Yoga is for everybody. And every body. Though the spiritual stretching practice started in India, when it came to the U.S. it became a niche and often narcissistic fitness trend among wealthy white women who could afford to navel-gaze for hours. Now, the focus is shifting, and yoga has become a form of attaining mind-body balance for all types of people.
If you’re still hesitant to try transforming yourself into an enlightened pretzel, take heart. Many famous men have trod this path before you and not only are they still alive, they’re better (and bendier) for it. We’ve researched these newly flexible souls and rounded up their thoughts on yoga to inspire you to get started.
Quarantine is the perfect time to embark on a yoga practice – because you’re home, you’re bummed, and what else are you going to do? (You can’t stress eat all day.) Yoga is excellent exercise that can be tailored to any fitness level, it’s free (there are tons of videos on YouTube), and all you need is a mat. Not only will your body feel amazing with a consistent yoga practice, your mind will be clearer and your emotions calmer, too.
So what are you waiting for? Without further ado, here are 10 famous dudes who do yoga.
Cover Photo: Kevin Mazur / Contributor (Getty Images)
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Yoga Men
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Adam Levine
The Maroon 5 frontman has been on a two-decade yoga journey. He’s referred to the practice as “therapy” and frequently posts pics of his poses on Instagram. Under one pic, the tattooed pop star wrote: “I won’t get too #Namaste on you. But I will say that I feel so fortunate to have found Yoga. The practice is so different deeply personal for any individual that Ive been somewhat hesitant to share what it is to me. However, this time around, I thought I’d offer it up to whoever is listening. It has had such a profoundly positive impact on my life over the years. I have never been pretzel-ish or particularly flexible. And my practice is riddled with mistakes and imperfections. Which is precisely what makes it so powerful. Striving to do better while simultaneously remaining satisfied with where I am. It’s much larger than I am. I just tag along for the ride. Pretty cool. So...thanks Yoga. You’re awesome.”
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Alec Baldwin
While Alec Baldwin has joked that he would rather sleep than do yoga, his wife Hilaria won’t let him take the easy way out. The Mrs. is a fitness enthusiast and even cajoled her actor husband into doing a prenatal yoga DVD with her.
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Jon Bon Jovi
This rocker found that the lower impact nature of yoga was just as effective in keeping him trim and healthy as more hard-core exercise. “I was doing Workout 101 for years: treadmill, elliptical, weights,” he once told Men’s Health. "Now I'm going to do yoga. I went for my first time, and I enjoyed it. I'm a 21st century man.”
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Colin Farrell
The Irishman was suspicious of yoga at first. “I remember thinking about six months into not drinking: ‘I bet you I'm going to start doing yoga at some stage. Next thing I'll be a vegan,’” he once said. The latter hasn’t turned out to be true (as far as we know), but he is definitely a yoga convert. “You spend so much time in your head in life. And what yoga does is, it asks you to allow your head to be quiet, to allow it to be still, just for an hour and a half,” he’s said.
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Matthew McConaughey
Matthew McConaughey thinks yoga is more than alright, alright, alright. He’s a true fan – mostly for the fitness benefits. “Yoga gives me a feeling of flexibility as well as strength – it adds to the feeling of well-being I get from running and doing crunches and push-ups,” he has said. “It’s also gives you great muscle tone that you don’t get from other kinds of exercise and where you feel like you’re floating in your own private space." His preferred form? Bikram (aka hot yoga), preferably practiced outdoors.
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Mike Daniels
No. 76 of the Cincinnati Bengals started doing yoga going into his fourth year in the NFL. “After the first session, I immediately saw results. When I finished, it was like a body-awakening experience. I hadn't felt that in tune to everything going on around me ... ever,” he told CNN. “I was excited in a way that I hadn't been in a while.”
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Robert Downey Jr.
The actor has relied on yoga for years to help him overcome drug addiction and stay clean. He even struck a pose on the cover of Men’s Fitness and talked about his power-flow yoga practice with LA’s Vinnie Marino.
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Russell Brand
The British comedian swears by Kundalini yoga, a form that involves repetitive poses, chanting, singing, and breathing exercises to move energy through the chakras. “Kundalini Yoga is the crack cocaine of yoga,” Brand has said. “If Hatha is a mild weed high, Iyengar is a deep hash glow, and Ashtanga is amphetamine, Kundalini blows the fucking doors off.” You can’t get much more of a glowing endorsement than that!
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Sting
The 69-year-old musician is a longtime practitioner of yoga, which he uses to relax while touring. “Yoga is almost like music in a way; there's no end to it,” he’s been known to say.
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Woody Harrelson
The Academy Award-winning actor has a few compelling reasons for his devotion to his yoga practice: “Yoga is the best thing for your sex life. It keeps you limber in all kinds of ways. It teaches you to love your body and your partner's body. But more than anything, it keeps your mind liquid, and nothing's sexier than that.”
