Lucas Rockwood - the founder of Yoga Body. What a blessing. Lucas is so kind and generous with his worldly wisdom and his precious time. Lucas and I have this in common. We were scared into living a healthier life. This conversation had me taking notes on top of notes. I could go on and on about what I extracted from this interview. The big 3 takeaways for me are balance, getting out of our comfort zone to (and I quote) “ Experience being human” and that there is no mind body connection, mind and body are one. I discovered Lucas on youtube researching information on oxygen and breathing. His TEDx talk on this very subject has over a million views and he explains even more about the categories of the breath in this episode.
Here is the link to his TEDx talk on Coffee, Whiskey & Water https://bit.ly/LucasTEDxTalk
In 2002, I worked for a New York City book publisher doing a job I hated. I drank seven nights a week, abused drugs, and smoked a pack of cigarettes a day. For food, it was pizza and takeout—anything quick and easy to keep me going.
No one consciously decides to destroy their health, but over the years, that’s exactly what happened. I was bloated and flabby, unable to sleep without alcohol. My eyes were red and puffy, and I struggled to get excited about anything. I had so much potential, so many opportunities, but when you’re sick and numb to the world, everything feels impossible and uninteresting.
Enter yoga. A friend dragged me to a yoga studio, where I suffered through one of the most uncomfortable experiences of my life. In that first class, I was sweating and dizzy, unable to do even the most basic postures. I was the youngest person there, but the way I moved, I felt like I was 90 years old. I couldn’t bend forward, sit cross-legged on the floor, or balance in a tree pose. Looking at myself in the mirror, I remember thinking, “How did I end up in such bad shape?”
I hated that first class so much, I knew it was exactly what I needed—so I kept going. People assume yoga classes are meant to be wonderful, peaceful experiences. This is not true. A good class should be the most challenging and uncomfortable hour of your entire day. When you push yourself on the mat, real-life problems become lighter and more manageable almost immediately. Hard yoga = easy life.
For the next 380 days, I practiced yoga every single day. While traveling, I used audio or video recordings. If I was in a new city, I’d go to any studio I could find. When my teacher told me to take a day off to rest, I’d ignore the advice and go to a class at another studio. The same way I’d fallen in love with things that were killing me (drugs and alcohol), I’d now fallen in love with something that was feeding me and fueling my growth.
https://www.yogabody.com/
https://www.yogateacherscollege.com/
Lucas also has an amazing podcast www.lucasrockwoodshow.com
This no-nonsense health and wellness show features best-selling authors and thought leaders in nutrition, mental health, relationships, and self-improvement. Each episode also includes listener Q&A. Hosted by yoga trainer, writer, and expert speaker, Lucas Rockwood, the founder of YOGABODY and The Yoga Teachers College.
Get the magnesium supplement I trust for my family and me at https://bit.ly/Electrolyfe
