Yoga

Sometime in the late 2000’s, I was browsing online when I ran across a digital copy of what was then known as YRG – Yoga for Regular Guys (now known as DDPY), a yoga program designed by professional wrestler Diamond Dallas Page. DDP was one of my favorite wrestlers, and despite having zero interest in yoga, I was curious to see this system he promoted as a no-nonsense, no BS yoga program.

I remember it being around 3 AM, when I stood up from my computer chair, turned on the video, and decided to follow along. I was ready to crush this ridiculous yoga workout, and I figured it would be a fun story to tell at work the next day. I mean, I wasn’t the yoga type, but I was confident this would not be a challenge for me.

I was wrong.

As I transitioned from one pose to the next, I remember being in some sort of pose where I found myself leaning over my knee and I watched as my knee began to shake. Sweat was dripping from my forehead, and this joke workout became very real, very fast. I made it another minute or two before finally cutting the video off. It was just too much for me.

Over the next several months, I found myself wanting to get back into shape and I couldn’t shake the memory of me getting my butt kicked by this yoga routine. I began hanging around the DDPY message boards and following along with the inspirational videos, and I figured it was time to invest in the DVD set. I placed my order and a few days later, I started with a beginner routine, and I began slowly doing DDPY pretty regularly. I’d love to say it was a life changer, but to be honest, I didn’t love a lot of the workouts and the emphasis on turning yoga into a cardio session wasn’t always appealing. I’d go through weeks where I’d workout with the DVDs daily, then I’d put them down for months. But I did learn some wonderful moves that really made a difference in how I managed my lower back problems. I also developed enough confidence to attend some real yoga classes in person, but it’s been over six years since the last time I did any yoga.

A few weeks ago, I came home stressed, and I could feel the tightness in my back. My hamstrings and calves have been getting tighter and tighter as I get older, and while I’m working out with weights regularly, I haven’t noticed a huge improvement in my mobility and flexibility. I needed to stretch my body this one particular evening, so I went to YouTube to find a yoga video for relaxation and stress relief. After starting and stopping a half dozen or so, I found Kassandra and I was very pleased with her teaching style. She was calm, patient, and great a cueing. She also didn’t overcomplicate things, had a soothing voice, and had tons of videos for all sorts of workouts.

I’ve been watching her videos for the past few weeks and even combining various poses to create my own stretching routine that I’ve been doing almost daily. The results have been insane. I honestly had no idea ten to fifteen minutes a day could make this big of an impact on my daily life. It’s been so rewarding; I don’t dread the workout at all. I’m excited to get down and stretch myself out.

I think the most surprising benefit has been the pain relief it has brought me. I normally deal with daily aches and strains in my shoulders, upper, and lower back, and the days I do yoga, those aches all but disappear. I’m honestly blown away by the results.

One of my biggest concerns over the past year has been the on-going stiffening of my hips, hamstrings, and lower back. I joke my torso is becoming a tree trunk. What used to move as individual parts, almost began to feel like it all seized up and I’d move almost unnaturally when bending over to pick something up. Well, in just a few weeks of doing some yoga, suddenly I’m moving like I used to. Every few days, I feel a bit more freedom in my waist area and I guess yoga has been undoing all the damage sitting for years has done.

I’m curious where this yoga journey will take me. What was once an on again and off again hobby, has now become a very important part of my life and one I think will only continue to play a bigger role.

Yoga can be a bit intimidating to get into mostly because it’s intimidating watching 100 lb. yoga teachers bend their bodies in half and think to yourself, “I struggle to tie my shoes.” Sadly, DDPY has really stopped innovating and is now focused more on marketing than improving the product (or the app), and it seems like ManFlowYoga has taken oven the mantel for the no-nonsense, muscles super-engaged yoga geared towards males. Personally, I’m not a fan of the instruction on ManFlowYoga, and even DDP’s instruction was exhausting at times. I think it’s important to find a teacher you can tolerate and who teaches at a pace and speed you enjoy, which is why I recommend checking out a ton of different videos (or classes) to find one that fits you better.

It’s also important to realize that everything in yoga can be modified, and no one started off bending their body completely in half. It takes time, patience, and well… sometimes depending on your body/age you may never do it as good as another person. Comparison is the biggest robber of joy when it comes to fitness (and life in general.) Don’t worry about bending or moving as smoothly or deep as another person, your only goal is to challenge your body in a safe and healthy way. Find what feels right and do that. Don’t worry about bending like a pretzel.

I think it’s also important to keep an open mind. Despite not being a fan of ManFlowYoga, I’ve learned some great modifications from some of his videos. Things that your typical class doesn’t address like how to get a great calf stretch when you have a gut or how to do a child’s pose and still be able to breathe. My wife bought a couple of cheap yoga blocks, and I have a great PT strap that have been instrumental in taking my stretching and yoga to the next level. It’s a cheap hobby to get into, and there are tons of free videos on YouTube, the only thing I would recommend to someone interested is to purchase a decent yoga mat. You don’t want an exercise mat, but you also don’t want a $10 mat either. I’m a fan of 10 mm mats, they are thick enough to help out your joints, but not so thick it throws you off balance. It’ll probably cost you around $50, but that’s not a bad price compared to other fitness/wellness equipment and if you are really strapped for cash, a $10 yoga mat from Marshalls or TJ Maxx will keep you from slipping and offer minor support. It’s what I started with years ago.