Unless you have been living under a rock for the last decade, you know that yoga is now more popular than ever. In fact, there is likely a YogaSix, CorePower Yoga, Real Hot Yoga or a YogaFit near you. There is definitely a Lululemon store near you! While Lululemon is mostly thought of as a woman’s brand, the CEO is a male and has stated numerous times that he wants to grow the brand for men. Note that almost all new and testing products for Lululemon are made for women. The latest new product is Lululemon shoes and they were only available for women when they were released in the spring of 2022. Back to the Compass Yoga Pose. So, is there any way males or a guy can do this pose?
The biggest struggle guys have with compass pose is lack of flexibility in their hips, hamstrings and groins/glutes. There are likely back and shoulder flexibility issues for many as well. When you add all this up, guys usually can’t even put their hand on the ground between their legs, no less lift their leg behind their head. We will explain the compass yoga pose for the right leg.
Sit with the legs crossed in front of you. Make sure to have a straight back and shoulders that are rolled back. If you have shoulders that are rolled forward or you are slouching in your seated position, there is no way you are going to be able to complete compass pose.
With legs crossed and the chest high and broad, pick up the right leg and fit the right foot into the crook or cranny the left arm makes with the elbow. See if you can get the outside of your right foot into the crack your left elbow makes. Some instructors call this “rocking the baby”. It is a good idea to go ahead and feel the hip tightness in this position. If you are struggling to keep your right hip on the ground while “rocking the baby” it is best to continue to work on this stretch and come back to compass pose when you can keep your right hip grounded and have plenty of space to move the right leg while rocking.
If you feel a lot of flexibility and space with your right leg and right hip you can now put your right hand through your legs and flat under the right knee. This can be extremely difficult if you have tight shoulders or a tight back. You might want to try several months or working on Warrior 1, Warrior 2 and reverse warrior. There are dozens of yoga poses to help open up the chest and the shoulders. If putting your hands and arms straight above your head is a challenge, compass is not for you. For now.
If you are flexible and your right hand is flat on the ground, you can start to create your compass. Use the left arm that was rocking the baby to lift up the right leg with the left had. Place the right leg behind your head and relax. This is an extremely advanced move so do not try it if you feel tight in any part of your body. Once you have your right foot behind your head you can then move your leg back and forth and act like a compass. Once again, this is not a move for anyone that is tight. It is likely the case that less than 2% of all men can do compass pose for a variety of reasons.
Obviously, women are much more flexible than men and especially so in their hips and back. If you go to any yoga class you will likely see women that are capable of doing inversions, twists and Birds of Paradise. These bounded yoga moves are for the more advanced. Guys tend to have much tighter backs and arms because they lifted weights their entire lives. If you are a guy that started lifting weights at 15 or 16 and you didn’t spend hours a week stretching (especially your upper body), you are going to find that the advanced yoga poses are extremely difficult. Keep in mind that it takes a lot of time and practice to increase flexibility and skills in yoga poses.
Something that is extremely important is to breathe properly through every step of compass pose. If you are not relaxed with your breathing, you are going to have your muscles tighten up. Most yoga instructors will encourage you to breathe into the locations that are tight. If that is your hips, take several months to really work on “rocking the baby” and getting your hips more flexible.
Another great hip exercise for guys is to sit flat on your mat, point one leg out straight at a 30 degree angle. Tuck the opposite foot flat onto the inside of the opposing quad. In this position, use a strap to put around the foot of the straight leg. Get a hamstring stretch in. Then, move the bent leg to a more open angle meaning your foot will be closer to the knee of the straight leg versus your crotch. Once this leg is further from the body, bend the straight leg and put that foot on the opposing knee. You should have legs stacked on top of each other. If the hip from the leg that is on top is off the ground, you have a lot of work to do on your hips. To complete compass pose you will need to be able to keep your hips on the ground when doing this exercise. Do this exercise for both legs several times a week and your hips will start to loosen up. You can “rock the baby” in this pose as well.
If you are thinking about joining a yoga studio as a male and you are considering what clothes to buy we strong suggest the Pace Breaker Lined Short 7″. As you can probably guess, as a guy you should always be buying lined shorts for yoga class. Liner Less Pace Breaker shorts definitely feel great, but they are not the best for yoga as you will be in some very “open” positions when it comes to your legs and lower body. Our favorite colours are Blue Breeze, Arctic Green, Heather Allover Sea Salt Light Cast, Highlight Yellow and Paint Glide Multi (for some fun).