Order of Man - 174： Yoga Fitness for Men ｜ Dean Pohlman

00:00:00.000 Let's be honest, yoga isn't a thought you'd immediately conjure up as manly, but as I've

00:00:04.540 recently discovered, participating in yoga has significantly improved my performance,

00:00:10.280 strength, and fitness, all of which every man should be striving to improve.

00:00:14.440 Today, I'm joined by repeat guest Dean Pullman to talk about his new book.

00:00:18.200 We cover why every man should consider incorporating yoga into his fitness regimen,

00:00:23.120 how flexibility improves strength, the unknown benefits for men of participating in yoga,

00:00:28.620 and how a man can learn to connect mind and spirit through the practice of yoga.

00:00:33.940 You're a man of action.

00:00:35.460 You live life to the fullest, embrace your fears, and boldly chart your own path.

00:00:39.840 When life knocks you down, you get back up one more time, every time.

00:00:44.280 You are not easily deterred or defeated, rugged, resilient, strong.

00:00:49.360 This is your life.

00:00:50.460 This is who you are.

00:00:51.880 This is who you will become at the end of the day.

00:00:54.480 And after all is said and done, you can call yourself a man.

00:00:59.280 Gentlemen, what is going on today?

00:01:00.760 My name is Ryan Mickler and I am the host and founder of this podcast, The Order of Man.

00:01:04.980 Let me be the first to welcome you to one of the best resources available in the subject

00:01:11.160 and on the topic of manliness and masculinity.

00:01:14.160 It is our goal to provide you with the tools and the resources and the skills and the guidance

00:01:19.940 and direction.

00:01:21.220 And specifically within this podcast, the conversations that are going to help you and

00:01:24.880 I and everybody else listening become better fathers, husbands, business owners, community

00:01:29.840 leaders, whatever area of life that you are showing up as a man.

00:01:34.020 The conversations that we're having here are centered around communication, leadership,

00:01:38.800 fitness.

00:01:39.820 I mean, you name it.

00:01:40.560 We've had guys like Jocko Willink, Leif Babin, Tim Kennedy, Andy Frisilla, Grant Cardone.

00:01:45.500 We've had so many incredible, incredible guests and it doesn't stop there.

00:01:50.640 We are going to continue to have some amazing guests here today and in the near future.

00:01:55.380 So make sure if you haven't already subscribed to the podcast that you do.

00:01:59.200 I would also ask if you've been listening for a while, and this is something that I haven't

00:02:03.040 asked for for some time now, but if you have been listening and you enjoy, or you've enjoyed

00:02:08.000 what we've been sharing, I would ask you humbly to please leave us an iTunes rating and review.

00:02:14.100 It'll only take you a couple of minutes and it goes such a long way in helping us gain the

00:02:19.100 visibility and really promoting the work that we're doing here, which is to reclaim what

00:02:23.860 it means to be a man in a society.

00:02:26.160 And I say that's just about every week, but a society that seems to have forgotten what

00:02:31.260 that means.

00:02:31.840 And it's my goal as well as the goal of my guests to help again, reclaim some of that.

00:02:36.380 So a rating and a review goes a long way.

00:02:39.540 Now, before we get too much further into the show, I do want to make a quick announcement

00:02:43.140 and introduce you to my friends and the sponsor of the show origin, Maine.

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00:04:07.720 Now, with that said, guys, let me jump into the discussion.

00:04:12.200 I do want to really briefly introduce you to my friend, Dean Pullman.

00:04:15.760 Him and I met years ago.

00:04:17.540 I should have looked, but I had him on the podcast, like I said, years ago, but since

00:04:21.560 then we've become friends.

00:04:22.980 I've started to incorporate a lot of what he's been teaching into my own life, specifically

00:04:27.300 over the past couple of months.

00:04:29.020 He's the founder of Man Flow Yoga.

00:04:31.520 It's an online platform designed to help guys like you and me learn the fundamentals and

00:04:36.480 the foundations of yoga.

00:04:39.020 And most importantly, and this is what I was really connected with, is how it can help

00:04:43.520 improve every aspect of our fitness.

00:04:46.980 I was a little skeptical at first, but I have been amazed at how much this guy knows about

00:04:51.720 functional fitness, how much he knows about strength building and just health in general.

00:04:56.240 Today, we talk about a lot of different elements of health and fitness, including the message

00:05:00.340 from his latest book, Yoga Fitness for Men.

00:05:04.860 Dean, what's going on, brother?

00:05:05.840 Thanks for joining me on the show for round two.

00:05:08.880 Hey, Ryan.

00:05:09.560 Thanks again for having me.

00:05:10.720 I should have looked.

00:05:11.260 I didn't look, but it's probably been a couple of years since you were on the show the first

00:05:14.280 time, maybe even a little longer.

00:05:15.860 It might've been three years.

00:05:17.340 Yeah.

00:05:17.520 I want to say maybe even 2015.

00:05:19.260 It's been a long time.

00:05:21.300 Yeah.

00:05:21.540 Everything going well, though, for you?

00:05:23.220 Yeah.

00:05:23.660 I think we've both released books since then.

00:05:27.100 Yeah.

00:05:27.400 I mean, everything's just moving forward and everything's growing and things are going well.

00:05:31.520 Yeah.

00:05:31.780 I got engaged.

00:05:32.840 That happened.

00:05:33.460 Oh, when was that?

00:05:35.560 That was in March.

00:05:37.360 Nice.

00:05:37.820 Congratulations.

00:05:38.460 Do you have the date picked out?

00:05:40.060 Yes, we do.

00:05:41.180 June 15th.

00:05:42.520 Okay.

00:05:43.020 So a year from now.

00:05:45.920 A year from now.

00:05:46.540 Yeah.

00:05:47.040 Okay.

00:05:47.440 All right.

00:05:47.720 I'm like, wait, did you just get married or what?

00:05:50.160 That would have been a very quick wedding.

00:05:51.740 Yes, absolutely.

00:05:52.960 Yeah.

00:05:53.280 Cool, man.

00:05:53.940 No, that's good.

00:05:54.520 Yeah.

00:05:54.700 You just came out with a book, yoga fitness for men.

00:05:57.920 You sent me a copy and I got to be honest.

00:06:00.260 Look, I mean, here's the deal.

00:06:01.740 When we had our first conversation, I was a little hesitant about having you on the show.

00:06:05.640 I'm like, I don't know if guys are going to resonate with this.

00:06:07.860 I don't, I don't know if this is going to be something guys are interested in, but I remember

00:06:11.440 at the time that show, I should look at the download numbers, but that show actually

00:06:15.100 blew up.

00:06:15.680 So I know this is something that really resonates with a lot of guys out there, which was quite

00:06:21.420 honestly a surprise to me.

00:06:22.980 I think guys are also, even if they're not sure that they're interested yet, I think that

00:06:27.640 it's come up so often and that it's now emerging as something that's normal.

00:06:32.180 You know, whereas a few years ago it was definitely considered weird.

00:06:35.600 Now athletes are doing it.

00:06:37.500 Most people who are, I'd like to say fitness intelligent or including some form of yoga in

00:06:43.140 their workout routine.

00:06:43.900 So I think even if they weren't sure they wanted to do it yet, they probably heard the

00:06:48.000 title and said, okay, I should probably listen to this, you know?

00:06:51.120 And I think there's this connotation of it that it's feminine, right?

00:06:54.560 I mean, even the word yoga comes across as feminine.

00:06:57.460 I actually did a yoga session with, with my wife.

00:07:00.440 I w I was doing your yoga here from this book and then your YouTube channel.

00:07:04.600 And then my wife's like, we'll do one of mine. 1.00

00:07:06.760 So we sat there.

00:07:08.460 It was ridiculous, man.

00:07:09.900 Like it was absolutely ridiculous.

00:07:12.280 It was this woman and she was pleasant.

00:07:13.900 And she was attractive and obviously she knew what she was talking about, but she was talking

00:07:17.840 about grounding your earth to the, or your feet to the earth and breathing through your

00:07:23.480 buttocks and like that guy, not, not for real, but stuff like that.

00:07:27.140 I'm like, I, this doesn't land with me.

00:07:29.440 Like, I'm not interested in making this some spiritual moment.

00:07:33.000 I just want to get better from a physical standpoint.

00:07:36.400 That's exactly what I thought when I was hearing it.

00:07:38.660 I'm like, I'm sure somebody enjoys this.

00:07:40.720 I'm sure that, I mean, we know that someone enjoys it.

00:07:43.480 There's, you know, how many millions of people in the U S and all over the world doing yoga

00:07:47.160 on a daily basis.

00:07:47.980 But for me, it did not hit home.

00:07:50.700 Kind of like you were saying, I'm like, this is just not me.

00:07:52.800 So that was actually why I started the YouTube channel and why I started all this stuff was

00:07:58.100 because no one really was doing yoga catered to men who were focused on their fitness.

00:08:04.780 I mean, straight into it.

00:08:05.640 I wasn't an entrepreneur at all.

00:08:06.980 I had no idea what I was doing.

00:08:08.680 I just started a YouTube channel and I still had another job.

00:08:12.020 And I was just doing this for fun because I thought it, I thought it would be a good idea,

00:08:16.160 but I was shocked that nobody else was doing this, honestly.

00:08:19.100 And I know that there's a little bit of a weird thing here that I've seen is that we

00:08:23.240 tend to, and I think this is a growing trend, market different services and different products

00:08:31.260 exclusively to men, although they're not really all that different.

00:08:35.720 So it's almost like this masculine space is being hacked, if you will, like, oh, just,

00:08:40.880 just say it's a shampoo for men when really it's just a shampoo, you know, there's nothing

00:08:44.760 different.

00:08:45.140 But I have noticed a genuine difference between what I've seen out there, for example, with

00:08:50.480 what my wife does and what you're doing. 1.00

00:08:53.580 I guess my question is, what's the difference between yoga and just stretching?

00:08:59.880 So yoga, I would define as a holistic practice that integrates spiritual and movement.

00:09:06.860 So it's kind of practicing spirituality through movement.

00:09:10.000 And it just happens to also be good for your flexibility and body control and balance and

00:09:16.760 that kind of thing.

00:09:17.840 To me, stretching would be more of a restorative practice.

00:09:23.120 I'd say practice, but it would be more restorative fitness or, you know, like a static warmup.

00:09:29.880 That's probably to me, that's the main difference.

00:09:32.280 Help me understand the spiritual component.

00:09:34.180 I mean, because that can mean so many different things, right?

00:09:36.280 It could mean a connection to God.

00:09:37.540 It could mean a centeredness with yourself.

00:09:39.880 When you say it has this spiritual element, what specifically are you talking about?

00:09:44.920 Yeah.

00:09:45.140 So that really confused me at first too, because I went to church as a kid and to me, spirituality

00:09:51.460 and religion were the same.

00:09:53.480 And then once I actually started doing some thinking on my own and I got out of an organized

00:10:00.160 spiritual organization, however you want to say that, that was when I started to understand

00:10:05.740 spirituality as not religion, but kind of the two as separate.

00:10:09.440 I guess more personal, personalized sort of religion, like something that you developed

00:10:12.880 that yourself and less following an organization, more about actually developing real spirituality,

00:10:19.420 finding oneness between, you know, you and the universe and God or whatever, you know, whatever

00:10:26.480 deity you want to subscribe to.

00:10:30.080 What was the question again?

00:10:30.860 I just, I got lost in my first explanation.

00:10:32.840 No, I think you're along the lines.

00:10:34.840 I mean, I was asking specifically about what you mean when you say spirituality, because I

00:10:38.580 look at it, I'm religious.

00:10:40.340 I'm also spiritual.

00:10:41.480 I believe there's, there's a distinction and a difference between the two.

00:10:43.920 And I look at it as in a way, consciousness.

00:10:47.360 I mean, if you look at the root word of spirituality, it's spirit.

00:10:50.100 So it is your spirit.

00:10:51.040 It's consciousness.

00:10:52.140 It's getting to a higher plane.

00:10:54.000 It's being connected to a purpose and a mission and almost trying to answer the question of

00:10:59.500 why we're here.

00:11:00.600 Why are we in existence?

00:11:01.760 That's how I look at it anyways.

00:11:03.480 That's perfect.

00:11:04.240 That sounds really similar to that book about the way of the superior man.

00:11:09.800 Yeah.

00:11:10.720 David Deada, I think is the author of that book.

00:11:13.040 Yeah, yeah, yeah, that was, that was a great book.

00:11:15.560 Anyway, spirituality in yoga refers to oneness.

00:11:20.640 So yoga means to yoke or to become one.

00:11:24.720 So the idea behind spirituality and yoga is connecting with the earth, connecting with

00:11:32.260 its people, trying to develop a sense of oneness.

00:11:37.200 And when, you know, you talk about yoga people or yoga gurus, or I don't think anybody's actually

00:11:44.260 truly enlightened people that practice yoga as it's practicing yoga studios and that kind

00:11:49.360 of thing.

00:11:49.620 But the ultimate goal of yoga in its purest form is enlightenment and to have this sense

00:11:57.760 of oneness with the world to totally absolve yourself from the ego.

00:12:02.540 The way that yoga practice is we try to, you know, it's, it's almost Orientalism in a way we

00:12:09.060 take something and we make it, we try and include some of those esoteric elements into

00:12:13.180 it.

00:12:13.740 But really we're not getting anywhere close to what that pure unadulterated, you know,

00:12:20.320 yoga is.

00:12:21.440 So the way it's practiced is more, let's include some of these elements of oneness and let's

00:12:25.820 talk about it and let's kind of scrape the surface of what that is.

00:12:30.100 But the way that yoga is practiced, nobody's ever going to achieve oneness going to a yoga

00:12:33.860 studio.

00:12:34.840 Yeah.

00:12:34.900 I mean, unless you're willing to dedicate essentially your entire life, I think of monks, for example,

00:12:39.700 potentially reaching this, this level of mastery when it comes to the connection between physical

00:12:45.160 and spiritual.

00:12:46.220 I'm not going to get there.

00:12:47.380 And quite frankly, I don't even know if I'm all that interested.

00:12:49.660 What I like about what you've done is taken a very pragmatic, a very practical approach

00:12:55.560 to how to incorporate the key fundamental elements of movement and some of the spiritual

00:13:02.360 component you're talking about, and then incorporate it with, let's be practical about making our

00:13:07.160 bodies move better.

00:13:08.480 We're talking about spirituality and yoga right now, but the only reason why I know this is

00:13:12.480 because I studied, I had to do a teacher training to get certified, but the way that I teach

00:13:17.480 manful yoga and what I do with manful yoga hardly has any spirituality whatsoever.

00:13:23.220 The only spirituality that you can get from manful yoga is if you happen to be doing movement

00:13:28.540 and you achieve some sort of flow and you equate flow with spirituality, then in that sense,

00:13:35.060 yes, we're being spiritual.

00:13:36.320 But it's totally physical.

00:13:38.660 It's totally fitness related and people can get what they want from that.

00:13:42.440 And in yoga, it's drawing a connection between movement, breath and spirit.

00:13:46.600 So I think maybe for people who are doing yoga, who aren't used to exercise for them, maybe

00:13:51.600 that feeling of moving and exercising gets them into this, this feeling that this is them

00:13:56.660 being spiritual.

00:13:57.520 But for me, I've always moved.

00:13:59.800 I've always done exercise.

00:14:01.200 So yoga to me wasn't something spiritual because I've always been moving.

00:14:06.240 I've always been exercising.

00:14:07.460 I've always been running.

00:14:08.340 And I never thought of those things as spiritual.

00:14:10.160 I just thought of them as enjoyable.

00:14:12.060 That was one reason why yoga was really weird to me because I was just exercising.

00:14:17.320 And then they would say, and now connect with the earth.

00:14:20.200 I'm like, what?

00:14:20.880 I'm doing a lunge.

00:14:22.020 What are you talking about?

00:14:23.540 What does that mean?

00:14:24.900 Yeah.

00:14:25.120 I just want stronger muscles.

00:14:27.440 Right.

00:14:28.000 I mean, it made no sense.

00:14:30.140 But for a lot of people, yoga is their first fitness experience.

00:14:33.700 So they equate fitness with what the instructor is talking about, what a typical instructor

00:14:38.740 is talking about, which is spirituality.

00:14:40.600 So I think that's why, you know, that's why it didn't make any sense for me at all.

00:14:44.320 But that's why it could make sense for millions of people.

00:14:48.120 One of the ways that I've heard this described when it comes to fitness in general is that

00:14:52.120 you have exercise and you have training and training is working towards an objective

00:14:56.280 and you're very deliberate.

00:14:57.380 You're very intentional about muscle groups or specific movements in order to accomplish

00:15:02.180 some desired objective down the road.

00:15:05.180 Maybe you're running a marathon.

00:15:06.540 Maybe you are a power lifter and you have a meet coming up, whatever that looks like.

00:15:10.320 And so you're training for that.

00:15:12.140 What I like about yoga, just in the very limited time that I've actually exercised and participated

00:15:17.040 in it based on your book and stuff, is that it's not training.

00:15:22.320 And I think it's really, really valuable.

00:15:25.380 It just gives you an opportunity to disengage in a way.

00:15:29.120 And I think there's a lot of men out there who don't ever disengage, right?

00:15:33.080 They wake up with just enough time to get out of the office, go on their two hour commute.

00:15:38.040 They're bombarded with other cars and traffic.

00:15:40.260 They get in the office.

00:15:41.200 They have demands from their bosses.

00:15:42.760 They get home, the kids and the wife are bouncing all over them and asking them to do 0.99

00:15:46.360 stuff.

00:15:46.980 And then they go to bed and they do the same thing over and over and over again.

00:15:50.280 And I just see a lot of men who never take the time to disconnect.

00:15:54.380 And this is a great way, from my perspective, to get some exercise in, do something that's

00:16:00.480 good for your body and also good for your psyche because you're disconnecting from everything

00:16:04.920 else.

00:16:05.840 Yeah.

00:16:06.240 I think the cool thing about a yoga workout or what you're talking about would be, I

00:16:11.220 think, called a yoga flow where you're maybe constantly moving or you're staying still

00:16:16.700 in a pose.

00:16:17.380 But for the most part, the workout is so intensive.

00:16:20.440 And I don't say intensive to mean intense.

00:16:23.000 I say intensive in that you're totally focused in the moment on what you're doing with your

00:16:29.280 body and your breathing.

00:16:31.160 And that's a really good way to as a kind of a gateway to meditation, maybe.

00:16:37.060 Right.

00:16:37.220 So that's why a lot of people will meditate right after they finish a yoga session.

00:16:40.540 So it's kind of like a it's kind of like a buffer.

00:16:43.120 Like you said, it's getting away from busy life, getting away from nonstop go, go, go.

00:16:48.880 And now you're doing yoga.

00:16:50.140 Now you're breathing.

00:16:51.360 Now you're stretching.

00:16:52.540 And then afterwards, this is why so many people meditate after doing yoga.

00:16:55.780 Now you've prepared your body.

00:16:57.540 Your mind is silent.

00:16:58.680 And now you're like, OK, I can actually meditate now.

00:17:01.220 So it's a really nice buffer.

00:17:02.800 But yoga can be both.

00:17:04.160 You know, you can do yoga as a full body, nonspecific and target area or fitness focus, or you could

00:17:11.220 follow a structured program just in the sense of any training.

00:17:15.040 Most yoga is not a structured program.

00:17:18.680 Mostly you go and you say, hey, what what can I get out of this?

00:17:22.020 And it'll be a general response.

00:17:24.220 Oh, we're going to do hips. 0.99

00:17:25.300 We're going to do back.

00:17:26.280 We're going to do a bit of shoulders.

00:17:27.480 And, you know, so it's always a full body kind of comprehensive flexibility, a little

00:17:33.420 bit of this, a little bit of that, a little bit of this.

00:17:36.160 But yoga, if you do it in a certain way, it can be structured towards specific goals.

00:17:42.780 So it could be structured to specifically to runners, specifically to weightlifters.

00:17:47.880 It just depends on the way that it's done.

00:17:50.820 Well, and one of the things that I like a lot about your book is that it's broken up into

00:17:54.320 specific workouts or sessions.

00:17:56.280 I don't know what you call them.

00:17:57.480 But for me, I tend to carry a lot of my stress, physical stress in my lower back on my right

00:18:03.820 side and my right hip.

00:18:04.820 And so I can open this up to a specific workout or session and target those muscle groups.

00:18:11.180 And I know, man, I just feel a whole lot better.

00:18:14.020 And there's even specific movements where I'm like, ah, this is the movement that I need

00:18:17.600 to incorporate into every single session that I do because it just feels good.

00:18:22.520 Like it just loosens me up, stretches that area out.

00:18:25.960 And then I'm much more capable of performing, not just in the gym, but even wrestling with

00:18:30.900 my kids or running around or whatever it is I do on a daily basis.

00:18:34.300 So, yeah, two points to that.

00:18:36.720 Number one, yoga can be a very self-exploratory process where you actually get to pay attention

00:18:42.060 to your body and notice that, wow, this is really tight here, you know, just like you

00:18:47.960 said.

00:18:48.700 Or, wow, this is really weak.

00:18:50.720 I haven't ever done this type of movement before and I've never slowed down enough to

00:18:54.600 pay attention.

00:18:55.100 And number two, I work with so many dads through my online library, workout library in my members

00:19:02.440 area, my community who are just there because, yeah, I just, I just want to be able to play

00:19:07.120 with my kids.

00:19:08.420 And you lose that type of fitness if you're not doing mobility work and you're not just

00:19:13.320 doing this stretching stuff.

00:19:15.040 So, yeah, I mean, I see these guys who walk around, they're these big muscle heads and I

00:19:19.760 commend them for their discipline and dedication to their craft.

00:19:22.220 But at the same time, I'm like, man, I want to move like I want muscles, but I also want

00:19:26.440 to be able to move in like rough house with my kids and get in the car without struggling.

00:19:31.240 And that seems like more of a practical approach to life for me anyways.

00:19:36.540 Yeah.

00:19:36.680 In terms of functional movement, I want to be able to walk and I guess my preference, I

00:19:41.840 would like to walk and look like a panther.

00:19:43.820 Let's bring out the supple leopard analogy here from Kelly Starrett, but I would like to

00:19:48.860 walk in and move lively.

00:19:51.120 Uh, I would like to move smoothly.

00:19:53.740 I don't want to walk in like my shoulders so tight that I like shift from side to side

00:19:58.240 with every step.

00:19:59.360 So I see those guys and I'm like, oh my gosh, you're missing out on so much just because

00:20:03.460 if they just tried yoga, if they did it regularly, they would get better at lifting too.

00:20:08.180 They would actually get stronger.

00:20:09.660 You know, you can only do so much lifting without changing things up and see progress.

00:20:15.200 Why does stretching help though?

00:20:16.400 I mean, what is it about the biology or whatever it may be in your muscles that stretching helps

00:20:21.000 you get stronger?

00:20:22.200 Yeah.

00:20:22.440 So more mobility, more range of motion, you're able to generate more power.

00:20:26.980 So you're going to able to lift more, more flexibility also means you recover more quickly.

00:20:31.580 So you'll get stronger more quickly, even done a few minutes a day is going to help to lengthen

00:20:40.240 sore muscles.

00:20:41.220 It helps those muscles release.

00:20:42.860 It helps those muscles relax.

00:20:45.500 And when your muscles do that, your muscles grow.

00:20:48.540 It's kind of a push pull.

00:20:50.320 Yeah.

00:20:50.460 You have to exhaust the muscles, but you also have to do this restorative work to maintain

00:20:56.320 muscles.

00:20:56.980 And from an injury resistance standpoint, doing yoga and improving your mobility, improving

00:21:02.600 your flexibility is huge for preventing injury.

00:21:06.360 If you're injured, you can't work out.

00:21:09.320 That's another big reason.

00:21:11.000 And I know to correct me if I'm wrong, because I'm not an expert on this stuff.

00:21:13.960 That's why I bring guys like yourself on is you have this lactic acid buildup, right?

00:21:19.440 When you're working out and stressing these muscles, does that help break some of that

00:21:23.080 up and disperse some of that acid so that that you're not as sore and that you recover?

00:21:26.940 That seems like what it's been for me anyways.

00:21:29.600 Yeah.

00:21:30.100 I mean, if that's what you're feeling, then yeah, I think, you know, movement is what

00:21:33.900 is break the black acid.

00:21:35.480 I'm not so sure if walking will be better for breaking up lactic acid versus stretching,

00:21:40.520 but the stretching definitely reduces the soreness.

00:21:43.400 I mean, it definitely reduces the soreness and it helps you get back to your workouts more

00:21:47.600 quickly.

00:21:48.860 Yeah.

00:21:49.440 Like I said, I've noticed that's what it's been for me.

00:21:53.160 I want to shift gears here because you had mentioned meditation and the mental benefits

00:21:59.760 of participating in yoga.

00:22:01.920 Can you walk me through some of those benefits or how that might look as opposed to just

00:22:05.440 saying, oh, meditation, like what are the actual benefits that come from that?

00:22:09.440 Why somebody would want to partake in this?

00:22:11.660 Yeah, sure.

00:22:12.040 And let me preface this by saying that my main focus is not meditation with what I do

00:22:17.460 with manful yoga, but I meditate on my own and I've had a regular meditation practice

00:22:21.420 for probably the last two or three years and try to do it.

00:22:24.740 So for me, I meditate every night before I go to bed.

00:22:27.720 So I just sit there and just try to take 10 to 20 minutes where I'm focusing on my breathing.

00:22:34.020 So meditation helps with stress relief.

00:22:37.260 Meditation helps just clear your head.

00:22:40.800 From a scientific standpoint, it helps to improve your heart rate variability.

00:22:46.120 Ryan Muncy just put out a book called F Your Feelings.

00:22:49.520 And he has a great chapter in there about heart rate variability.

00:22:54.900 Basically, the more we can improve our heart rate variability, we have less stress.

00:23:00.180 Our bodies are healthier.

00:23:01.620 We have a decreased risk of disease.

00:23:05.100 And one of the things that meditation has been proven to do is to improve your heart rate

00:23:10.280 variability.

00:23:11.280 You know, maybe we're not really quite sure why, but just sitting and breathing and trying

00:23:15.940 to focus on your breath helps to improve that.

00:23:18.580 I want to go back also to one of the things you talked about being the supple leopard or

00:23:25.040 the panther, right?

00:23:25.820 And I look at you and you obviously have this incredible physique.

00:23:30.280 What else are you doing?

00:23:31.580 Are you just doing yoga and eating correctly?

00:23:33.420 Are you strength training?

00:23:34.740 What else is it that you're doing to achieve the type of physical results that you obviously

00:23:39.620 have?

00:23:40.440 Yeah.

00:23:40.780 So for a while, I was actually only doing yoga.

00:23:43.860 So I think from 2013 to 2015, it might have been just because I'd been weightlifting so

00:23:49.480 long and playing lacrosse that I was just like sick of it.

00:23:53.140 I liked the different kind of soreness that I was getting from yoga.

00:23:56.300 But after a few years of only doing yoga and losing a lot of my upper body muscle, I realized

00:24:03.100 that I had to start doing weight training again.

00:24:06.300 So what I do now, I do deadlifts, I do squats, but I do a very short deadlift squat workout.

00:24:13.420 So I'll do those.

00:24:14.240 I try to do those at least once a week, but I'll only spend about 20 minutes doing that.

00:24:18.840 I'll actually use yoga as a warmup.

00:24:22.040 The other stuff I'll do is I try to go swimming.

00:24:25.040 I play sports.

00:24:25.860 So I still play lacrosse.

00:24:27.600 You know, that's a really good workout just because I get to run so much.

00:24:30.160 Uh, and I also do body weight exercise.

00:24:32.340 So I'll do, I think about one day a week, I'll do just a pushup and pull up session,

00:24:37.600 you know, where I'm spending about 30 minutes just doing some pushups and pull ups.

00:24:41.160 You know, when most people ask that question, you know, they want to hear what I'm doing,

00:24:44.600 but also really what you want to hear is what should I be doing to get that physique?

00:24:49.340 And sure.

00:24:50.200 The answer is, um, some people will put on muscle very easily and they'll be able to do

00:24:55.060 yoga and put on, you know, five, 10, maybe even 15 pounds of muscle.

00:24:59.720 Just based on their previous fitness experience or their history.

00:25:03.440 But what I recommend people do is that they combine yoga with resistance training.

00:25:09.200 Me doing that, that's what I've noticed to be, you know, the best results.

00:25:13.100 And just from a, from a exercise science standpoint, stretching and lengthening, but also core strength

00:25:20.220 training and, and muscle activation work, balance work, combining that with weight training.

00:25:25.660 Those are two kind of totally different exercises.

00:25:29.720 And when combined, they have incredible results on your body.

00:25:33.760 One reinforces the other.

00:25:35.540 So what you're not getting from your weight training, you're getting from yoga.

00:25:38.920 And without the significant resistance that you're getting from your yoga workouts, you're

00:25:45.460 going to be able to get from, from weight training.

00:25:47.840 So I recommend doing as many things as possible, changing it up, you know, following a program

00:25:53.940 that makes you excited when that's sustainable.

00:25:56.020 So it doesn't totally break your body down.

00:25:58.840 I think that a really big mistake that people make when they approach your fitness routine

00:26:03.100 is that they think that it has to make them sore every single day.

00:26:07.980 And after a month of that and just being sore all the time, it's, it's kind of miserable.

00:26:12.440 So in order for it to be sustainable, you're going to have some days where you're

00:26:16.280 really sore, absolutely, but you should be doing workouts that make you feel good afterwards.

00:26:20.720 And I think that's, what's really cool about yoga is when you do a yoga workout and you

00:26:24.120 can, you can probably attest to this, but you finish a yoga workout feeling energized,

00:26:29.900 right?

00:26:30.140 It's not like a weightlifting session when you, when you, when you do your last deadlift and

00:26:34.040 you're like, oh my God, I am so tired.

00:26:36.380 Right, right.

00:26:37.380 I can't get this.

00:26:38.560 Yeah.

00:26:38.920 Yeah.

00:26:39.440 It's totally different.

00:26:41.040 I look at some of the fittest guys that I know.

00:26:43.320 One in particular that comes to mind is Ben Greenfield.

00:26:45.780 And I've spent some time with Ben and that guy is always moving.

00:26:49.160 I mean, his level of energy is unreal.

00:26:50.980 And so, yeah, he's doing workouts.

00:26:53.220 Definitely.

00:26:53.560 No doubt.

00:26:54.160 I've seen him do his workouts in the morning, but then throughout the day, he's like, he's

00:26:58.580 constantly moving.

00:26:59.580 He's like, Hey, let's go for a bike ride.

00:27:00.900 Hey, let's go for a walk.

00:27:01.800 Hey, let's do this.

00:27:02.480 And then we'll be sitting around and he's like, I'm going to just crank out 20 pushups

00:27:05.460 real quick.

00:27:05.840 Like the guy is constantly moving.

00:27:08.640 And that's true of a lot of people that I've seen, whether it's instead of taking the elevator

00:27:12.880 and the escalator, I'm going to take the stairs.

00:27:14.320 Right.

00:27:14.940 Or I'm just going to go on a walk with my family tonight.

00:27:17.500 Instead of driving down to the park, we're going to go walk down there.

00:27:20.380 And I think if you just incorporate enough of that into your daily way of living, you're

00:27:26.100 going to see big, big results when you do that.

00:27:28.480 Yeah.

00:27:28.620 I think it's really great that just exercise and fitness in general is kind of being, there's

00:27:33.460 now a movement emerging.

00:27:35.180 There are people who are, instead of saying, this is your workout program, it's like, this

00:27:39.880 is your movement plan, or this is your movement practice.

00:27:42.660 So instead of thinking about it as a workout, you're just moving more often.

00:27:47.320 And that's something that I do.

00:27:49.600 And my fiance has gotten used to this, but I'll stretch all the time.

00:27:53.700 Like I'll just be standing in line at the grocery store and I'm like, I'm just going

00:27:56.340 to bust out a few lunges here, not to like work up a sweat or anything, but just because

00:28:00.660 maybe my hips are tight, you know, I've been sitting and I'm not doing anything else while

00:28:05.040 I'm just sitting here.

00:28:05.860 So I might as well do something.

00:28:07.360 And I've gotten to the point now where it doesn't bother me if people look at me while

00:28:11.800 I'm doing it.

00:28:12.580 I have no comprehension of their weird stares.

00:28:16.160 I'm just, I'm over it at this point.

00:28:18.300 They probably think you're the weird one and you probably think they're the weird ones,

00:28:20.920 right?

00:28:21.160 So it balances itself out.

00:28:23.380 Absolutely.

00:28:23.720 I mean, I'd rather be moving than be sedentary and just live a life less than I'm capable of living.

00:28:28.320 I mean, for me, it's, it's simple changes too.

00:28:30.380 You know, like I've got one of these Vara desks where you can crank it up and stand up

00:28:34.380 because I am sitting at my computer a lot of time throughout the day.

00:28:36.560 And so now I can stand up and do that.

00:28:38.600 My watch, you know, it's tracking steps, just like most people's watches or their phone or

00:28:42.680 whatever, because it's just reminding us like constantly be moving, engaging.

00:28:48.340 I just think evolutionary, that's how we're designed to perform is to constantly be moving

00:28:53.060 when we're in our waking hours.

00:28:55.060 And the more we can do it, I think the better off we'll be.

00:28:57.280 Yeah, absolutely.

00:28:58.020 I think the easiest thing that you people can start doing is just, uh, I mean, not only

00:29:02.220 standing up at their desk and just start moving a little bit and doing, you know, random stretches

00:29:05.980 every 30 minutes or so for 30 seconds or a minute.

00:29:09.020 Not only is that going to improve your physical fitness, but it also improves your mental fitness

00:29:14.680 when you just take a break to stretch and to not do something and to take a little break.

00:29:18.900 It just gives your mind a little bit of time to recharge.

00:29:22.100 So just little things like that, taking five or 10 minute walks.

00:29:25.820 If it's just, you know, around the office building, that's fine.

00:29:28.760 If you can actually get outside and get in the sun, that's even better.

00:29:32.600 But yeah, just trying to do more movement.

00:29:34.620 I know you've heard a lot about the iron council by now, but the question is, have you taken

00:29:41.180 the time to find out the benefits that it offers?

00:29:43.960 I mean, quite honestly, when I launched the iron council, which is our exclusive mastermind

00:29:48.560 more than two years ago, I really wasn't aware of what it would turn into.

00:29:53.680 I mean, this is a collection of over 400 men from all over the world working together

00:29:58.260 to improve their lives.

00:29:59.500 And as I've seen the men inside the iron council transform themselves, they've salvaged

00:30:04.120 their marriages, connected with their children.

00:30:06.920 These guys have secured job promotions, launched new businesses.

00:30:10.680 They've gained a level of focus and clarity that they hadn't had for a very long time,

00:30:15.540 develop confidence and assertiveness in their lives and the conversations they're having

00:30:19.040 and generally just live more fulfilled and satisfied lives.

00:30:22.780 It's been very rewarding for me.

00:30:24.600 Whether you feel like you've plateaued in life, or maybe you're just looking to take

00:30:29.280 your life to the next level, your health or your business or your relationship, finding

00:30:33.680 other highly motivated men to encourage you, to support you.

00:30:37.940 And of course, give you the kick in the pants when you may need that just can't be overstated.

00:30:42.800 So if you're interested in learning more about how the brotherhood may help you, you can head

00:30:47.880 to order of man.com slash iron council.

00:30:50.920 Again, it's order of man.com slash iron council.

00:30:54.040 I hope to see you guys inside.

00:30:55.920 You can do that after the podcast, but for now we'll get back to the conversation.

00:30:59.280 So how often then do you have a formal yoga session?

00:31:04.800 Is it every day?

00:31:05.760 I'm doing yoga every day.

00:31:07.280 It doesn't mean that I'm doing yoga for, I'm not waking up every morning and doing like

00:31:11.020 a 75 minute yoga practice.

00:31:13.060 Mostly what I'm doing is I'm waking up.

00:31:15.560 I take my dogs outside and then based on how I feel.

00:31:20.000 When you say how you feel like specific areas of your body or how you feel generally, what

00:31:24.800 are you talking about?

00:31:25.300 Yeah.

00:31:25.960 So it depends on how my body is feeling and I consider what I've done the day before.

00:31:31.520 So like if I did weightlifting the day before, I might do some stretching that targets those 0.94

00:31:37.120 areas that I worked.

00:31:38.680 If I did some yoga the day before and I'm already feeling really loose, then I'll go for a walk

00:31:44.000 instead.

00:31:44.360 So it really all depends how I feel, but I probably end up doing 45 minutes of yoga per

00:31:50.520 day.

00:31:51.160 And that sounds like a lot, but I'm combining a lot of sessions together.

00:31:55.080 So I'm doing like 10 minutes or 15 minutes in the morning.

00:31:58.240 I'm doing five or 10 minutes while I'm at the office.

00:32:01.540 I'm doing another five or 10 minutes in the afternoon.

00:32:04.640 And then maybe at night I'm going to do some pigeon or some lizard, right?

00:32:09.060 Some, some, so those are restorative hip stretches for 10 minutes. 1.00

00:32:12.360 And not to mention, I'm, I'm doing maybe one or two training sessions a day.

00:32:17.740 And so I'll do those with my clients.

00:32:20.820 I'm practicing yoga a lot, but it's not all, you know, it's not 60 minutes at once.

00:32:26.440 It's spaced out throughout the day.

00:32:28.920 What would you consider for somebody who's listening to this, like the minimum dose?

00:32:32.820 I certainly subscribe to doing this scattered throughout the day, but I think there's a

00:32:36.560 lot of guys who would probably be good with taking, I don't know, 30 minutes every couple

00:32:41.440 of days and doing it.

00:32:42.420 I mean, what's the minimum dose somebody should incorporate this in their lives?

00:32:45.340 What I've started recommending is a hundred minutes per week.

00:32:48.960 Okay.

00:32:49.360 So that means 10 minutes per day for five, I think if my math adds up, so five times at

00:32:56.360 or four times at, let's say 10 minutes per day, and then two times per week at 30 minutes

00:33:02.000 per day.

00:33:02.920 Okay.

00:33:03.060 So maybe 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes at night, something like that.

00:33:06.120 Yeah.

00:33:06.540 So I think that people should be doing two medium to longer yoga workouts per week.

00:33:13.020 So where you're taking at least 25 or 30 minutes and you're doing exercises from yoga that focus

00:33:20.100 on specific aspects of your fitness that your other types of workouts aren't hitting.

00:33:24.180 So where you're taking 25 to, you know, maybe 60 minutes or even 75 minutes, you know, if

00:33:29.860 you have the time for that and you want to spend the time on that, but you're focusing

00:33:33.240 on things like balance, isometric exercises like a lunge hold or a squat hold, specific

00:33:40.760 posture strengthening exercises, backbending exercises.

00:33:45.200 So again, these kinds of things that you're not doing when you're lifting weights or you're

00:33:48.320 doing other types of movement, but are absolutely critical for your overall fitness.

00:33:55.200 Yeah.

00:33:55.280 I've noticed because I really like lifting weights and I've noticed with yoga, it's helped

00:33:59.240 me certainly in my squat because it's helped me get some more depth, which builds the muscles

00:34:05.020 that I wasn't previously building.

00:34:06.420 So there's that.

00:34:07.080 Uh, it's also helped me on my deadlift because my back, I mean, most of the day I'm spent

00:34:12.900 hunched over, rounded over my computer, but if I can get my back upright and my spine aligned

00:34:20.880 and get that natural curvature back, then that helps me keep my back straight where it needs

00:34:24.820 to be with a deadlift.

00:34:25.760 I can see how all of this connects with each other and just helps you improve in other areas

00:34:30.140 of life.

00:34:31.100 Absolutely.

00:34:31.500 I think that's most of what I hear is the squat and, and the deadlift.

00:34:35.920 I mean, being able to keep your back flat and a deadlift, because most people, you know,

00:34:40.360 most people just the hamstrings aren't there.

00:34:43.380 Some other things I've heard too, are people who have never been able to get their, their

00:34:47.960 glutes engaged.

00:34:49.140 One other thing that yoga helps if it's practiced in a certain way, I have to add that little

00:34:52.860 addendum.

00:34:53.320 If it's, if yoga is practiced in a certain way, it can significantly improve your muscle

00:34:58.560 activation so that you're using muscles that you weren't using before.

00:35:03.260 One of the biggest results of sitting at a desk or being sedentary is a lack of glute

00:35:10.120 activation, a lack of core activation, and a lack of scapular stability.

00:35:15.600 So the muscles between your shoulder blades, your butt muscles, and your core, those muscles

00:35:21.420 just kind of turn to mush while you're sitting.

00:35:23.540 And then we go to work out and those muscles don't just automatically engage.

00:35:28.380 You have to do specific exercises to improve the awareness of those muscles.

00:35:35.100 And you have to do specific exercises to activate those, those muscles before your workout.

00:35:40.880 Think of a switchboard, right?

00:35:42.200 We're, we're switching things from the off to the on switch, and you have to be deliberate

00:35:46.980 about that in order to get those muscles firing. 0.51

00:35:49.740 So I've got people who are saying like, Hey Dean, like I've never been able to engage

00:35:53.120 my glutes before.

00:35:54.280 And I've been doing your yoga program and actually built a butt.

00:35:57.860 When we're talking about guys, you know, some guys are always weirded out when we say like,

00:36:01.220 yeah, make your butt stronger. 0.67

00:36:02.260 They're like, I'm a guy.

00:36:03.120 I don't need to work on my, no, you need to work on your butt. 0.92

00:36:06.160 Well, I think, yeah, your butt, your glutes, your ham, all that stuff.

00:36:08.920 That's like the core of, of your strength.

00:36:11.180 Like you probably ought to figure that stuff out.

00:36:13.300 Right.

00:36:13.680 That's what you use to run, to jump, deadlift, to squat.

00:36:17.800 Yeah.

00:36:18.080 I guess it's interesting to me because even as an athlete and someone who's been working

00:36:23.760 out since he was six, I didn't have great glute activation either.

00:36:28.360 And it's because we spend so much time sitting.

00:36:30.300 So even if you think you're in really great shape, I would say definitely there are things

00:36:34.960 that yoga can do for you that you didn't even realize.

00:36:38.040 Oh yeah, I'm sure.

00:36:39.140 I mean, anytime you try something new, you're going to activate an entirely different set

00:36:44.300 of muscles than you're used to activating.

00:36:45.980 Absolutely.

00:36:46.880 Yeah.

00:36:47.100 I wanted to avoid asking you where should somebody start?

00:36:51.280 Because quite honestly, it's, it's, it's kind of a dumb question.

00:36:54.020 Cause you wrote the book on it, which is like, so somebody's thinking, all right, yeah, I

00:36:58.900 get it.

00:36:59.240 I want to do this stuff.

00:37:00.020 I want to give it a try.

00:37:00.720 Where do I start?

00:37:01.320 You just, you buy the book and the way the book is written, it's easy to just pick up and

00:37:06.480 say, all right, I'm going to do this workout.

00:37:08.580 And then tomorrow I'm going to do that workout.

00:37:10.500 And it's all listed out there.

00:37:11.660 So I'm not going to ask you that question because we have the answer to it.

00:37:14.960 But the question I do want to ask is, you know, what are some tips or tricks or just

00:37:18.980 some things to be aware of?

00:37:20.160 Maybe one or two things to be aware of as we are getting started into the practice of

00:37:25.080 yoga.

00:37:25.380 I actually, there's a chapter in my book called seven essential yoga practices or seven

00:37:32.460 essential concepts to keep in mind when practicing yoga.

00:37:36.480 And you know what?

00:37:37.180 I'm just going to read them off.

00:37:38.640 I've got the book right here.

00:37:40.020 So I will, I've got mine as well.

00:37:41.640 So, okay, cool.

00:37:42.760 And I think I've got a blog on this too, but I don't think it includes all the concepts.

00:37:47.260 I think it just includes three.

00:37:49.060 So number one is to use slow controlled movement before I read these.

00:37:54.460 The point is, I think there are certain concepts that you have to keep in mind because yoga

00:37:59.080 is different from so many of the other types of exercises that you've tried before that

00:38:04.340 if you approach it like weightlifting, you're just going to hurt yourself.

00:38:07.740 And if you approach it the same way you approach other disciplines, other physical fitness

00:38:12.680 disciplines, you're not going to be using your time efficiently.

00:38:15.700 So there's a few things I want to say.

00:38:17.680 So number one is use slow controlled movement.

00:38:19.960 So in yoga, it's all about slow controlled movement.

00:38:24.160 I can't put that any other way.

00:38:26.280 So you're slowing things down.

00:38:27.700 You're focusing on your body.

00:38:29.180 You're not speeding through things.

00:38:30.660 It's all very deliberate, slow practice.

00:38:33.960 Number two is the relationship between your breath and your body.

00:38:37.560 So I think yoga more than any other type of fitness I've done, and I've done everything.

00:38:42.160 I've done crossfit.

00:38:43.380 I've done swimming.

00:38:44.140 I played pretty much every sport, even basketball, even when I was a really, really short kid

00:38:48.700 for my age playing, playing basketball.

00:38:50.820 But I've done pretty much everything.

00:38:52.240 And nothing has, nothing has focused as much on breath as yoga has.

00:38:57.900 And so when you start to connect your breath with your body, with your movement, incredible

00:39:02.360 things happen.

00:39:03.480 You know, I'm not saying you achieve enlightenment.

00:39:05.480 But when you combine your breath with your movement, it's so much easier to do what you're

00:39:10.960 trying to do.

00:39:11.780 So number two is breath and body connection.

00:39:15.000 Three is engage your core.

00:39:17.020 Mostly I'm referring to your abdominal muscles.

00:39:19.340 I think people forget to do that during yoga, and that helps to prevent injury, but also improves

00:39:23.480 your performance in yoga.

00:39:25.920 And I'll just include one other because this is getting kind of long.

00:39:29.240 The last thing I would say is accept that it's a different kind of push.

00:39:32.860 So when you're weightlifting, the goal is to just move the weight, right?

00:39:37.680 Get it off the ground.

00:39:39.320 To essentially force it if you have to.

00:39:41.660 Right.

00:39:42.360 Absolutely.

00:39:43.080 And with yoga, you're actually, with a lot of these poses, you're actually relaxing into

00:39:49.140 the pose.

00:39:50.120 Now, that doesn't mean that you're totally disengaging your muscles.

00:39:53.340 But in order for you to work deeper into the posture, you have to relax.

00:39:58.440 You have to use your exhale.

00:40:00.400 You have to relax your shoulders.

00:40:02.120 You have to release tension in order to work deeper and improve your mobility.

00:40:06.880 And that's something that's totally different.

00:40:08.420 So instead of pushing yourself to push harder, you're pushing yourself to let go and relax.

00:40:14.720 And for guys, when they're working out, I think that's really hard to do.

00:40:18.260 And that's why I call it a different kind of push.

00:40:20.640 Instead of using all your might and just struggling, struggling, struggling, it's surrendering

00:40:25.640 in a sense.

00:40:26.540 It's actually letting go of the tension.

00:40:28.940 And I've noticed that, you know, I'll go into a move, for example, or a movement or

00:40:33.200 a position and think, oh, this is all I've got.

00:40:35.860 But then you focus on your breathing and you breathe out and you're like, oh, I can go

00:40:39.740 a little deeper.

00:40:40.440 I can go a little further.

00:40:41.520 And so, yeah, you're right.

00:40:42.600 Letting go, I think, is the perfect definition or description of how you make that work.

00:40:47.200 Well, we're bumping up against time, man.

00:40:48.900 I'd love to know how the guys can connect with you.

00:40:51.920 But before I get to that, I wanted to ask you that question I prepared you for, which

00:40:55.180 is what does it mean to be a man?

00:40:57.180 Yeah.

00:40:57.400 So last time I was on the podcast, I was blindsided by this question.

00:41:00.440 I know I threw you under the bus last time.

00:41:02.040 I prepared you this time though, man.

00:41:03.600 Yeah, yeah.

00:41:04.100 I actually, I sent you a message a month ago because it bugged me, you know, that it bugged

00:41:08.220 me when you asked me that question.

00:41:09.260 Not that you asked that question, but that I didn't have a response prepared.

00:41:12.860 Now that I've been able to like take my nose out of the books, doesn't mean I'm not reading

00:41:17.640 anymore, but it doesn't mean that I'm actually, I'm doing a better job of creating my own

00:41:22.100 philosophy and developing my own thoughts as opposed to just regurgitating other people's

00:41:26.840 thoughts.

00:41:27.340 But eventually you get to the point where you're just reading the same thing over and over

00:41:30.400 again.

00:41:31.460 You realize that all of these ideas have come from people hundreds of years before them.

00:41:36.820 Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Think and Grow Rich.

00:41:40.100 Anyways, the lessons are coming from those.

00:41:41.500 But anyways, my definition of being a man, and I'm not going to read directly off of what

00:41:45.780 I wrote before.

00:41:46.560 I'm going to try and paraphrase it.

00:41:48.140 My definition of a man is someone who has taken the time to develop a personal philosophy,

00:41:53.860 someone who makes actions and makes decisions based on this personal philosophy.

00:42:00.120 This personal philosophy has to be in congruence with universal principles.

00:42:05.120 And I think that the real measure of a man is when his personal philosophy is really tested

00:42:09.420 is when his philosophy goes against what popular culture, when it goes against that, whether

00:42:17.140 or not you continue to adhere to your principles, that's when that's when it's really tested.

00:42:21.700 So I think a man is someone who's taken the time to develop his own personal philosophy and

00:42:25.800 who really sticks to it, even in the face of peer pressure or cultural stereotypes.

00:42:31.660 Right on.

00:42:32.780 That's powerful.

00:42:33.340 I agree with that.

00:42:34.140 I've got my own philosophy and I know a lot of guys do as well.

00:42:36.660 So that's really powerful.

00:42:38.320 Well, Dean, how do we connect with you and learn more about what you're doing, including

00:42:41.500 picking up a copy of the book?

00:42:42.820 Yeah.

00:42:43.160 So the book is available on Amazon.

00:42:45.600 It's also being sold in Barnes and Noble.

00:42:48.080 It's at Books a Million.

00:42:49.420 As far as I know, it's available in over 15 countries right now.

00:42:52.560 So it is internationally published.

00:42:54.320 So you can pretty much get it anywhere that books are sold.

00:42:58.060 And once you buy the book, send an email to help at manflowyoga.com and I'll actually

00:43:03.740 hook you up with six bonus video routines from the book.

00:43:07.460 So you'll be able to use those videos and those workouts to practice with the book.

00:43:12.080 And as far as connecting with me, everything that I put out is on my website at manflowyoga.com,

00:43:17.740 M-A-N-F-L-O-W yoga.com. 0.76

00:43:20.040 And I'm also on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

00:43:24.640 And I won't tell you to follow one specific one because we put out different content on

00:43:28.880 all of those.

00:43:29.580 But I think that the YouTube and the Facebook are the most valuable if you're looking for

00:43:33.640 practical pieces of information on how to include yoga and use it to improve your fitness.

00:43:39.520 Right on, man.

00:43:39.860 We'll make sure we link all that up so the guys can connect.

00:43:42.120 Dean, I got to tell you, I appreciate you.

00:43:43.480 It's been good to get to know you over the past couple of years.

00:43:45.560 And then, of course, your help on my own fitness journey has been instrumental,

00:43:49.400 specifically over the last couple of months as I've incorporated this since he sent the

00:43:52.580 book over to me.

00:43:53.880 It's really been helpful.

00:43:55.080 I mean, I feel better.

00:43:56.660 You brought up your hips, I think, a few weeks ago.

00:43:58.860 How's that lower back issue doing?

00:44:01.340 So much better.

00:44:02.540 So much.

00:44:02.780 I mean, it's still there and it still plagues me and nags at me in times.

00:44:05.980 But for the most part, like I've been able to manage it and control it.

00:44:09.100 And even if I'm out, for example, on a run or I just get done with a workout, even if

00:44:13.920 I just do some quick, basic stretching.

00:44:16.380 So I might not do a session, but I might take like a pigeon stretch or the one that feels 0.98

00:44:21.900 really good is a happy baby.

00:44:23.840 Yeah.

00:44:24.280 And just sit there and just do that really quick after a run or after a workout or beforehand.

00:44:28.640 It's like, oh, good.

00:44:29.660 I addressed it before it turned into an issue.

00:44:31.520 So it's really been helpful.

00:44:32.760 Yeah, really quick.

00:44:33.560 I think that what you just said is another really good tip for starting yoga.

00:44:37.600 You don't have to do a full workout.

00:44:39.860 You know, you could just follow a workout and then from that, you know, which postures

00:44:43.840 work well for you.

00:44:44.860 So it doesn't have to be like a 30 minute session.

00:44:47.200 You could just spend five minutes stretching and that counts and that does something.

00:44:52.140 Yeah.

00:44:52.460 Yeah.

00:44:52.820 No, I know that's been good for me.

00:44:54.000 So we're right on, man.

00:44:55.420 Well, I appreciate you.

00:44:56.340 Appreciate you helping out and being on this journey.

00:44:58.720 And we'll make sure we get all the guys connected with this.

00:45:01.120 So thanks for being on the show today, man.

00:45:02.520 Yeah, absolutely.

00:45:03.200 Thanks for having me.

00:45:05.180 Gentlemen, there it is.

00:45:05.960 My conversation with Dean Pullman talking about yoga fitness for men.

00:45:10.660 I know a lot of you probably had some preconceived notions going into this podcast.

00:45:15.600 I hope you stuck around.

00:45:16.500 I hope you tuned in because I think if you did, you probably recognize how powerful this

00:45:21.200 can actually be.

00:45:22.480 I know it certainly has been for me and I had my own preconceived notions about why I should

00:45:27.820 not do yoga, but it's been a measurable improvement when it comes to strength and just fitness

00:45:33.220 and living a healthier lifestyle in general.

00:45:36.320 So guys, if you haven't yet done this, make sure that you check out his book.

00:45:40.480 Again, Yoga Fitness for Men.

00:45:42.500 It's very practical.

00:45:44.220 It's very well put together.

00:45:46.080 Lots of images so you can see the different poses and how to work your bodies out and tell

00:45:50.840 you what to look for and what not to do.

00:45:52.620 And it's just a good informative book.

00:45:54.520 And you can just take these exercises in a very short period of time and just pick one.

00:45:58.520 Like maybe you've got some lower back issues like I do or a hip problem.

00:46:03.060 You can select and isolate that through different exercises in the book.

00:46:06.940 It's pretty cool.

00:46:07.700 So you can go to the show notes for this page, or you can pick up a copy of his book.

00:46:12.780 And then also make sure that you just hit either one of us up on Twitter or Instagram

00:46:16.240 or Facebook, wherever you are.

00:46:18.040 Let us know what you thought about the show.

00:46:19.720 Let us know what you're incorporating.

00:46:21.040 Let Dean know what you think about the book and his message.

00:46:23.560 And then, as I mentioned before, make sure if you would leave a iTunes rating and review

00:46:29.240 goes again, such a long way.

00:46:31.140 And if you've gotten any value over the past three, three and a half years, it would just

00:46:35.100 be a great way to say, thank you.

00:46:37.020 I read every one of those reviews.

00:46:38.760 And again, it goes a long way in building up the visibility here of the message within

00:46:42.740 the order of man.

00:46:44.140 So guys, with that said, I am going to sign out for today.

00:46:48.280 Make sure you tune it on Friday.

00:46:49.800 We've got a good Friday field notes this week.

00:46:51.520 So subscribe to the show so you don't miss that.

00:46:54.080 But until Friday, take action and become the man you are meant to be.

00:46:59.120 Thank you for listening to the Order of Man podcast.

00:47:02.080 If you're ready to take charge of your life and be more of the man you were meant to be,

00:47:06.100 we invite you to join the order at orderofman.com.

Order of Man - July 17, 2018

174： Yoga Fitness for Men ｜ Dean Pohlman

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