59: Dylan Bernstein: Maximizing Mental and Physical Wellness Through Yoga and Other Eastern Practices

0:00 What can we learn from the words of iconic? Hip-hop group, Public, Enemy IE, don't believe the hype when it comes to embracing the latest trends in mindfulness, meditation and yoga how can yoga help us? Not only extend the length of our life but quote live in this moment 10 times as insightful and ten times as appreciative of the colors and tastes and everything else to be enjoyed. And what can two friends who last saw each other? A Grateful Dead show at Chicago's Soldier Field in 1992, have to talk about after more than 30 years stay tuned. As we dive into these and many other topics on this Encore episode of untether your life. Welcome to untether your life, show that empowers you to own your own health and break free of templates for managing physical and mental wellness.

0:54 And looks at Key issues, impacting the South Asian diaspora. I am your host and Kilt or sacar and I'm passionate about the power of conversation to catalyze change. One of the things I love about this podcast is reconnecting with folks who I haven't spoken to an ages and having them share their insights for the benefit of you. The Listener one of these individuals is the guest on Squeaks Encore episode of untether your life. Dylan Bernstein, I've met Dylan and summer school in 1988. We went to a Grateful Dead show together as high schoolers in 1992 and we reconnected last summer after more than 30 years. Dylan was a perfect guest for this podcast. As his journey breaks, probably, every template that we were handed in high school.

1:35 He's become one of the world's Authorities on many of the modalities we frequently discussed in this podcast, including yoga South Asian, wisdom, traditions, and pranayama. I am or breath book. Dylan was introduced to yoga over 30 years ago before recently returning to his hometown of Toledo, Ohio. He had maintained his home base in Vietnam. India prolly in Hong Kong since 2001, he has maintained a daily practice of Ashtanga yoga for over two decades. Dylan regularly teaches on five continents and is built Mysore. Yoga groups in Hong Kong, Istanbul, and Bali. He has a master's degree in Buddhist studies, as well as certifications from the shriek a pattabhi jois, Ashtanga Yoga. Our Institute and yoga Alliance Ashtanga Vinyasa coupled with pranayama and other sitting practices continue to be the foundations of his understandings and teachings.

2:23 And with that let's get untethered. That is a lot of story. I'm so glad we were able to connect last summer and whatsa happen. Amazing discussion that we had and I'm so glad that were able to continue it today. It's nice to know ya know it's an honor to be invited all these years later to find this point of connection here where it's B. We're optimistic that there's some so part that's greater than myself, greater than yourself, our shared experiences and what we offer that there's synergistic connection, that's going to be a great benefit to all your community to hopefully do my community. I think your story is fascinating as well. I think it's great, too. There were connected. I think it's amazing that you've taken the time as well.

3:03 Instead of just settling into the normal sort of unsatisfactoriness Paducah of what most people consider daily life. The look at How you might completely change completely re-evaluate myself in midlife and make huge, and, and, and difficult changes to bring about a much healthier experience for yourself for your loved one, for your family. And then that just ripples out. I think it's really inspiring what you're doing as well. So it's a great honor to be here and I'd forgotten one that michiel you are also a dearly grateful and devoted disciple of Jennifer bars whole hearts Teacher who's a brilliant mind, a brilliant pedagogue. And doesn't rely on what people think of her or or flashy techniques what she relies on his listening to adolescents and listening to students, they herb, etiology is amazing. She's an incredibly important person in my life because she was also my first yoga teacher in 1980, and then she was not an established yoga teacher.

4:06 She did not teach yoga asked her that she just thought. What would I do? What could I do? If I, if I was able to offer you This small selective group of students every day for a month and for me that you set up the foundation of actually, what would become the Bedrock of my entire life. So I'm always immensely grateful, we never know, we never know the impact, our words and our actions, and our teachings will have about other people. Teddy, of course, being Jenny. She's like oh I didn't know what I was doing and it's not a big deal. Don't worry about, it's very humble, you very humble. But for me as a yoga practitioner and even yoga Special, whatever that means these days my introduction to yoga was probably one of the most important things that ever could have happened in my life.

4:53 So I'm always at her feet. Basically, I'm always grateful for our tradition of of being incredibly, incredibly grateful to the first teacher, and that's what matters. So, so much we have a good teacher. We can never never discount the value of having a good teacher in any. I wasn't aware that Jenny. It's all day, actually, even pluck yoga. And I didn't realize that because, obviously, we can, we had stayed connected through Facebook, and I'd see he rocked age, you became like, the modern-day car in San Diego. It's like, where in the world is Dylan. This this month he's in Bali, this monkeys in Prague, tell me more. I'd love to hear more about how the yoga practice was was in high school.

5:36 Like, were you actively practicing it? I'd love to know because I was unaware of what up my distinct memory of you. Ooh, from high school is not just the writing Workshop. I remember we also went to a Grateful Dead show. Doug ha. I literally have to go. I don't know. I have no recollection of, what do you even the Grateful, who? I'm not guarantee that those records are sealed. Right out, wait a minute. Wait, I'm hearing some colors. Oh yeah, should have been. Oh yeah yeah yeah those are those are some fun times there. Yeah. Grateful Dead show and also remember that you are the peanut gallery in a lot of the basketball babes you and Brian and On you guys were all he's heckling the other teams. So, it's interesting to juxtapose the Whole Yoga angle into that. I'd love to hear more about sort of back in good old Long Valley, sort of how yoga inform your out, your daily practices ice. Yeah, that's great, man, it's cool because I'm here where I grew up and where discovered your him during Toledo, right now, right in your eye right now, just outside Toledo. And and I haven't, I have not spent much time here since 92, since high school, it was fascinating. It was such an interesting gift to discover yoga as a 13 or 14 year old.

6:50 And to have it with me, they'll like you said, you didn't realize I wasn't some sort of I wasn't identifying publicly as you're walking around with a math under your on your alright. Well I mean we there were no studios may be in New York, you know a few Studios and started may be in l.a. a few Studios had started London Tokyo, I don't know, but in 89, it's certainly not around. Here not in Detroit, maybe at the YMCA in big cities, but yeah, but yoga was was fairly unheard of. It was not a vintage. Yeah, raineesha there was not really a commercial place, so there's no identification or out which in some ways was very beautiful. There is no, well, I'm a yogi.

7:31 So that means these things, it was just a practice for me, but I was very lucky to to have Jennifer and have Stern. Another teacher Valley, gift us, this yoga practice that that I could do. Do and call upon any time anywhere. So my teen turbulent, like you said, it's the practice just being in high school is is a spits spits, tricky, being analyzed it. Something obviously, maybe not as rigorous as I started, there was a daily thing. But was it something that you would sort of if you had a stressful day or our basketball team, got thumped in your takes fingery heart isn't as a rat as the ravaged stand that you were, who are you would come home and, like, would you engage in some meditation, to try to manage the For, as I did not practice like you like you've noted.

8:16 I did not practice daily back then was not a regular saying, like many things in the lives of our lessons and people in their 20s, it was a great dane that I knew was helping me. But I only did it when I remembered which sometimes weeks or months with us when I didn't practice every Democrat, this Towers fell. Well, yeah, this is a great thing. Like, I can breathe. I can, I feel much more spacious in my life and I think, once I realized that I had ordered Double pocket sized parachute. Then when I got pretty bummed out when I was maybe 15 16 years old. And then once I realized, oh wait, I have a therapeutic with me at all times, and I can't really do it wrong. There's no harmful side effects and I could do it anytime anywhere.

9:01 Then, when I would remember, I could bring myself back from whatever extreme I was at. So, I never really got solo again because I knew. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa, I'm getting desperately. Sad. Out or frustrated? Or I have an honest. Okay, well I know I can do this practice and then I'll feel better. I would seek the highest of the highs as well, they're all sorts of means and sometimes those suck dick bags, would leave me lost the words at a loss per action at a loss for self-identity. Coming back from what. Now, the kids consider so medicinal coming back from some of that to be able to come down. He was a nice Tethered to reality. He was always there, tether to the unchanging gratitude for existence, simply for existing and that loud.

9:48 That allowed me to explore really far out because I knew, I could always come back. They don't even lose incredibly useful but also to your points, it felt that it needed to be secret. I felt that he could tell the practice and my meditation practice. Whether there were well, informed or totally all Basin whatever I felt the day. They needed to be secret because I noticed once I told some well, hey, I was just doing yoga. Oh, hey, I had an interesting experience in meditation. It became something else. It became something in their mind. Something in my mind, my identity changed. So for about 15, 16 years, did you feel there was some like skepticism where people would say oh that's some freaky Voodoo stuff or what?

10:34 No, the opposite and responsible when they're like, oh, You do yoga. Oh, you, you know, things your spiritual? Oh, the worst thing that could happen. I am a pre Instagram generation. The worst thing that could happen to me. Was that I would believe my own be Essence. Worried about how great I am. If you believe the hype, you believe your own hype basically exactly. I mean, we grew up with Flavor. Flav - clear don't believe the hype right, he's high, don't Kelly's, I see yeah, yeah. So we really did grow up in a dump. Leave the high time we could look around and see. Yeah. You're just trying to sell me something. I don't know that. I'm going to believe that whereas now people growing up, it's all hyped, right? It doesn't matter if you're particularly knowledgeable or good at something, if you could just type it up. That's fine.

11:24 That's just as good and yoga has become part and parcel of that. So, I feel blessed to have found you ago, but blessed in my life, narrative to have been able to practice. Basically, you know, vacuum, they lead the way I was set up as well, if he had done, Wall and broken like Grunge music broke for us or hip-hop. I wouldn't abandon it. I would have high knowing how popular and commercialized. It's a potential had become. It would have been very difficult for me as an iconoclastic, use to jump in with both seat and keep it personal and keep it sacred. And I don't mean, I don't mean Sanctified by any church or religion or Temple or of the your personal that had Had a lot of great import to you and in your, in your DNA to basically ride. So it is it really is?

12:16 Yeah, it's brilliant because it's really for anyone. Anyone, anytime any? Yeah, you know, we've got an idea that it's for these people are those people are only for those know, it's interesting because as you remember, I mean, Maumee Valley was extremely creepy professionally, it was a great school. I mean, I had a great experience. There will definitely a lot of good times, but it was definitely a very like, a pre-professional. Line where it was either, there are three choices, doctor, lawyer, failure, and you've obviously blazed a very different path from the norm in which is always been fascinated. So like, how did you go from the, you had to like Antioch undergrad. Is that, is that? Yeah, I went to Antioch long enough and realizing, why was there were?

12:59 We're more of a third category either just almost daily. Her. I was failing at being school, but yeah, it was good. How did you go from their first day on campus to Becoming one of the preeminent. So dollars of yoga these days, I've learned to hear the German Antioch actually had a yoga teacher on staffs who wreckage, ope credit. I think one semester, rigid hand, I did hand bolt, and then then there's another semester I did yoga, and I wish that I in retrospect, I had the great opportunity, actually. I'm I'm hopeful, I don't know if it will happen, but as I spend more time in Toledo, I would love to offer yoga classes to the University of Toledo students, because it's such a crazy time in your life.

13:42 And to Mommy, baroness says, well to high school students, it's such a wild time and if you can find some tether to ground it, where you might hope to recover a bit of a center so you could sit down and do the really, really important academic work that you're being asked to do. You when you're 19 years old, which is crazy to me. But okay. So does that class at Antioch kind of re-enrich re-engage that part of your brain with your Bitty traduce to yoga in high school or what was the sort of was the evolution or was it a little bit less significant? Well, it was interesting to go and it was the first time since freshman year with Jenny's at I'd practiced in a room of other people doing yoga. The first, I was in a non secret personal practice was he was Certainly the biggest your, by practicing because we might have 20 or 30 people there, which was huge. He's, I didn't know that many people did yoga in the midwest, you know, I had no idea that, that white bread. So that was helpful.

14:42 But on still my practice with personal, I continued to study Eastern philosophy, taoism land. And even as I'm here, you have a major and do it as studies, right? That's right. Then later, I went back and got my masters. I'm Buddhist studies, but the next huge leap, Word was going to India. George is our motherland artlab. Distorts it all as you power as you know, then I don't have any Indian blood. I cannot, I cannot claim that privilege, but but my mom's twin married, an Indian man, when I was, they've been together since before I was born. So I grew up in the wake of the fap. The girl here on the male human being would had some exposure to Indian culture than it sounds like yeah, your three or four people and a curiosity, you know, I don't know. Go.

15:29 So eventually I made it my first trip was 13 months and then I started to find different Yogi's around and also look at the cultural Roots which I think are Jeff woman. What a Spore, do to make that trip to India? Was it just out of curiosity or sort of what? Yeah, well, it took you there. Well yeah, as a kid, I grew up reading comic books. My dad only comic book store. Yeah. Not remembered so much because I'm still here is that still around? Or if it is not, it is not good. Think most of us talk inside home, who's on Reynolds Reynolds Road and All right. As right door. Street Cafe, huh? Got it? Yeah, it's a comic shop at the end of the universe was officiating. Yes, I remember that. Yeah.

16:09 But so, my aunt story bless her soul, would bring me Dominic's, ring you every year. Oh yeah, yeah yeah, stand. And you know, the armor, cheetara projects rate was not if you give anyone listening has not had an experience with Indian Comics go out today and grabs When You Comics there fast. Getting their fabulous because the American superhero idea, it turns out it's rather limited and boring compared with what you did. Indian culture has been discussing. Yeah. Illusions of years, literally, thousands of years. Making his end and retelling these fabulous stories. Yeah. Until you got exposed to like the Mahabharata and the ramayana through these Comics. It sounds like.

16:52 That's what I'm that's incredible. Incredible so then I really had an interest like what kind of Cultural soil, could give rise to a mythology, a literature and a cosmology, a will way of seeing the world like this a way of seeing the world where it doesn't matter if they have Shiva died in the last issue here. Shiva again been an American comics where was ideal that was an alternate Dimension. Let me explain it to you. They say some is backwards. Whatever are some idea. Now in the Indian Mythos, you don't need to rationalize everything. Everything. This is what happened. There is a guy was born. He was a man. Let me change into a girl and then he became a snake. Okay, let's go with that.

17:36 You don't need to, you know, have the labs bitten by a radioactive spider and so bad that exposure to the comic Laura spurred, your interest in that culture. And then that's what piqued your interest and motivated you to spend some time in India then. And you spend what a year Zuri? Yeah, my first trip, I spent a year and it first again I avoided yoga teachers because I'm not Great at following Drew crowds and I did go and check out the guru's, the big famous Guru, the hugging mother, I'll mod and all the other gurus. I could, I could get a peek at because I was very sad. It was that in, he went to Mysore first when you, when you went to India or no idea. There's so much to see and do in those days every country, I go to our volunteer to school.

18:27 Part of that, you know, the gift of having Jenny as a mentor and teacher was realizing how important education can be not for a career in business, but for just your personal Foundation, realizing someone Believes In Me. Someone listens to me. Someone cares about me and my ideas are important. Anyway, I volunteer and check out what is pedagogy look like in West, Bengal. That was my first stop. I checked out gurus. I checked out food. I checked out everything I could check. Gout and then eventually, I started exploring and checking out yoga teachers, I found a great teacher Vijay, Amar, he still teaching in India, still told me the ball, an amazing teacher, who is teaching, large Tango was a great Awareness on individuals what they needed, taking great care of people, not pushing them that crushing them.

19:16 And I did an intensive training with him. That was great, then I returned to Vietnam War, had lived previously and began Having Eight began to teach their these other experiences. Is that I've had have been brilliant, but I need to focus on yoga. Even if it means taking a vow of poverty, which in the end, it did not, but I'm, it certainly felt like, well, okay, this is going to be an interesting Journey, but it felt right, you know, it felt, right. I was just curious. Did you, did you have any doubts at any point where you were like economically? Like, what were you living on day-to-day? Was it like, the proverbial bowl is ramen or likely? Yeah. Yeah. But you Devils house, it Yeah, that's right, man. This is a great now.

19:58 This is an interesting question to kill. This is fabulous. And you've done a great character analysis here as well. Both of us, I mean, in all of us, this is all of death. Everyone, I was living on there. By the end of the month, though. I had support from some yoga students, who would come to class just coming to class go by the end of the month. Sometimes, I'd be like, great, I can eat one big meal at the vegetarian restaurants, a low next to the temple, every temple in Vietnam as a vegetarian restaurant in Lexington. Affordable very affordable. You know I would imagine it was maybe 50 cents a meal or something I can't remember exactly but and that's what I'm literally Beginning by are so that was interesting but doubts about missing out. It's so interesting how that words because I think yeah, same exact mechanics happening inside. But I'm why fear of missing out is what if I miss out on my chance to take my shot and live to my potential. Oil on my terms but the thing is you know I feel like this was my dad as well.

21:01 Let's just get to it. My dad did not make money as a business bank and he suffered huge losses and Dad and and also the shame of raising it around making people in the family saying, what are you doing? You're trying to sell comic books. Why don't you try and raise a kid? Putting fact, but in fact fast-forward, 40 years later, this kid is super grateful that his dad well in the comic book shop because Give me about business. I didn't learn in those ways but I learned that you could just try to do your own thing. You could Mark, follow your bliss as Joseph Campbell puts forth for us and to be able to do that and find some grounding in the world. In a way to feed oneself is is a great blessing Public. Enemy Chuck D.

21:47 If you ever get a chance to hear him speak now he's like, look, it's not about hip-hop and it's not about politics, and it's not about Rhymes and it's not about beets. He's saying is it's about you doing what you want to do, it's about you telling you the whole time well saying was just personal empowerment and that was his voice. He happened to come through at that moment and that's what I try and do too. Instead of just trying to get people to dogmatically, open your books, bhagavad-gita to chapter a Q3 and looking selfless service. And this is what it says in the book. So this is what you have to believe know. I'm still interested in open the book, read the book, and let's Jenny, barthold, ominous reader. Give more collaborative and interactive and yeah, that's the best way to learn.

22:33 There's a guy that we've been showing, I've been following Mission look Yanina and he's all about, yeah. Just the fact that education technology and pharmaceuticals everything is evolved. So much and education is really still in the Dark Ages who and there's so much of that tile down command and control style of teaching that really does not teach our has to think critically or be created up realize their full creativity. It's always trying to put a square peg around bull just like obey. If you do x y z then you'll achieve this hours. That's right. That's completely pig head. It's completely just not, it's not the most effective way of Education, Act, a bad dad, best Zod idea of square peg in a round hole. Had its functionality in the 50s and 60s when maybe you're going to go join a corporation.

23:24 And here's got to do Follow follow follow. Just do what everyone does. Let the end you get a gold watch. You get to retirement fine. Right? But if you try and do that, now you're going to have your 49th birthday party and get a pink slip because you just been a follower and everything's funeral evolving and changing so much. Exactly, because he's 21 year. Olds are like I'm dropping out of her business school or undergrad, or I've already seen what I can do. Who formed the Revolutionary technologies that we need? Yeah, I absolutely agree with that. I think education. Ian is key and and I'm still an educator. That's how I see myself. Yeah. What are you doing these days? Because during Toledo right now and we were talking about you actually were able to teach at the workshop at Yoga Center in Toledo.

24:09 Like what are you doing day-to-day? Like in terms of workshops now with well, I guess this might be out of date. By the time it gets published but things are opening up a little bit more. People are reading and purse right now, I'm just curious like bring the pandemic. So, how did that affect your practice and your teaching? Like, was it, were you able to still connect with a lot of students over to zoo? Absolutely, but for me, the, the pandemic was, I know millions of people and beyond that, the psychological effects of the fear, and the terror, and the lockdowns, and then the work situation, everything is we've gone through a collective human trauma. Like we probably never Gone through before but at the same time there's a silver lining in the Silver Lining. Yeah a some.

25:01 So for me I've been meaning to take more and more time. I had been taking more and more time traveling and getting into the bush and being in the wilderness after many years, after a decade of being based in Hong Kong, I knew my personal Evolution and practice was was in nature. So I was actually in South Africa when the pandemic came, that was on Safari and teaching, and when the pandemic came, I just stopped by just stayed in the Kruger. National park for 8 months by the end of it, I took the test, it will became a certified Field Guide of South Africa but maybe even early on. So I hope the South African Wilderness but I'd in terms of teaching, it's been great because before what I try and do a remote course or keep in touch with people are connection for tenuous and people were trying to their days with as many things as they could do.

25:50 Just ringing every hour for as many meetings as you could squeeze em, especially in person. Where is it? You know the lockdown for many of us who are fortunate enough to have that experience taught us. We can do this Mickey old, I can just talk for an hour. Yeah, let it remain useful, put it up. So when the pandemic first started, I think in the end of March 2020 was in the first month. Yeah, I realized. Well, some people are going to probably go online and do like, fabulous Big Yoga things. I don't necessarily want to blow it up, but I want to be there for people, and this is going to be interesting. So I reinvigorated an old reading groups that I would do called contextualizing yoga.

26:32 And we took a look at the account, Obama shot, which is a great Obama shot, a boy speaking with Lord Death and asking him. What's the nature of living and dying and I thought, okay, look we're all terrified of death right now. That's really what's happened. You do not talking about death, has not helped us. We need to be able to take a good hard look at death because it really helps us appreciate life. So let's do it. And we had Great turnout. We had 34 is resolved, this is all virtual. Well this was all virtual. I would personally I would have 15 minute conversation every week with the ladies at the health food store and we'd be all masked up like are you okay out in that cabin in the woods and I was like yeah he seems okay.

27:15 But if you don't see me know week, please send some to quinoa while so okay because I gotta say I mean for me initially it was I would say, like, for business before people were a little bit more guarded with their calendar dried, they'd be like you'd want to meet or something and they'd always there, counter very full. Now it was just so easy, especially going to conferences and things like that. It was so easy to take a static shot of approach. You know, if there are people in London or over India or wherever, you know, we were able to connect because that was the new Norm, right? You didn't have to get on later Union have to fight Chicago traffic to me.

27:56 Somebody restaurant. But I will say the personal connection was really lost because I haven't done much yoga, but like when I've had to do it, I found that it's really helpful. When you have that face-to-face connection, when you're able then, did instructors able to especially you have like 20 people, the instructors, obviously able to get a better sense for your posture, make some corrections and things like that. So but it sounds like you that wasn't that much of a challenge for you then Well, I mean it was, it was, it wasn't for everyone but I did find out the great selection of people all over the world, who are more, I to discuss the lassithi in that environment, then, share what their Reflections were just what they're going through without getting weepy.

28:43 And, you know, here's my trauma. Here's my treasure not that there's anything wrong with that process, but it can be a bit self-cherishing with the idea that we're all helping Anna for me, one another, we found a great Community. I still do. Occasionally and I did then teach some awesome across and some postural classes online. Then I sounded very different with all that said, what happened at the beginning by the beginning of 2021. I realized I wanted inversion connection and dedicated student ship as well. So I started doing all the furthering yoga Traditions mentorship a mentorship leader for groups over just retiring. Sorry to interrupt but just a backup. So did you say that you shifted a little bit? It more like the focus of more about like philosophy and reading versus actual like, teaching like posture and different asanas.

29:34 Then Alex, are you still doing that during the pandemic? Or? Yeah, I mean, there's some percentage. It's always been in my mix and probably when I first started out or depending on the context of what I've been invited yoga studios around the world often find that they might want to invite someone to come teach. Awesome Islands, can teach posture. Sometimes I'm blessed enough to be invited. I go and teach What what the community needs? I don't want to shove philosophy down someone's throat and to figure out how to make their spines. You'll better for instant when I find that there are definitely synergistic and they connected, so there's some percentage and yes, my recipe got more into, okay. I'm going to help people with a philosophical element, in relation to how they practice and nowadays and relationship, how they teach possible. So those mentorships then, also contain a hybrid. Component where we do a months, long ago, immersive component in Istanbul or sometimes.

30:31 Maybe we're looking at doing in Egypt, maybe we'll come to one and Toledo bring people here because I totally agree with you face-to-face. Contact sharing graphs, sharing hair? Yes. Yeah. Sharing are is part of The Human Experience course. Yes, we had a reason to go through and with severe and serious severe preventative measures great. But at some point, we also Need to remember there's a reason why wearing community in in real life none of us made it here a low. Even me and secret practitioner very Lone Wolf, always on the road solo. Kind of guy we need to munity.

31:11 That's yeah, like mastodons in community. We're going to keep, you know, Finding ways to survive and come up with great Technologies and, and be a healthier Society in community. So, that concept Tsonga some guy right there, - yeah. And it's huge song guy's huge. Yeah, the Dharma that's easy. Everybody wants to know what the Buddha taught. Great, no problem. But to deal with the guy next to you snoring and did you do with yourselves? Not like you people, that's where the real work. I did want to take it back to basics a little bit here because what's interesting is yoga the etymology of it, it's about Union.

31:52 So it's about connection of the brain-body connection. But In that in Balance. It's a bit of a misnomer or Wade's interpreted. When people hear about yoga, they just think of hoses. They think of downward dog or they think of child's post. When, in fact, I would argue that the breath work is just as important or maybe even more so than the actual asanas. The actual poses. What, what is Yoga means? You not just in text book definition, but if you were to try to boil it down here, somebody who had been living under, the proverbial rock throw. Life, like how would you convey it to them? Well, I think it's great, it's a great question and I think it's great. If they've been living under the proverbial Rock because I wouldn't have these preconceived notions that yoga is twisting your body like a pretzel. Yes that easy technique and Incredibly useful technique but it is a technique for yoga.

32:45 The you know, it is a is a means to an end and the means is highly important because practice is highly important. I think what gosh there's so many Definitions of yoga, the main thing, I always want to reiterate these days, is that there there is no end to it, there's nothing, that's not yoga, and we can get all the caught up in thinking on nikhil practices with that teacher, that's not yoga or Dylan teaches are stronger. Oh, that's not yoga, that's not my kind of yoga, right? But really, it really is a Mantic. It's really semantics of the end of the day. It is Renee really isn't Antics. And there are people who've never heard of yoga who I would argue. You are practicing yoga and and lineup was all the classical definitions.

33:31 I think, the first definition of yoga historically was yin yoga with sacrifice yoga is actually based around sacrifice and that scares the heck out of the average consumer nowadays because they think they're going to buy a product and that product is going to make them magically more complete. And so sacrifice sounds like they're going to lose some part of their hoard of Commodities Act. Actually it turns out if you start stripping away masks and false identities. If you start sacrificing and being grateful and helping others, you find something inside, that's very deep perhaps Eternal and it escapes definition and being able to taste that to touch that to look at it, get a hint of it, a whiff of it is amazing.

34:20 And that's life-changing back to an earlier point. I think you had Even when I wouldn't practice for months, when I was at eing order, pretty year old still the experience. I had it admitted changed changed my DNA. I realized it is a meditative experience. There he is a great underlying gratitude that runs through the entire lights, just remember it. So you don't need to do anything about it. Just remember that? So, yoga shows up in all sorts of different forms, but I think it has a practice is Important as well. Because when we practice something regularly, Sanskrit term abhyasa, we find we become detached from results.

35:05 Santa will bring term by dogyum. So, those things working together, and that can apply to any running driving a bus. If you drive a bus every day, he had some practice, you get better every day. It doesn't make you a saint, but it doesn't necessarily mean you have more money or fame, or Something like that. But, you know, I try to drive the bus. I try to, you know, if I'm a marksman, I try to hit the target every day, a little better, some days, you have a good day, some days, you have a bad day, you learn. How you react to that, you get angry. Do you hate the world? You blame someone else to blame yourselves, you just get to look at all the contents of the mind. All the habits are there, and wake that? Because you can see them clearly you can detach from although externalized definitions of success and everything. So practicing And obviously your wheelhouse is Ashtanga Yoga. So there's a whole host of other forms. There's Hatha.

36:03 Yoga, mother's Vinyasa new tower. Like, how is ice tongue a different and what about it in particular appeals? You the others you want makes different? Yeah? Thank you. Great. Great question. What makes it different? I would I want to go in there and say nothing, you know, I don't want because we get into those Separations again, where exactly? Are you practicing yassa? Well, I'm sorry you haven't found a true blah blah blah yet or vice or hours, or whatever. But yoga is Yo and our strong is a great method. It's what I say, great. I mean, it's been effective for me. I know it's been effective for me.

36:44 So I know it works for some people because I know tangibly, it works for me. It may very well work for other people, so much depends on teacher. We describe our anyway in more concrete Ashtanga is a set series of breath which guide you into and out of a set series of postures from the outside. If you were to look at someone's fabulous, YouTube video of them doing are stronger. You would see posture. And you would think this person is practicing set series of poses. When you practice are stronger regularly with depth, I think you realize I'm practicing set series of breaths.

37:25 Listen hail I put my arms up this exhale I go down touch the Earth. And so with that practice is very meditative. It is a meditation in motion for me, that's how I provide. So I prefer to practice it and I'll allow students to explored and it's sequential and it's a bit of a fixed system that first you do these, then you do those postures. So it's interesting because it appeals to people who haven't dedicated mindset when you are ready for him for whatever. The take on daily practice. It also appeals to people who are ambitious and acquisitive, who want to acquire. The next pose, get many more like he's super Dangerfield is that unique to Arch Dango versus the other forms? Or is it something you observed or just I don't think it's Unique.

38:14 I think that's always there. The acquisitive mind will always find something to acquire a game to play to get more success but our ganga might be the sharpest tool in the shed in that respect that it will offer. You Glenn Toews grounds to play around with the equisetum Polly but at some point hopefully you have a breakthrough and you're able to see yourselves. See your mind again from the outside and realized. All right, I keep doing this thing where I'm just trying to acquire more poses, even if it feels like it, physically hurts me. What if I I just let go, where is the Detachment has That to my practice.

38:55 Where's the sacrifice? Because again, those are the ultimate roots from yoga. I think I shot guaranteed to integrate meditative practice. I think it could be totally misunderstood as a physical acquisitive practice. But hopefully it also needs people to this this sort of non-dualistic realization. There's nowhere else to be. There's no other coach to acquire. There's nothing wrong with my body, there's nothing right with my body. It just is as it is. Is this breath right now, that's happened. So I think it's an amazing practice. I think it's brilliant and it's out there. I hope it doesn't get pigeonholed as a physical play. It's yeah. There's a lot of references to Mysore, which is, as I obviously, know, as a city in India. What can you tell me a little bit more about their of how Mysore applies to yoga like with these mice or LED workshops that you do for sure?

39:48 So when we say my, so are we talking about with specific pedagogy way of teaching are stronger, which is a very good. Way. And it's used, not only, is it traditional, it also works unlike other tradition. So, it's useful because it allows all the students in the room to practice at their own pace, who got kinase doing. 35 pours its for self-directed and sort of putting people on trying to cram them into one specific track. It's exactly. And then the teacher depending on how they feel can walk around and say, oh I'm gonna kill you need to speed up Shelly, you should slow down, so it's specific Direction. Ins for personalized yoga experience. Even though all the students are practicing the same sequence or practicing it in completely unique ways, and it's named after the city of Mysore, because it started to be taught there.

40:36 That's where pattabhi jois established his yoga school. Because when he came to my store as a young boys, a 13 year old boy, he would re encountered his Guru krishnamacharya who was sort of like a great grandfather of this whole modern yoga thing with whole benefit. Postural thing. So that's what my sister got put on the map as the as n. And n epicenter of yoga worldwide, rishikesh oil shale is a great epicenter. But in the last hundred that's where the Beatles wrote the whiteout. They recorded The White Album during that time or something like that. You know, I can't, I can't remember which I will, but it's very important.

41:16 You know, the westernization of yoga. We shouldn't Overlook it. Begin. If they hadn't done that, we wouldn't be having this conversation. That's an interesting point and that was where I wanted to go. Next is, you know, yoga, it's funny because when I bring it up, it's I got a little bit of an eye roll. There's a lot of skepticism because there used to be the term soccer mom, there's still a chance, but now they say, yoga mom's real Lulu. Lemon is like the big hot brain or had yoga pants and gratitude journals. There's a lot of sort of dismissive talk about it. So there is definitely a commercialization It's a mixed blessing.

41:56 I think because the really important tenets of it, people tend to sometimes go in opposite directions and I do it talked about this on one of your discussions where it's like people people get so bogged down with the mechanics, right. And they ironically they get more stretched out when they do their meditation. They're like, did I count four drafts on the way out? Oh my God, I'm a failure. But they and they lost a whole language is just too. Almost kind of like the Taoist nature, which is to just kind of go if the current good stuff went back. What are your thoughts about sort of the watering down of the commercialization of yoga - have you seen that? It's impacted? Because you've been on this journey for more than two decades now.

42:39 Do you find that who more of these sort of those cell? See, you ready? Yogi's, Farish kind of coming in your path as students or or holy Jesus. Oh my gosh. I don't think I ate rare. That's not yes. The selfie ready yo. His par part of the path of yoga now, and where is no fee, has become so part, and parcel of what's happening when people say the word yoga and, yes, 15 years ago, I used to Rally against this or 20 years ago. I was offended by the idea of people taking photos or promoting themselves, in commercializing yoga. Now it's nuanced. It's easy for me to say, oh, I think it's getting too commercial. We need to watch out for it.

43:23 That's a big. Part of me. But also at the same time I've realized now a lot of my students and mentees. When they say the word yoga and I say the word yoga were not necessarily talking about the same thing, there's some. Oh right, but I've had been teased, ask me what they should do with their social media profile and I'm at a loss. I don't really put too much stock into that thing. Like, I had two students come to me, in Hong Kong had said at different times, and be like, look, I kind of know who you are. Kind of know who what you do. I'm starting out, teaching yoga. Will you Mentor, me? Can we just have a mental thing? And I was like, oh, great. No, let's do this. Yeah, and both of those students. In that year, a big question of there's their Idol carry, like I understand. Okay, I'm going to read these books. I'm going to try these meditation practices and my next question is, how should I know how often should I post on Instagram?

44:16 So what Instagram? I have no idea, ingredients. Yeah, I didn't read that chapter in the abunda shot word. Actually importantly, talk about Instagram out. The rhythms right now, but it's easy for me to be dismissive of that. Sure, your has now I've just had to accept again, there's nothing that's not yoga, whatever your definition is of yoga that you're working with, and whatever you think are the best steps on your journey today. Okay, I'm in full support of that. Hopefully, shallot harm. None, we would hope that this is doesn't involve punching someone in the face. I've learned to be much more accepting of what people are doing now. With that said, I've had to learn to be accepting because again we came out of a time when if you are really good at something you didn't need to publicize and tell everyone how good you are at it.

45:07 You just did it right at four and now we're adding two completely opposite point in history where it doesn't matter if you're good at something or not. As long as you tell everyone that, you're good at it. Then a bug, I think the commercialization of yoga and commercialization in general is very, very dangerous. It's because it relies upon the idea that you aren't whole. You aren't right, you are valid right now. But if you did more yoga, if you had this brand of yoga pants, if you ate this candy, then, okay, then you'd be happier. You aren't happy enough now. Well, I think as you clearly understand the kill that actually practicing should give us a greater feeling of self acceptance self-awareness, then a feeling that well I'm holding. Complete and grateful to be alive. Yeah.

45:58 What really attracted me to yoga was just the need for a little bit more Shaundi in my legs, just a little more peace because every day as a father, as a business owner husband, just inundated with so much, so many messages, so much, toxic energy. And as you and I discussed. And, you know, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder about side. Six years ago had been living with said, for two decades. And really Need to go beyond just a cookie cutter Solutions of medication and cognitive therapy. And and meditation, really, just was such a was such a natural sense for me. So for me, you know, mental health, I think, is it's a must you need to just carve out 15 20 minutes in the morning or in the evening.

46:45 Whatever. You can't just really just focus on your breath. Focus on, just optimizing that brain-body connection. So mental health definitely is app is a big or she that however, it's also visible. You know, there's a lot of people we're not saying just chuckle your medications and stop going your God, general practitioner of but this can, this practice can really enhance the effects that you're getting from a lot of those traditional approach. It, there was a study done by the the Chopra Foundation where they've looked at gene expression in there is a better activity, fertile amorites. You know, the enzyme that the ball didn't want to be anti-aging. So there's their death Finally some science to that, where meditation can prove those benefits to not just mind the bottom because a sugared fine.

47:34 I'd love to hear a little bit more from you about maybe the benefits that it's offered you in terms of physical ailments for yourself, but that also for the students that you've been enough privilege to serve their amazing question to keloids. It's so wide open. I don't want how to how to trim it down. I mean one thing that I think is really important that you bring out there is Nowadays, we have a lot of these studies in the technology is able to show us. Like he said, we could look at the Gene and see, wow, joggers actually meditation and yoga are actually helping people find a measurable level. Now, it's, I mean, that doesn't validate yoga that validates the technology that were using because the meditators like you, for example, you realize, once you realize, you wanted to deal with, bipolar, when you're looking at that wear, whatever you want to call it, meditation room. Was working.

48:28 You didn't need a machine to prove it to you or read some science today journals, right? We know that it's working, it's not, it's not just an illusion, it's not just the fantasy. If someone could tell you look, if you got a one-week holiday, then you get to live another five years or something. We don't do it right, everyone else do it. But what we forget is that, that choice is with us every day, it's with us. Every moment we get to choose how we're living and in might not be living. An extra year in terms of longevity. But actually living this moment, you know, ten times as insightful ten times as appreciate that with the colors and The Taste and enjoying it. So for me certainly I mean to be totally honest in my 20s I was exploring all sorts of methods, including drugs and medicines, and they'll take you so high.

49:21 But then there's a crash, not again, there's a crash, and you might have in great insight into those moments. Whereas once I cleaned up let's call it animals and there's also the dependency like you said the crash but then there's the Bravo real monkey on where you you're just not able to function as a human being just because there's that there's a hole in you that you have to keep selling, right? Absolutely. Whereas with, you know, a Daily Yoga practice and just like one month, getting better, two months getting better, you know, every day you're just feeling a little better and it's not high in the summer illusion. It's the just how you really are. Are definitely with me, it's been an amazing journey. I don't think there's any separation between body and mind.

50:03 So zeros, a healthier, our mind can be the healthier body to be a vice versa. There they are unified together and we're at a great moment and you and your wife are really Pioneers to be able to be on the sort of a The Cutting Edge or the cusp of this wave. Where were saying, look mental health is incredibly important, like you, it's not, don't worry. About it, don't talk about it, just get on with your day, that's it. For the work, they throw that is gonna catch up with you in a big way. So I really celebrate what you guys are doing as well. And again, I mean, the technology is catching up with what we know works. And you there a big organizations in the US and worldwide the decide which kinds of therapies are appropriate and which kinds are so, they might decide this year old guys. Yoga Works.

50:54 Okay, that's great. But if they Caught up to that whatever alternative therapy. Wouldn't they want to call alternative therapy yoga, for example, meditation. That's been a primary therapy for thousands of years. It's not, it's not new age, it's parents, you'd believe me a lot of peers or review those. They decide that it's appropriate and can stop great if they don't if they haven't given their okay, to whatever alternative therapies we know are working. That's okay to catch up later because we know what they're He's allergic to being here in your lifestyle. I just curious like, maybe like, if you could talk about, like, physical pains that you were suffering from, did you find that?

51:36 As you got more immersed in yoga that those aches and pave or less and a little bit or man it is such a journey you know, never stops and we're evil. Also in this age of trauma. So when I learned yoga from you from Jenny and from ads, I learned an amazing practice, but it did not involve A lot of back bit. But I also threw up with a home situation and Maui Valley. My beautiful experience is an amazing institution exacerbated. This that I'd a home situation that I didn't really want people to know, for whatever reason. I had great parents, but my parents that own situation. I didn't want people to know. So I started, I kept some stuff here, I spine of the wrap and and hidden and I kind of feel like I hid My heart and I was not not well versed in vulnerability. So when I started to learn way later after practicing for 15 years, when I started to learn back bending my posture change. I'm sure it helped me digestion and help my self-esteem, it helped.

52:43 But it also helped Liz vulnerability. And this woman had the very center and at the heart, which deal. I still a process where I'm like, looking back into where I grew up part of what I'm doing here. And being like, this was my My own situation. Nothing. I have to hide. It doesn't, it's not a secret. It's out of place of shame. I really think the physical ability to do back bending, but the simple physical technique helped us really approach and understand and sort of D structures some vulnerability issues that I had and to carry with me. My whole life events. Like you're inspiring journey to be midlife successful career, successful, marriage, great kids.

53:27 I realized, wait a minute. I have been ignoring for decades. A serious condition has been going on by, let me be in my mid-40s and go. Okay, I've got bipolar and let me be in my mid-40s be like, wow, I have huge vulnerability issues that I can see their route. So that journey I think is so immensely useful more than yeah it can be great. It is certainly having that posture I think it's improved. A lot of spinal conditions and made more healthy. A physical arrangement for me, but it's a bit more healthy psychological, emotional life, style arrangement for me as well. Yeah. What about your students? Like, what are obviously there's no one profile obviously. That's probably so diverse.

54:11 Probably every every Hue of the spectrum of human beings but just curious, if there are some success stories you can point to because it's got to be so rewarding when people come to you your shall free from rheumatoid. Arthritis, are there suffering from anxiety? 80s in no particular order but like gives you can talk about maybe a success story of somebody who came to you with a sermon ailment of love to love to hear some of the Dylan's grated. Don't Greatest Hits I guess you could say. Yeah I certainly I certainly get a fair number of addicts who are trying for whatever reason we connect so I'm definitely recovering myself so I'm like okay cool. This is this is my hoarder.

54:51 I can kind of speak to this and so I see great success with people being able to add further first, kind of sobbing, I'm addiction. I mean, instead of be like, just sitting at home with Devils the devil's. Playthings Idle. Hands to be like, okay, get on the Mad do this thing. Wow, I feel better. Yeah, come back tomorrow, you're going to feel even better. That's been great. And tied with what I just shared, I remember one. Wonderful student coming to me in Hong Kong and sang. I love all the yoga stuff. It's all working really well, but I trust that you have good insight and she said, I don't feel loved. I've never really had a romantic loving relationship. I don't feel that I have the capacity to do that and I mean, wow, you know, that is a huge thing to work on, so I took my best shot at it. I think a lot of it is US trusting ourselves to and knowing what K I've been doing the homework. I've been studying, researching practicing and I said, I have no guarantees for this.

55:51 But what if you try some techniques and try some singing, some Mantra I was busy that I was teaching. Hundreds and hundreds of students every day. So she would come with Klaus and we check in a little bit, but then maybe six months later, less than a year later, she came back with the smile paint and I was like, hey how are you doing, Shirley? How you doing? And she was like, I really want to thank you. It's worked and within less than a year. Sure. Her whole outlook on the universe and change and she'd met someone I have no idea. Was it was thanks to my wonderful insights or is it was just tell, right? When she's ready but she really We able to change what she considered life and who she considered herself. So, all sorts of healing is possible as you know, cancer? Healing is possible, trauma, healing. It's possible.

56:39 It's all possible. We have to experiment the modalities of work. Yeah, but I mean, mental health is definitely sort of like the center of all this, but our journey, especially with Shelly. And I talked to you about this before is just sort of helping me, get on the right track and essentially, helping save my life is what? Inspire her to want G of star, which is though Global Institute of stem cell therapy and research. It's really at the end of the day, it's about holding your health. It's about not just believing all these messages that are that are thrown at you. All these drug commercials. All these, yes, research is very important to breathe full circle, Chuck, D of Public Enemy, don't believe the height, right, eight stitches, really important in that extends into yoga that extends to just taking care of your mental well-being, not Not just getting into this.

57:28 That becoming a robot where you're just following these directions of Spuds. What the best were won't best practices, are, what would you say to someone? I mean, if they hear this and they're like, really want to get into yoga and me. How would you, how would you counsel then? In terms of not only getting on that proverbial first step of the thousand-mile journey? I mean, first of all, don't worry about it. Forget about this idea that yoga is for some people, not for you. Slowly, not yoga is for everyone. Regardless of what you seeing. Again we have weren't formed by commercials like you said about the drug companies. Everyone has a reason their motive for putting forth. Those messages doing yoga is for you.

58:09 Absolutely. And what you really want to do back to how we began this conversation, and how we began our connection 30 years ago, more than 30 years ago. You want to find a good teacher. Then what's a good teacher? Is it the most famous teacher, is it to the teacher, or your neighbor said it? A teacher, maybe, maybe who's going to tell you that you are. So that's what matters. A good teacher, is a good teacher for you. He got to trust your experience. Go see who's local. Go see who's available and nowadays, that's includes being available online and find it. Find someone you can practice with and see how it works. See how it feels. Do they hear you? Do they see you?

58:50 Do they respect you and recognize you what you're going through and then you know, they don't need to be a perfect teacher. And there are lots of good teachers, then when you find that, keep going with it. Keep going there. Well, I think the best thing that anyone could do, would be to forget everything that I've ever heard about yoga, find a decent teacher. Someone who's good enough, who can see them, who can recognize them as an individual and begin practice. Continuing forward with that, they'll discover. What's true? What's important and what's up their highest benefit for them? As a unique individual. I did want to During formation of. So you're at still, listen, action.com your Instagram.

59:32 You're on mr. Dillon, Yol and then do in yo, at gmail.com social ride, probably the best ways able to get can all looked for this German, you are teaching of our stronger. You're actually do and I want the new brought up in the recorded, but I wanted to give a shout out there. Thanks, it's such a Grace. And being here. Yeah, do is lazing. Hopefully, you'll get a chance to meet her. Next time you're coming through to lead doing will be teaching at this workshop at this Yoga Center Ashtanga, Yoga to Leo. Yeah, I think that's cool because it gives --and we have some of our crew and Toledo who check us out because it's honest. Both of us, we talked about Toledo, get during these things. So, yeah, I'm here that aren't in July, and then now he's always here, holding down the space, and then giving people inside to the great teacher to practice Roots, here in Toledo. So it's yeah, excellent.

1:00:25 They also are share, Dog. Whisperer Please. Oh no my man but thank you very much for your journey. I appreciate it. Thank you. I really appreciate the talk about today at very inspiring for me. Hopefully it works for other people as well. Yeah likewise it's always a pleasure to talk to you don't. Thank you thank you very much. Thank you. Thanks so much for listening and I hope you enjoyed that episode four more of these types of conversations. Please visit us at untether, your life that Co you can also find us on Instagram and untether your life, as well as on Apple Spotify and other platforms by searching for untether, your life. And if you did enjoy this episode, please leave us a review or share it with someone who might also benefit.

1:01:05 Thanks. And until the next time we meet stay untethered. Thanks so much for listening and I hope you enjoyed that episode four more of these types of conversations. Please visit us at untether, your life that Co you can also find us on Instagram and untether your life, as well as on Apple Spotify and other platforms by searching for untether, your life. And if you did enjoy this episode, please leave us a review or share it with someone who might also benefit. Thanks. And until the next time we meet stay untethered.