogi's in Los Angeles and began to study more seriously. Patrick studied Vinyasa Yoga with Baron Baptiste at his Level I and Level II teacher trainings, which gave him powerful insights to the path of a teacher and truly changed how he approached himself on and off the mat.

Over the course of the next two years, Patrick was educated by many Master Yoga teachers that included Patricia Walden from the Iyengar Tradition; Dharmanidhi from the Tantric College of America; Dr. Mark Halpern from the California College of Ayerveda; Judith Lasater; Frank Boccio. The program was held at the spiritual community of Mt. Madonna, which was an education in mindfulness in itself. During that time Patrick was deeply touched and affected by Baba Hari Dass, a great Bhakti Yogi, and the winds of Hanuman that blow through Mt. Madonna every day.

It was during his studies at Mt. Madonna that Patrick met John Friend and was introduced to the heart-opening and therapeutic powers of the Anusara Yoga Method.

Now based in Hong Kong as fitness chain Pure Yoga's founding teacher, he cracks a wry smile when asked to demonstrate some tough poses to convince jocks that yoga is not for wimps.

Then he does a short warm-up routine, cracks his knuckles and contorts himself into some impossible poses. Okay, point taken.

He says these arm-balancing/strength poses require you to open your hips, your inner thighs (groin) and your shoulders. They can be great whole-body workouts when 'performed with steadiness and softness'.

By this, he means keeping the mind and body stable and supple as opposed to the total rigidity that most resistance exercises demand.

These poses require much more strength than the usual yoga poses, which are more about balance. Mastering them would give you a well-rounded workout that focuses on strength, flexibility and balance.

But don't give up hope, guys. Creelman, who declines to give his age, says it took him about three years to perfect these tougher poses. And he was doing them almost every day.
If you're inspired, here's a tip from the master: "Find an inspiring and qualified teacher to learn the fundamentals from. From there, anything is possible."

 

Pic: VISVAMITRASANA ('FLYING WARRIOR' POSE)
Creelman's tip: Place one hand firmly on the floor. Move your hips behind you as much as possible in order to get your legs straight. To keep your balance, flex your whole body with your heart as a focal point while extending your legs as straight as possible. Open your elbows wide in the full expression of the pose and soften your facial muscles as you take deep breaths.

Pic 2:EKA PADA KOUNDINYASANA II (EXTENDED LEG ARM BALANCE)
Creelman's tip: Place your hands on the floor and flex your feet, spreading your toes wide. Lift one leg up behind you, extending the other to the side. Keep your face soft (don't grimace) and allow your chest to pull towards the ground as you breathe deeply.