Guys Talking Yoga

As a former athlete who was approaching his fortieth birthday and weighing two hundred and eighty pounds, Art Massolo never thought he would consider yoga. But when stuck in a rut, and recognizing psychotherapy and other western approaches weren’t providing the tools and perspective he needed, Art began his yoga path by attending a two-week immersion program of “love, community, peace, and great health” – the things guys rarely permit themselves to access. In this conversation, Art shares his thoughts on the Yoga Sutras, keeping a regular mantra, shifting one’s thoughts, dealing with stress, overcoming rejection, navigating various injuries and life itself through his evolving practice and perspective. 

Leon Barnett was never a gym guy. After twenty-five years in the restaurant business, and being in recovery for seventeen, he knew he needed to make a change. But that change wasn’t going to happen if he wasn’t willing to make it. In this conversation, Leon shares his story about starting his path with yoga at the age of fifty-four and his experiences working through his first few classes. Along the way we get into the importance of focus while doing yoga postures, paying attention to your breath, and the notion of progress -- accepting where you are and not worrying about where you are not. Coach Leon teaches at the Empowered Wellness Studio in Wilmington, Delaware. https://www.empoweredwellnessstudio.com

Dr. Loren Fishman is a physiatrist with a private practice in Manhattan and he is also a professor at Columbia University Medical School where he teaches Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine. He discovered yoga in the 1970s while reading a copy of BKS Iyengar’s Light on Yoga in India and was so inspired he traveled to meet the author who ultimately inspired him to learn and use yoga to help heal people. Since then Loren has become a world-recognized pioneer in the treatment of low back pain, piriformis syndrome, osteoporosis, rotator cuff tear, and other conditions. He has authored or edited over 96 academic articles and has written many books about yoga and medical conditions. But most importantly, in all his years of experience, research, and medical practice - he hasn’t found anything that compares to the healing powers of yoga. For more information please check out https://www.manhattanphysicalmedicine.com and https://sciatica.org.

In 2012, seventeen-year-old Jan Andrysek was playing ice hockey in Prerov, a small town in the Czech Republic, when he was introduced to yoga by his coaches during his off-season training. Initially skeptical he quickly realized yoga helped with strength, mobility, injury prevention, stress management, breathwork – and just getting a good night’s sleep.  So in 2019, convinced that more hockey players like him would benefit other players, he and his business partner launched Yoga for Hockey – an online subscription-based training program with content and training specifically tailored to introduce hockey players of all ages to the practice of yoga.

https://www.yogaforhockey.eu

Today’s conversation is with twenty-year yoga practitioner Knight Kiplinger, an economic journalist who is Editor Emeritus of the Kiplinger financial media company in Washington, D.C., publishers of business forecasts and personal finance advice – known for the weekly Kiplinger Letter, monthly Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine and daily Kiplinger.com. Kiplinger was CEO and publisher until the sale of the company in 2019 to Dennis Publishing of London, England, and today he is CEO of Outlook, Inc., a family real estate investment company. He is one of America’s most respected economic journalists and business forecasters. Over his long career, Knight was a guest on every major news network, including CNN, NPR, and C-SPAN, with appearances on The Today Show, Marketplace, CBS This Morning, Wall Street Week, and The Larry King Show. in his writings, speeches, and media appearances, he cuts through the complexity of financial subjects with clarity and foresight.

Kevin Geniza is a 2020 graduate of the University of Oregon where he was a leader on the golf team that won the PAC-12 conference title and was runner-up in the 2017 national championship. He was drawn to play for the Ducks because their coach, Casey Martin, incorporated yoga into the team’s fitness program where they were instructed to work on their breath and explore who they are as student-athletes and individuals. In this conversation, Kevin shares how he was introduced to yoga at Oregon, the challenges and joys of being a professional golfer, and how yoga and breathwork have improved his range of motion as well as his awareness on the course and being the best version of himself.  www.kevingeniza.com, www.thvmp.com

Today’s guest is Robert Stern, an Assistant Professor of History & Legal Studies at Saint Thomas More University. While in his mid-thirties, Robert initially found yoga as a way to get through long winters as a graduate student. Yoga gave him physical benefits and also served as an outlet to deal with the stress of traveling to and from Cincinnati to Chicago while looking after his ailing father. Along the way, his appreciation for the physical practice grew into a focused interest in handstands. Robert found handstands sharpened his focus as the combination of mental and physical coordination forced him to be in the moment. In this episode, Robert shares more about how a handstand practice has helped him and how it might help you, too.

A veteran of the Iraq War and with 28 years of uniformed service, Dr. Vincent Arnold has supported and served nearly all the branches of the US military, including the Air Force, Coast Guard, Marine Corp., and the Navy before retiring with the rank of Chaplain in 2007. Upon his retirement from active military service, Dr. Arnold served as the first civilian Clinical Director and Department Head for the Deployment Health Center (DHC), becoming one of the largest in the Navy to include a comprehensive Post Deployment Health Reassessment screening program, creation of a PTSD multidisciplinary treatment team, and establishment of the Autonomic Neuropsychological Assessment Metric Program. He subsequently served as a Pastoral Counselor at Naval Medical Center, Camp Lejeune, where he worked directly with wounded warriors in the areas of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)and mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI). Specializing in holistic-oriented mindfulness-based pastoral counseling, Dr. Arnold offered individual, couple, and group sessions in Integrative Restoration Yoga Nidra (iRest) and Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR).  He continues to offer non-fee-based pastoral counseling and workshops and retreats on ‘I Rest in Him.’ In addition to his service as a board director with Warriors at Ease, Dr. Arnold is an ERYT 200 yoga instructor and Certified iRest®Yoga Nidra Teacher. Dr. Arnold received a BA in Religion from Emmanuel College, an MDiv from Duke University, a Doctor of Ministry in Spiritual Renewal from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Argosy University.