Taking it off

[Joel_f]

#2630

Hello,

I recently began taking bikram yoga, took my second class tonight actually, and I love it! My only issue is that I am not really comfortable taking my shirt off but I can’t stand how gross it feels about half way through due to sweat. I am a male, and only one of the five or six other males in my class removed his. This begs the question, does removing your shirt really make much difference? It seems to me that I am choosing between physical discomfort and personal discomfort. Any advice?

[Robert Scanlon (Webmaster)]

#10946

Hi Joel_f – and welcome to the forum!

Yes, it makes a huge difference to how easily your body will maintain core temperature, plus, as you say, you won’t have that feeling of something ‘sticking’ and restricting your movements.

I only even wore a t-shirt once (my first class many years ago!) after that – no way!

At a class on Sunday, there were 5 men (incl me), 2 with shirts off and 3 with them on. In my experience, you’ll find most men and usually all male regulars will not wear a t-shirt. It’s just too uncomfortable.

You didn’t state it, but just in case anyone else is reading this, no one ever really looks at others in the room, so any self-consciousness is only ‘your own stuff’!

Let us know how you get on!

Robert

[Joel_f]

#10947

Thank you for your prompt response. It may take me a class or two to actually build up
The courage, and would definitely need to not be the only one, at least at first, but I can see how it might make me much more comfortable, enough to off-set my self conscious opinion of my body. I think maybe if I stand closer to the other guys too, being surrounded by several young women in tonight’s class took that possibility right out of the equation. I will let you know how it goes, thanks again!

[Joel_f]

#10949

I took another class last night, and I just couldn’t do it! I was so close, but then the only other guy in there with his shirt off was obviously a regular and had one of those perfect bodies. All the other guys in the room kept theirs on. I almost took it off for the flow sequence, but chickened out. I think it’s funny how much harder this is than it needs to be. I think it’s just years and years of working out in gyms where this would never be allowed. Maybe someday soon I will get it off, but at least it was a good class. Only my third, but I am already noticing improvements in many if the poses!

[Joel_f]

#10957

I finally did it! It took me until the floor series, but I actually removed my top and it actually did nKe a difference, just not in the way I expected. As far as cooling off was concerned, that wasn’t too significant, but as far as movement and freedom was concerned, it was a whole new world. I definitely want to do it for the whole class, but it will still be tough to get past staring at myself in the mirror like that. I realize now that nobody else will care at all, but I also realize that I am my own worst critic when it comes to my body… Still, it is definitely a step in the right direction.

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#10958

Hello Joel

Thank you so much for posting. I had drafted a response the other day and decided not to post it. Then today you reflected some of the principles of my answer: You are experiencing what appears to be an increasing self-acceptance. First step seems to be that one realises that everyone else is not looking at others. Then one realises that it is becoming easier to ‘confront’ the person in the reflection! Everything is on target. I look forward to hearing more, if you’re willing to share.

It really seems that everything is on schedule! 😉

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[mzsocialworker1]

#10959

I’m not a man, but I have noticed that the regulars who wear something on top, either stick with a fitted tank or one of those tighter moisture wicking tops.

Cotton tshirts will stretch and get super heavy.

Welcome to the practice!

[Joel_f]

#10960

What an unexpected journey this has been. Today I went in convinced that I would remove my shirt as soon as I walked in the room. In fact, I wasn’t even going to wear my tank top in, just my white t shirt I wore there. Then I turned around and changed into the tank I usually wear because it looked like I was going to be the only shirtless guy. Before class began, a few more came in. I did keep mine on through standing head to knee, then removed it just before standing bow. It felt great, but it was difficult to look at myself in the mirror. Ironically, I think me taking my shirt off helped another guy decide to remove his halfway through. My goal is to have it off for the whole class next time, but I always seem to feel less confident when the time actually comes.

[Joel_f]

#10965

I guess I have fulfilled what I have read, even though I really didn’t believe I would. Last night I removed my shirt as soon as I can in the room. While that alone was a bit of a milestone for me, it also coincided with my first time doing class two nights in a row. Funny part was, I honestly didn’t think about what I looked like at all, it was just a functional decision to get me through what ended up being a very tough class. I almost feel like I was sweating much more than usual, but that is difficult to measure since I already sweat buckets! Anyway, thanks for having this forum and for all the words of encouragement and advice, this is a truly great resource!

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#10968

Thank you Joel
I love reading your updates!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[Jbigler]

#10982

Congratulations, Joel!
It’s great that you’ve built up your confidence and, apparently, your self-esteem.

I’ve practiced yoga of various styles for 12 years, nearly always with a tank top, primarily because a shirt is traditional in many yoga styles and a T-shirt allows no freedom of movement. With Jivamukti yoga, for example, the teachers touch the practitioners with “assists” to help them get into better alignment in postures, and shirts are required.

I often wondered whether the men without shirts (almost always younger than me) had an advantage with the heat of the Bikram practice, but I didn’t want to stare at my body in the mirror and kept the tank top. I inadvertently came to class one day without the tank top, and I went shirtless. No one seemed to mind or care or even notice, but I did not enjoy looking at my shirtless body in the mirror!

As you’ve suggested, there seems to be little advantage of a bare chest over a light-weight tight-fitting tank top of a wicking material, as far as the heat is concerned. I didn’t feel any cooler when I went without the tank top, and sweat ran into my eyes just as much. Here, most men go without a shirt, whether they have beautiful bodies or bodies less beautiful than mine. I believe that it’s just a matter of personal taste — I prefer the tank top and I plan to keep it.

If you feel more comfortable and enjoy the class more with a tank top, then wear it, in my opinion. And, if you like the feel of going shirtless and enjoy the class more that way, that’s great — it’ll save you on the laundry and may boost your self-esteem.

Cheers! John

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