Guys Talking Yoga: Recent Episodes
Derek Vanderwarker
Subscribe for quick interviews with men on their paths to better living through the practice of yoga and the advice for guys who haven’t started yet.
Back from a couple months off with a quick update on the summer season with guest host Larry Milburn, former host of Roadie Free Radio and the online site, Yoga for Dudes.
Derek and Larry share their initial thoughts from the Kripalu Yoga Center in Western Massachusetts where they just completed the Way of the Empowered Man led by frequent guest, Johnny Gillespie.
The guys talk about the intense core work of the weekend, the heat, the surprisingly high turnout from guys who are totally new to yoga that joined the retreat, and offer a quick preview for the fall.
Also, Derek is handing the mic to Larry as guest host for the summer as he takes paternity leave with his newborn daughter and wife.
So stay tuned right for Larry’s summer interviews with some great Connecticut-based guys with more stories and offerings, and future new content and programming GTY is developing for the fall.
Be sure to check out our fully redesigned website at https://www.gtypodcast.com/ for more episodes, resources and links to get your practice started.
Other resources mentioned this episode:
The Way of the Empowered Man retreat https://kripalu.org/presenters-programs/way-empowered-man
Why Yoga Retreats Matter & The Way of the Empowered Man Yoga with Johnny Gillespie https://open.spotify.com/episode/4i6nuKnLoN9EUWscfv4rNX
Larry’s website, Yoga for Dudes https://www.yogafordudes.com/
Ever wondered what it would be like to roll out a yoga mat on your lunch break and check in with your body? Today’s show was recorded at Triangle Manufacturing, a company that encourages just that.
My friend and former guest Larry Milburn was brought in to start a yoga program at this medical device manufacturing firm, and today he introduces us to two company leaders who made it happen: CEO Dax Strohmeyer and VP of Finance Jeff Simon.
In a way, Triangle is the perfect case study for yoga in the workplace because their team includes both people who are on their feet all day doing physical work, as well as people who work mostly seated at desks.
As you’ll learn in this episode, both types of employees crave movement. And both have experienced profound benefits from these twice-weekly sessions with Larry. Triangle’s yoga program contributes to a “culture of wellness,” and it’s a model other companies would be wise to consider.
The guys also talk about:
- How and why the company brought in Larry to teach yoga
- What yoga has done for workplace camaraderie
- Dax’s experience with yoga as a former professional football player
- Jeff’s experience as a newcomer to yoga
- How yoga and mindfulness make Dax a better leader
Links:
- Triangle Manufacturing: https://www.trianglemfg.com/
- Larry’s episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5MwCEEmXeWFMjEb5R35boY
- The Kula Collective, where Larry teaches: https://www.thekulacollective.org/
- Dax’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dax-strohmeyer-6a5b171b5/
- Jeff’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-simon-b077b350
- All Guys Talking Yoga episodes: https://gtypodcast.com/
Casey McBride is a longtime yoga practitioner and teacher who specializes in working with men and young male athletes.
She joins us to talk about how she found her way to that niche; common themes she sees among yoga-curious men; using props; and how yoga helps her athletes gain strength and avoid (and recover from) injuries.
Casey also talks about:
- The “underground revolution” of young athletes using yoga to gain strength and mobility
- Her advice for guys just starting out with yoga
- Why your ego is the enemy of a great yoga practice
- Why physical therapy alone often doesn’t do the job
- The meaning of her mantra “do just enough” and how that mindset helps her students stay healthy
Links:
- Casey’s Instagram
- Kaia Yoga (Casey teaches at New Canaan and Darien)
Today we have a 3-man episode, with two friends of the show joining me to go beyond downward dog and dive into the more philosophical and contemplative side of yoga.
The subject is dharma: what it means to us, why it’s so important, and how to pursue it alongside other guys who share similar values.
Put simply, dharma is about maintaining a practice or a program that grounds you in the present and keeps you focused on what’s actually important to you. And in my experience, yoga is an extremely powerful tool do just that.
Richard and Johnny also talk about:
- What brought them to yoga and mindfulness
- “Dharma bombs”: sudden moments of awareness
- Bringing yourself back to the moment when you’re lost in thought
- Kinship and camaraderie among guys pursuing similar spiritual paths
Links:
- Episode 19 with Johnny Gillespie
- Episode 38 with Richard Driscoll
- Empowered Wellness Studio, Johnny’s yoga studio
Ever wondered why I’m so motivated to spread the good word about the benefits of yoga to guys everywhere? This episode lays it all out.
That’s because today the mic is turned on me, as I’m interviewed by my good friend Larry Milburn, on his excellent podcast Roadie Free Radio.
I share how it all started with an injury to a muscle I barely knew existed, which led to a lot of physical and mental pain. That’s when things got interesting…
I also talk about:
- The injury that led me down a path of loss and growth
- Making the decision to take responsibility for my own recovery
- My early experiences with Bikram yoga
- How injuries from decades ago come back to haunt us guys
- Getting started with Iyengar yoga
- Training with Alison West at Yoga Union
- My advice for getting started with yoga
- The mat and props I recommend
Links:
- Jade Yoga mat
- Yoga Union
- Man Flow Yoga
- Yoga with Adriene
- Dark Star - Live at the Fillmore by Grateful Dead
- One Simple Thing: A New Look at the Science of Yoga and How It Can Transform Your Life by Eddie Stern
- Roadie Free Radio, which is currently on pause – but I encourage you to check out Larry’s previous episodes, which feature stories from the people working behind the scenes in the film and music industries.
Ed Harrold is a health and performance coach, yoga teacher, and the author of Life with Breath.
In this episode, he shares how he came to yoga and breathwork as a stressed-out, “broken” middle-aged guy battling physical and psychological demons; how those practices have completely transformed his health and fitness; and how you can start down the same path today.
Ed also talks about:
- The science of breath and the dangers of shallow breathing
- The anatomy of the the psoas, diaphragm, lungs, and ribcage
- Where to start if you want to change the way you breathe
- How he gained flexibility strictly through breathing exercises
- Managing your energy throughout the day through mindful breathing
Connect with Ed:
- Website: www.edharrold.com
- Ed’s book, Life with Breath: IQ + EQ = New You
- Ed’s Breath AS Medicine Trainings (Use code “Stream” for 20% OFF): https://www.edharrold.com/breath-medicine-elearning-trainings
- A Year Of Breathing (Same promo code): https://edharrold.inspire360.com/edharrold/a-year-of-breathing
- The Breath Source App:https://thebreathsource.app/
- Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/ed_harrold/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edharrold/
- LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/edharroldgobegreat/
- Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmYrluRdfY_Tw52C9MqlQxA
We’ve heard from a lot of guys about how yoga has helped ease their back pain, work through stress, or improve their relationships.
Today’s episode has those elements, but it’s also something else entirely: the story of Darnell “Moe” Washington, a former gang member who found yoga while serving a sentence of 35 years to life in prison.
It’s the third and final episode in our Prison Yoga Project series, and it’s one of the most powerful conversations we’ve had on the show.
You’ll learn how Moe connected with former GTY guest James Fox while at San Quentin; the mental and physical capabilities he developed through his practice; and how yoga and mindfulness helped him gain his freedom and prepare for the rest of his life.
Links:
- Prison Yoga Project
- Donate to the Prison Yoga Project
- Listen to Part 1 of our Prison Yoga Series with James Fox here Bill Brown here
Bill Brown was 41 years old when he took his first yoga class, and the experience moved him to tears.
You’ll hear why in this conversation, as well as how Bill wound up directing an organization that brings yoga to thousands of incarcerated men and women around the world.
This is the second of three conversations in our Prison Yoga Project series; Bill expands on the group’s work (discussed last episode with founder James Fox) as well as his own compelling personal story.
Bill also talks about:
- How yoga can help people with trauma and dissociation
- Gaining trust when facilitating yoga classes in prisons and jails
- How stress builds in the body over time and how yoga can help guys work through that
- How yoga helped Bill deal with anger in a much healthier way
- Using the force of the ground in your yoga practice
- How Prison Yoga Project has scaled and has even begun working with corrections officers and other staff
Links:
- Prison Yoga Project
- Support PYP’s work with a donation here
James Fox is the Founding Director of Prison Yoga Project, which he started in San Quentin and grew to 17 states and beyond.
In part one of a three-part series on prison yoga, James tells Derek about the program's origins (he started in a single juvenile detention center); the unique challenges and opportunities involved; and the story of a participant whose rehabilitation and parole was inextricably linked with the yoga practice he learned while behind bars.
James also talks about:
- How yoga helped him get over back pain from running
- How Prison Yoga Project scaled through word of mouth, teacher training, and their book
- How men and women in prison tend to react to first trying yoga
- The trauma-informed approach they've developed
- The role yoga played in a parole hearing for a participant serving a life sentence
Links:
Prison Yoga Project is doing their annual fundraising drive. You can donate to the program directly here: https://prisonyoga.kindful.com
We'll be back with two more episodes focusing on yoga in prisons in the coming weeks.
Friend of the show Johnny Gillespie joins Derek to talk about the men's yoga retreat he's hosting in February, called "The Way of the Empowered Man."
Johnny is a certified meditation and yoga teacher and the founder of Empowered Wellness Studio. He's also run about 30 retreats in his career.
Johnny and Derek talk about:
- The value of retreats and why there aren't many yoga retreats for men
- The activities and schedule at a yoga retreat
- How yoga can complement weightlifting and other fitness regimens rather than replacing them
- The concept of the "Empowered Man"
- The Kripalu Yoga Center in Western Massachusetts, where Johnny's retreat will be held
Sign up for The Way of the Empowered Man Yoga Retreat here: https://kripalu.org/presenters-programs/way-empowered-man
Learn more about Johnny's studio, Empowered Wellness, here: https://www.empoweredwellnessstudio.com or on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/empoweredwellnessstudio
Johny's previous appearances on Guys Talking Yoga:
- Discovering Yoga with Johnny Gillespie and Neil Taylor
- Awareness, Healing and Figuring Life Out Through the Whole-Body Experience
In 2017 Derek sought out Alison West, one of the most recognized and respected yoga instructors in the industry, for his 200-hour teaching certification and his first step out of the pain, tension, and overall chronic imbalances that dogged him for over five years.
It was Alison who helped introduce Derek to the infinite potential that yoga offers for developing agency and awareness in navigating the deep challenges with our twisted, asymmetrical, and complex bodies and tapping into the mind-body connection.
Alison West, Ph.D, E-RYT, C-IAYT is director of Yoga Union and the Yoga Union Backcare & Scoliosis Center, and has been teaching yoga for over thirty years. Prior to opening Yoga Union in 1996 she studied at the Sivananda center and at Jivamukti in New York, as well with Eddie Stern and Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, India.
During her education and path she continued studying Iyengar Yoga for alignment, working in particular with Kevin Gardiner, the late Mary Dunn, and, later, Genny Kapuler. Alison has also traveled to Pune to study with the Iyengars. She furthered her meditation studies with TKV Desikachar at a retreat at Colgate University in 1993 and went on to the Shambhala trainings in NYC. Her spiritual teachers include Ramana Maharshi and Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj.
She is currently writing her first Yoga book, Yoga for Backcare, which will be followed by Yoga for Scoliosis.
Connect with Alison: https://www.yogaunion.com
In this episode, Derek talks yoga with two of the most impactful college lacrosse players to emerge from upstate New York in the 1990s: his former teammate and good friend, Todd Burnham – a two-time All-American and 1993 National Champion at Hobart College; and Casey Powell, a four-time All-American and 1995 National Champion at Syracuse University.
Todd Burnham is an expert litigator, entrepreneur, author, and leadership coach who is a founding partner of Burnham Law – an elite litigation firm in Colorado with a team of top-rated experienced associates and paralegals focusing on family law, civil litigation, personal injury, and many other services for those in need in the states of Colorado and Wyoming. In 2022, Todd published his best-selling book Comeback: Epic Rebound Strategies for Business or Personal Adversity, a guide on transforming trauma into triumph through his breakthrough findings and unique insight into six easy-to-execute tactics that have helped countless individuals rebound from adversity more powerful than before. For more information: https://www.toddburnham.com.
Casey Powell is considered one of the best to ever play the sport of lacrosse and has spent his professional career traveling the world playing, teaching, and helping spread the game. After Syracuse, Powell become a globally-recognized athlete, playing 15 seasons professionally in the MLL and NLL, and was selected to play on four US National Teams – captaining Team USA in 2006, 2011, and in 2015. He is a member of the Upstate Lacrosse (NY) and the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame and the owner/director of CP Lacrosse which runs camps, clinics, and tournaments nationally. Along with his brothers Ryan and Michael, Casey is a founding partner of Powell Lacrosse. For more information: https://caseypowell.com.
In this episode, Dean Pohlman, the founder of Man Flow Yoga, shares his path with yoga and the idea to launch an online yoga training program targeted to men who are new to the practice. In this informative discussion, Dean shares how he first stumbled into yoga as a senior in college, the physical benefits of yoga and how it complements any fitness program, and the impact on the lives of many guys. Since launching in 2013, his fitness-oriented, non-spiritual Man Flow Yoga program has sold numerous DVD and online subscriptions, and has amassed over 400,000 subscribers on YouTube where you can access many curated yoga programs to address a range of health and fitness objectives. In addition, Dean has sold over 35,000 copies worldwide of his 2018 book Yoga Fitness for Men: Build Strength, Improve Performance, and Increase Flexibility. Man Flow Yoga has been featured in Muscle & Fitness Magazine, Men’s Health, The Chicago Sun, New York Magazine, and many more major news media outlets.
For more information check out www.manflowyoga.com or www.youtube.com/manflowyoga
Introduced to the basic principles of Hatha Yoga by his father while growing up in Little Italy, it wasn’t until his mid-twenties that Frank Mauro began exploring asana postures and the philosophical underpinnings of the practice. In the 1990s, New York was in its heady day with studios opening across the city and giving birth to a new generation of conscious and creative yoga teachers, including a young Frank Mauro. His curiosity and interest in yoga ultimately led Frank to his first teacher training with the internationally recognized Sivananda Yoga Center and then eventually with many world-renowned teachers including Richard Freeman, Rodney Yee, Eric Schiffmann, Judith Lasater, and later in Manhattan with Cyndi Lee at the Om Yoga Center. Frank currently teaches at NY Loves Yoga Studio in the upper West Side of Manhattan. https://www.nylovesyoga.com.
We have invited back two of our most popular guests, Johnny Gillespie and Neil Taylor, to explore 'What is Yoga?' Johnny, Neil, and Derek discuss several themes around known aspects of the physical practice – including alignment and balance; however, the guys also hit on more subtle themes, such as skillfulness, connection, vulnerability, and wisdom that most probably don’t consider when rolling out the mat.
Neil Taylor is a bodyworker and a meditation and yoga teacher, in the Boston area, and Johnny is based in Wilmington, Delaware. He is the founder and owner of Empowered Wellness Studio and the creator of The Balanced Athlete, an online and studio-based functional fitness program that teaches people how to mindfully move their bodies.
https://neiltayloryoga.com
https://www.empoweredwellnessstudio.com
In this special bonus episode, Larry Milburn shares several stories about his work teaching men Yoga. You can also listen to Larry's full episode, titled "Reckoning Poses and Working Out the Gunk with Filmmaker, Podcaster, Yoga Instructor Larry Millburn" for more of Larry's insights, advice, and stories.
In 1995 Larry Millburn wandered into the Center for Yoga in Los Angeles not knowing what he was looking for and the path ahead. Sensing he needed to find a healthier approach to balance out some bad habits he told the studio owner at the front desk that he looking to get “out of his body” to which she replied No, you need to get into your body.In this conversation, Larry shares his long path with yoga beginning in his early 20s as a young actor and musician, and how he later reconnected with the practice in 2005 when he need to fill a void in his life. Eventually, his curiosity, practice, and path lead him to become a deeply committed and passionate yoga teacher at Charym yoga studio in Connecticut. And when not on the mat in his reckoning pose, Larry can be found hosting his Roadie Free Radio podcast and leading yoga classes on Follow Your Drishti.
https://www.charym.com
http://www.roadiefreeradio.com
https://followyourdrishti.libsyn.com
Highlights from over forty interviews, this episode is a great companion listen for any new or seasoned practitioner with offerings ranging from how yoga has helped overcome back issues to real break-through experiences on a deeper, personal level. If you have any doubts about your practice and looking for some reminders on why you found yoga pop this string of hard-earned wisdom on your favorite Bluetooth speaker and roll out the mat.
A top athlete all his life, participating in varsity sports, long-distance races, triathlons, crossfit and cycling, Dave Johnson first experienced yoga in 2013 while vacationing in Tulum, Mexico at an outdoor palapa at the beach and felt a connection and awareness in his body that he had never experienced before – and by the time that first savasana ended he was hooked. When he got home, he found free online classes on YouTube and started practicing in his garage. Not long afterward, Dave and his wife Marisa each completed the 500-hour teacher certification and eventually studio owners themselves in Albuquerque where they’ve cultivated a community around their hot yoga experience at SWEAT Yoga Studio. https://sweatyogastudio.com/
First introduced to Bikram yoga while working for Akamai Technologies in the early 2000s, Derek Vanderwarker was initially impressed by the physical experience of the ninety-minute, one hundred-degree studio practice: the heat and sweat made for a quick fix after a long weekend of unhealthy choices and helped keep the pounds off. But it wasn’t until sixteen years later when he returned to yoga to untangle the leg, hip, and back injuries that had dogged him for nearly five years, that his practice began to have purpose. In 2021 he launched Guys Talking Yoga, a podcast designed to inspire men to consider the practice of yoga as a door into a better way of living by sharing the stories of other men and the benefits they have experienced along the way.
Derek is a 500-hour certified yoga instructor who did his 200-hour training with Alison West and 300-hour training with Jason Crandell. He is the creator and host of the Guys Talking Yoga podcast.
Book mentioned in this episode: One Simple Thing: A New Look at the Science of Yoga and How It Can Transform Your Life by Eddie Stern.
Retired Major Mark Volker (USMC) shares his path with yoga and how the practice has helped him develop the mind-body connection, learn to make better choices off the mat and be a teacher and leader for others in need. He’s a certified yoga and meditation teacher, Warriors at Ease graduate and Level 1 instructor. Mark is also a team lead at Semper Fi Odyssey where he works with injured and combat-wounded U.S. Marines and other service members through their transition back to a life out of uniform but continued service to the country. SFO is a six-day, holistic transition-assistance program that provides injured and critically ill active-duty military service members and veterans an opportunity to not only gain valuable employment resources, but also life planning skills to assist with their re-entry into the civilian sector. Primarily focused on their career advancement, SFO also reinforces the significance of mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, and social well-being, to ensure long-term success for these individuals. https://www.outdoorodyssey.org/veteran-active-duty-programs.
Geoffrey Roniger has been leading yoga classes for over twenty years and is the founder of Freret Street Yoga in New Orleans and Yoga Unbound, a hybrid studio model offering online, studio, and private training classes and instruction. He has apprenticed with globally renowned teachers Richard Rosen and Rodney Yee and completed the advanced studies program at Piedmont Yoga Studio. During his teaching career, Roniger provided on-site instruction and developed corporate wellness programs for various companies including Salesforce.com, Amyris Biotechnologies, Beverly Prior Architects, Juice Design, and Urban Revision. After volunteering for the Urban Zen Foundation at both their V-Day and the Special Olympics events, in 2012 he was appointed to Urban Zen Foundation’s faculty for the Integrative Therapy Program in New York. Geoffrey Roniger has been featured in Yoga Journal as well as in a Gaiam video, Yoga Now. https://www.yoga-unbound.com.
As a former athlete who was approaching his fortieth birthday and weighing two hundred and eighty pounds, Art Massolo never thought he would consider yoga. But when stuck in a rut, and recognizing psychotherapy and other western approaches weren’t providing the tools and perspective he needed, Art began his yoga path by attending a two-week immersion program of “love, community, peace, and great health” – the things guys rarely permit themselves to access. In this conversation, Art shares his thoughts on the Yoga Sutras, keeping a regular mantra, shifting one’s thoughts, dealing with stress, overcoming rejection, navigating various injuries and life itself through his evolving practice and perspective.
Leon Barnett was never a gym guy. After twenty-five years in the restaurant business, and being in recovery for seventeen, he knew he needed to make a change. But that change wasn’t going to happen if he wasn’t willing to make it. In this conversation, Leon shares his story about starting his path with yoga at the age of fifty-four and his experiences working through his first few classes. Along the way we get into the importance of focus while doing yoga postures, paying attention to your breath, and the notion of progress -- accepting where you are and not worrying about where you are not. Coach Leon teaches at the Empowered Wellness Studio in Wilmington, Delaware. https://www.empoweredwellnessstudio.com
In Southern California during the mid-1960s, most twelve-year old boys were focusing on Sandy Kofax, Don Drysdale and the Los Angeles Dodgers. However young Rich Driscoll was captivated by Autobiography of a Yogi, the best seller by Parmahansa Yogananda. Ever the seeker and student, Rich’s path and interest in meditation took him to Yogananda’s Self-Realization Fellowship as a curious teenager, absorbing Ram Dass’ Be Here Now on his weekends, and later to the University of Colorado in Boulder – the epicenter of American Tibetan Buddhist movement in the 1970s, and eventually to Morocco with the Peace Corp. During a mid-life struggle with loss, his meditation practice become a grounding force and eventually strengthened and intertwined with hatha yoga through the guidance and support of two amazing women who kept him on his path.
Dr. Loren Fishman is a physiatrist with a private practice in Manhattan and he is also a professor at Columbia University Medical School where he teaches Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine. He discovered yoga in the 1970s while reading a copy of BKS Iyengar’s Light on Yoga in India and was so inspired he traveled to meet the author who ultimately inspired him to learn and use yoga to help heal people. Since then Loren has become a world-recognized pioneer in the treatment of low back pain, piriformis syndrome, osteoporosis, rotator cuff tear, and other conditions. He has authored or edited over 96 academic articles and has written many books about yoga and medical conditions. But most importantly, in all his years of experience, research, and medical practice - he hasn’t found anything that compares to the healing powers of yoga. For more information please check out https://www.manhattanphysicalmedicine.com and https://sciatica.org.
In 2012, seventeen-year-old Jan Andrysek was playing ice hockey in Prerov, a small town in the Czech Republic, when he was introduced to yoga by his coaches during his off-season training. Initially skeptical he quickly realized yoga helped with strength, mobility, injury prevention, stress management, breathwork – and just getting a good night’s sleep. So in 2019, convinced that more hockey players like him would benefit other players, he and his business partner launched Yoga for Hockey – an online subscription-based training program with content and training specifically tailored to introduce hockey players of all ages to the practice of yoga.
https://www.yogaforhockey.eu
Today’s conversation is with twenty-year yoga practitioner Knight Kiplinger, an economic journalist who is Editor Emeritus of the Kiplinger financial media company in Washington, D.C., publishers of business forecasts and personal finance advice – known for the weekly Kiplinger Letter, monthly Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine and daily Kiplinger.com. Kiplinger was CEO and publisher until the sale of the company in 2019 to Dennis Publishing of London, England, and today he is CEO of Outlook, Inc., a family real estate investment company. He is one of America’s most respected economic journalists and business forecasters. Over his long career, Knight was a guest on every major news network, including CNN, NPR, and C-SPAN, with appearances on The Today Show, Marketplace, CBS This Morning, Wall Street Week, and The Larry King Show. in his writings, speeches, and media appearances, he cuts through the complexity of financial subjects with clarity and foresight.
Kevin Geniza is a 2020 graduate of the University of Oregon where he was a leader on the golf team that won the PAC-12 conference title and was runner-up in the 2017 national championship. He was drawn to play for the Ducks because their coach, Casey Martin, incorporated yoga into the team’s fitness program where they were instructed to work on their breath and explore who they are as student-athletes and individuals. In this conversation, Kevin shares how he was introduced to yoga at Oregon, the challenges and joys of being a professional golfer, and how yoga and breathwork have improved his range of motion as well as his awareness on the course and being the best version of himself. www.kevingeniza.com, www.thvmp.com
Today’s guest is Robert Stern, an Assistant Professor of History & Legal Studies at Saint Thomas More University. While in his mid-thirties, Robert initially found yoga as a way to get through long winters as a graduate student. Yoga gave him physical benefits and also served as an outlet to deal with the stress of traveling to and from Cincinnati to Chicago while looking after his ailing father. Along the way, his appreciation for the physical practice grew into a focused interest in handstands. Robert found handstands sharpened his focus as the combination of mental and physical coordination forced him to be in the moment. In this episode, Robert shares more about how a handstand practice has helped him and how it might help you, too.
A veteran of the Iraq War and with 28 years of uniformed service, Dr. Vincent Arnold has supported and served nearly all the branches of the US military, including the Air Force, Coast Guard, Marine Corp., and the Navy before retiring with the rank of Chaplain in 2007.Upon his retirement from active military service, Dr. Arnold served as the first civilian Clinical Director and Department Head for the Deployment Health Center (DHC), becoming one of the largest in the Navy to include a comprehensive Post Deployment Health Reassessment screening program, creation of a PTSD multidisciplinary treatment team, and establishment of the Autonomic Neuropsychological Assessment Metric Program. He subsequently served as a Pastoral Counselor at Naval Medical Center, Camp Lejeune, where he worked directly with wounded warriors in the areas of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)and mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI). Specializing in holistic-oriented mindfulness-based pastoral counseling, Dr. Arnold offered individual, couple, and group sessions in Integrative Restoration Yoga Nidra (iRest) and Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR). He continues to offer non-fee-based pastoral counseling and workshops and retreats on ‘I Rest in Him.’ In addition to his service as a board director with Warriors at Ease, Dr. Arnold is an ERYT 200 yoga instructor and Certified iRest®Yoga Nidra Teacher. Dr. Arnold received a BA in Religion from Emmanuel College, an MDiv from Duke University, a Doctor of Ministry in Spiritual Renewal from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Argosy University.
In 2018 Brian retired from the Army with the rank of sergeant first class after nearly thirty years of service. And while his aunt introduced him to yoga way back in the 1980s, he didn’t get really into the practice until he signed up for a 200-hour teacher training program to give him something to do during the lockdown. What he found was not only exposure to many physical modalities of yoga, but also a deeper understanding of the spiritual side of the practice which helped him navigate the mind-body challenges of post-traumatic stress after his service.
As a first sergeant in the US Air National Guard, Dominic Stanley’s job is to provide support in regards to health, morale, welfare, etc. It doesn’t hurt that he’s also a yogi who both practices and teaches yoga. Dominic found yoga after returning from deployment in Iraq, and some of the struggles and challenges associated with the return to civilian life. He was already physically active, but his wife saw a Groupon for a hot yoga place and suggested he try it. Shortly after, Dominic was attending yoga class every day and soon after that, he did his 200-hour yoga teacher training. Dominic pursued a variety of specialized training, including the Warriors at Ease Level 1 training, which was important to him as supporting the Veteran population—of which he is a member-–is near and dear to his heart.
https://www.dominicstanleyyoga.com
David Truesdale, a registered yoga teacher (RYT) and Certified Warriors at Ease teacher, is a founding board member of the Texas-based nonprofit Warrior Spirit Project. He serves others by sharing his passion for yoga and providing free trauma-informed yoga and iRest meditation to veterans and first responders in the great Dallas area. David grew up in a US Marine Corps family and spent over twenty-seven years with the Department of the Navy as a Special Agent with Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). As part of his NCIS duties, he was deployed to Iraq as a Counterintelligence team leader in 2004 and to Afghanistan in 2011-2012 as an Individual Augmentee to the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). David has received numerous awards and commendations, including the U.S. Navy Superior Civilian Service Award, the U.S. Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award, DoD CounterintelligenceTeam Award, and a Joint Civilian Service Commendation Award from CPA Administrator Paul Bremmer. David is a member of Save a Warrior (SAW) Cohort 063 and feels compelled to continue supporting U.S. military personnel whether they are still active duty or post service. https://warriorspiritproject.org
For Dennis Kerr, his military experience and yoga path have become intertwined over the last twenty years. Dennis enlisted in the Army in 2002 and went to Iraq where his path of yoga began after being inspired by the international bestseller, Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda, and his curiosity led him to Rodney Yee introduction to yoga videos while deployed. Soon after, the discipline of his military experience, musical background, and yoga practice all evolved together through the breath.
After over twenty-five years of service, Chris Davis retired as an assistant chief of police at the Fayetteville (NC) Police Department with service duties consisting of patrol, investigations, internal affairs, training, and as the Investigative Bureau Commander where he supervised over 150 employees. Prior to law enforcement, he served over three years serving in Operation Desert Storm and Desert Shield and ultimately left the US Army with the rank of first lieutenant. He is a certified yoga instructor (CYT-500 hours) and created Yoga911 in 2019 to help serve others through the incorporation of yoga and meditation practices in combination with his passion and expertise in resilience and operational performance. https://warriorsatease.org
Retired Major Mark Volker (USMC) shares his path with yoga and how the practice has helped him develop the mind-body connection, learn to make better choices off the mat and be a teacher and leader for others in need. He’s a certified yoga and meditation teacher, Warriors at Ease graduate and Level 1 instructor. Mark is also a team lead at Semper Fi Odyssey where he works with injured and combat-wounded U.S. Marines and other service members through their transition back to a life out of uniform but continued service to the country. SFO is a six-day, holistic transition-assistance program that provides injured and critically ill active-duty military service members and veterans an opportunity to not only gain valuable employment resources, but also life planning skills to assist with their re-entry into the civilian sector. Primarily focused on their career advancement, SFO also reinforces the significance of mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, and social well-being, to ensure long-term success for these individuals.
https://www.outdoorodyssey.org/veteran-active-duty-programs.
Christina Hickey, the Executive Director at Warriors at Ease (WAE), a 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2011 whose pioneering co-founders were involved in some of the first clinical studies funded by the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs involving the use of yoga and meditation as an adjunct therapy for combat-related health conditions. In response to the success of these early studies at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the founders developed a teacher training curriculum to meet the growing demand for specially-trained instructors who have the knowledge and skills to share yoga in a way that is safe, effective, and relevant for warriors and their families. This conversion kicks off an eight-episode co-branded series to highlight six graduates and the evidence-based, trauma-sensitive yoga, meditation, and breathing practices curriculum of WAE has made an impact on their lives.
Former litigator and corporate banker Larry Drexler entered his first yoga class curious but apprehensive. He soon realized the impact and perspective that yoga provided within his work and relationships, specifically the place of power and autonomy residing between his breath and thoughts. “When you're a litigator, when you're a lawyer, you're trained to be an attack dog. You're trained to be aggressive all the time. And what I learned was by taking a breath and stepping back, that space gives you so much more – I stopped being competitive and started being collaborative. I became a better lawyer, colleague, and person.”
Growing on the ponds of Canada, Riley Cote dreamed of playing in the NHL and eventually made it. However, after five years in the intense role as an enforcer for the Philadelphia Flyers, he realized he wasn’t living his true path. Shortly before retirement, he found yoga as a means to physical, mental and spiritual health and well-being. In this conversation, Riley shares his story of shifting his mindset from living in the competitive mode of fight-or-flight to exploring spiritual freedom through yoga.
www.rileycote.com, www.wake.net., www.bodychekwellness, www.nastyknuckles.com
Neil Taylor is many things - a musician, a meditation teacher, a yoga teacher, and a bodyworker. In this conversation, Neil shares how travel and lifestyle as a professional musician forced him to address health and wellbeing and led him to a meditation retreat that sparked his spiritual path. For Neil, yoga is about connecting with what is most important—our awareness. As he explains, “We all have a physical body, thoughts, emotions, and an underlying sense of consciousness itself. As we become aware of these different aspects of our human experience, we can become more skillful at navigating the inward path and tuning into what is most important.” You can learn more about Neil at www.neiltayloryoga.com @neiltaylorhuman www.dharmamoon.com.
In his early twenties, Ryan Burnes carried a mindset of invincibility and bravado instead of the authentic version of himself that simmered beneath. He initially found yoga through the recommendation of a chiropractor to deal with back pain from years of pick-up hoops, but later, as he discovered the mind-body connection, the practice “found him” and offered the insight he was seeking into how he should be living his life.
In 2015 Phil Sussman was a captain in the US Army who fractured his spine in two places during a training exercise. After struggling through the physical, mental, and existential pain of his trauma, and in his words “hitting rock bottom,” his wife suggested he give yoga a shot. Soon after that first class, Phil’s nascent practice began to not only pull him out of his pain and suffering, but also gave his life meaning and purpose again, ultimately leading him to create a brand, community, and movement called American Yogi. https://liveamericanyogi.com
Johnny Gillespie is the founder and owner of Empowered Wellness Studio and the creator of The Balanced Athlete®, a functional fitness program that teaches people how to mindfully move their bodies in a safe and more integrated manner. In addition to being a registered 500-Hour teacher with Yoga Alliance, he is credentialed and certified in strength and conditioning (CSCS), personal training with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (CPT), and a meditation teacher trained by David Nichtern, senior teacher in the lineage of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. In this brief but packed discussion, Johnny shares his passion and perspective on yoga, fitness training, Buddhism and finding the right yoga teacher and practice. (https://empoweredwellnessstudio.com).
Former emergency room physician, Dr. Ken Starr got introduced to Bikram yoga in 1996 while doing a rotation as a fourth-year med school student at Stanford. In this conversation, Ken, a board-certified addiction medicine specialist, shares how the adaptability of yoga can be a resource and solution for working through the emotional and physical stress that manifests in the body. www.kenstarrmd.com
The pandemic highlighted the accessibility of online yoga as the practice became one of the few options for those remaking their basements into fitness rooms during the lockdown. In this conversation, James Simboli, a coach and teacher at an all-boys boarding school in upstate Connecticut, shares how the pandemic forced him to consider yoga and how his appreciation resulted in the formation of a student-led yoga club that has jumpstarted the practice of many on campus.
Sit or lie back and let Chelsea Duke, owner of Glow Yoga of Eugene, take you through a short guided meditation that helps anyone reconnect after their practice, or any time when they need a moment to check out – and check in.
Chelsea Duke, the owner of Glow Yoga of Eugene, has been leading a range of yoga instruction and training with the athletic department of the University of Oregon since 2013. In our conversation, Chelsea shares how she’s incorporated a style of yoga focused on joint mobility, injury prevention and restorative practices to help men’s teams dominate their game and lives, on and off the track, field, court, and course.
Michael Susi is the director of global wellness at LinkedIn where he created and scaled its health and wellness program to meet the needs of sixteen thousand employees. In this conversation, we talk about his path from coaching and training to leading wellness at the world’s largest professional network and how he reimagined the curriculum by designing initiatives around the pillars of thoughts, breathing, hydration, nutrition, movement, and rest – aspects that are found among the many qualities of yoga.
Ten tips to jumpstart your practice and get yourself on the path to becoming a stronger, wiser, and more balanced self before you know it.
Dr. Dan Bornstein is an associate professor in the department of health, exercise, and sport science at the Citadel, the military college of South Carolina, and leads one of the only graduate degrees in the nation designed to meet the growing demand for exercise science specifically designed to work with military personnel and first responders – those considered tactical athletes by occupation. In this conversation, Dan speaks to the mind-body benefits of yoga and shares how the integrated fitness progress programs used by top sports athletes have influenced the training for special operators and are now becoming a basis for holistic health and fitness for all members of the military.
Greg May is the Director of Athletics at Saint Thomas Academy in Minnesota and a former college hockey player who has coached among the top high school and college programs in the country including the University of Minnesota where he was director of hockey operations. After highlighting his experience working with the Gophers, Greg goes into detail sharing how yoga became a key component of off-season conditioning as well as in-season training for his high school teams and the impact it made on many of his players both physically and mentally.
Andrew Stackhouse found yoga nearly fifteen years ago as a means to compliment his path to sobriety and was instantly hooked on the physicality of the practice as well its humbling and empowering qualities. “Stack” shares his well-earned perspective from being dragged to yoga by his wife to ultimately becoming a teacher and co-owner of a studio in Southern California and defies the image of the typical male yogi with his motorcycle-riding, Metallica-listening and energy drink-fueled presence; and yet he also personifies everything that is the 21st century man: thoughtful, experienced and committed to sharing the practice of yoga with everyone at the Center Studio. https://thecenterslo.com
Derek Sabori got into yoga as means to recover and balance out his jujitsu training and got hooked by its body-breath coordination and the intellectual challenges in pulling off an advanced inversion called parsva bakasana – more commonly known as side crow pose. His passion and appreciation for its many benefits lead him to founding a yoga apparel company called Kozm and creating a killer pair of hemp, cotton and lycra shorts that have become an instant hit. Check them out at www.thekozm.com.
With three decades as a high school physical education teacher combined with thirty years of service in the Navy and Army Reserve, Craig Shimel has amassed a ton of perspective and knowledge around life, community, service, and fitness. And in the mid-1990s he helped pioneer the integration of functional movement and yoga in youth fitness after teaching himself simple sun salutations exercises by watching Rodney Yee’s beginners yoga VHS tapes in his living room.
Bolsters, blocks, belts, chairs, and even walls, can safely offer support for weak muscles and unstable joints as practitioners navigate nagging injuries and challenging yoga poses (“asanas”). Combined with an experienced Iyengar teacher, the use of props can also help unlock a subtle, unexpected awareness within. Today’s guest is Andi Wirz, a friend and native of Switzerland who has been teaching the Iyengar method for twenty years and led classes at two of the most respected backcare studios in the country, Samamkaya and Yoga Union.
I met Tom Strachan during the high-flying dot-com boom days in the early 2000s while working for Akamai Technologies in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was his passion and dedication to yoga that inspired many of his colleagues to try yoga, and thankfully I was one of them. In our conversation, Tom shares how Bikram yoga helped him cope with his early days of sobriety and speaks to the many benefits of having an ongoing practice as he enters his 50s.
The first of two interviews, Dr. Dan Bornstein is an associate professor the department of health, exercise, and sport science at the Citadel, the military college of South Carolina, and the director of the Center of Performance, Readiness, Resiliency and Recovery (CPR3). He leads one of the only graduate degrees in the nation designed to meet the growing demand for exercise science specifically designed to work with military personnel and first responders – those considered tactical athletes by occupation. In this conversation Dan shares how a significant back injury in this youth ultimately led him to yoga and his interest in musculoskeletal health and physical fitness while also shaping his commitment to public service and giving back.
With over thirty years in the fitness industry, Steve Safrit is the owner and founder of SoFul Yoga and a co-founder of The Forum Gym in Salisbury, North Carolina, and he is a passionate advocate for yoga’s many benefits for the mind, body and spirit. His path began in 2001 when he earned his 200-hour teaching certification as a means of complementing his weight lifting regimen and karate practice and he now teachers at gyms, pediatric centers, health fairs, schools and churches.
Curt is the director of the center for innovation at the Fessenden School and a long-time friend since college. Curt shares his path for how he got into meditation in high school and how his practice helped him manage stress-related back pain while making a career shift from financial services into education.
Bill Rexford is a longtime coach, teacher and athlete who has had a successful career playing lacrosse for Dartmouth College and at the top level of club leagues. Rex talks about how yoga came into his life in the 90s as a high school coach in Oregon and how it has helped him navigate the realities of past injuries and roadblocks with intentionality, both in his practice and his life.
I met Alaska native David Demers while playing lacrosse for the Portland Ales in Oregon during the late 1990s. Dave shares how yoga has helped him manage his chronic lower back issues that he has struggled with since his college days and allowed him to keep playing lacrosse and hockey well into this 50s.
Bryan Wymbs is a lawyer in North Carolina who got into yoga over fifteen years ago and shares his experience taking his first class at a local gym and how the non-competitive practice of yoga has helped provide balance in his life, particularly in managing stress and focusing on the moment.
Welcome to the Guys Talking Yoga Podcast. I got into yoga twenty years ago while working for a tech startup in Boston during the dot-com boom when a couple friends on our sales team invited me to check out a class. And while that Bikram class didn't change me over night it did become a door into something that has brought me physical, mental, and spiritual benefits ever since. Benefits that many guys are probably missing out on right now that will not only improve the quality of their lives today but in their lives in the years to come. Thanks for checking it out.