Manly Yoga in Somerville

Editor's note, March 30, 2012: Broga was previously offering a promotion of free classes to Somerville Patch readers. It is no longer offering that promotion. This article has been edited to reflect that change.

Yoga: It's not just for women
Adam O'Neill, who co-founded broga—a name he admits is a little "silly"—is the first to tell you that yoga in the United States is mostly a feminine pursuit. "It was marketed toward women and designed for women," he said. 

He points to the huge yoga industry that targets women with magazine covers and merchandise, and notes that the type of yoga practiced in this country is, physically speaking, difficult for men. "Flexibility is not a natural strength of men."

He and Robert Sidoti, the creator, instructor and other co-founder of broga, are out to convince men that yoga can also be masculine.

Yoga for construction workers, plumbers and electricians
O'Neill, who played lots of sports as a teenager, began practicing yoga when, at the age of 25, he suffered from six months of debilitating sciatica pain. For him, yoga helped alleviate the pain. "The benefits of yoga are not sexist," he said. "Originally yoga was designed by men, for men, if you go back far enough … it's important for men to know that."

Today, many of O'Neill and Sidoti's students are men with physically strenuous jobs, such as contractors and builders.

It's a good workout
Though the broga program, or "brogram," is designed with men in mind, "it has a yoga heart. It's founded in yogic principle," O'Neill explained. That said, the program features moves that focus more on using body weight (think pushups) and improving cardiovascular health than on flexibility. O'Neill described it as a "really great, solid, fun, challenging fitness program."

Women are welcome

Although broga is designed for men, women are also welcome, and they may end up enjoying a form of yoga that offers something different from the norm.

Learn more
Visit www.brogayoga.com to learn more. People can sign up online, or they can just show up on Saturday mornings.