Yoga, breathing and learning to regulate your tension

This is session number 78 of the Performance Place Sports Care Podcast. What's your favorite band of all time? Welcome to the Performance Place Sports Care Podcast, where you can learn about sports injury theory, rehab, diagnosis, and how to understand the doctor lingo you didn't understand at your appointment. And now, your host, Dr. Sebastian Gonzales. What's up, guys? It's Sebastian. Good to hear from you. Good to hear you. Good to have you on the other end anyways. I'm going to talk at you for an hour. Actually, you know what? Take it back. I'm going to have an interview in here today. I'm going to have a great interview with Corey Strobel from HB Yoga Collective.

She has a yoga clinic very close to me, and I thought, since I get people asking about yoga and things surrounding yoga, I don't know what to say. I don't even know what to talk about. I heard the term banta before. Banda? Banda. I mean, there's a lot of things that I don't know about yoga, so I thought I would just have someone in to answer some of the questions. I actually took some of them off. One of the most common questions about yoga, so I thought I would go kind of jump into there and just see where the conversation flows as well. So Corey did an amazing job with it, and actually one of the things that I took away the most was realizing that yoga, at least from my understanding, as a practice, it's about learning how to regulate your tension and learning how to dial it down and so on.

And she tells a story about how it's kind of funny that people rush to get to the yoga class, get there to relax, and it's almost like kind of kind of productive, but they help people regulate their mental state as well as tension throughout the day. So it's a practice. So it's going to be an awesome interview at that. So now favorite bands, at least for me, I was thinking about this before because I've asked this. I like to ask would you rather questions to a lot of people, and I've asked if you were on a desert island and you only had one band you can listen to throughout the entire existence that you had, what would it be?

And I keep going back to Aerosmith, and it's just because they had a good range of things. I grew up with, there was an, obviously Aerosmith is much beyond my time as well, but Aerosmith is, I mean, there was an album called The Big Ones. I remember when I think I was probably about 15 or so, maybe I was a little younger, but everything on it was amazing. And you realize, holy crap, like these songs, like you don't get tired of them. Like they won't be, you know, in 10 years, you don't think, well, they overplayed that, except for Dude Look Like a Lady. I think they overplayed that. I think that's the one I can safely say.

But everything else, like Cryin', Crazy, Angel, I mean, these are ones that like, although I'm thinking about the correlation of all these songs, it's like, I think playing the harmonica makes it so there's a lot of feeling in the song. Like, no, I don't think anyone can not like a harmonica song. At least that's my opinion. So, okay. So as we start going forward in this podcast, we're done with that part. Done. I want you guys to remember that you can go and get the transcription to these podcasts on my website, as well as any of the show notes or links that we spoke about. P2SportsCare.com slash this episode is going to be 78.

So we're not doing the slash pound podcast slash pound so on anymore. I'm just going to link directly to, so it's P2SportsCare.com slash 78. It's going to take you where you need to go. If you are a young doc, clinician, trainer out there that are looking for educational materials for your clients, and you keep sending these stuff, these podcasts, and you're like, well, I got to go through iTunes and do share and so on and blah, blah, blah. You can just actually get a Google Doc that I've created with all of the updated podcasts categorized for someone said, well, I had a shoulder condition. Well, here's five podcasts you should listen to, by the way.

So, yeah, those you actually get. You get that one currently. I don't know about in the future, but currently you get it for free when you buy a poster off the site. So check out those posters out because I think they're amazing as well. I'm starting to draw some. I drew a lot when I was a kid, actually. I drew some Looney Tunes. I drew some, I remember the Tasmanian Devil was one that was hanging on my wall. But I have a good time drawing. So I'm going into skeletal anatomy as well as positional corrections as well as some, I'm going to do one I think on L4, radiculopathy in correlation with other types of misdiagnosed conditions you can find with it.

So just things that patients and clients can see that makes it so they have early buy-in. Lastly, if you haven't reviewed this, please do. I honestly do want your feedback. And I've gotten to meet actually quite a few of the listeners already. It's amazing to hear that you guys have liked this. And I guess I don't want to say that because I think you wouldn't like it, but I really like the feedback. I like that, you know, like one doc said that he listens to it on his way out to his clinic. And he learned bits and pieces and things that he can use while treating patients. And that's all I can ask for.

I think if we can leave this, if I can leave this earth with improving how people are getting treated, that would be a legacy. It's not about money or fame or anything like that. It's about if you can leave some type of positive change. Now, let's get to the interview with Corey Strobel. And I think you're going to really enjoy it. All right, everyone. Here's the interview with Corey Strobel. Corey, can you say hey? Hey. How's it going? It's good. I'm happy to be here. Yeah, thanks for coming in. I don't get a bunch of people who always actually come in. We usually Skype ones. Oh, yeah. How fun.

Face to face is so nice. I know. So tell me the plight of the babysitter because I know we were talking about this for so long. Well, I am a momapreneur. So I have two kids. I have an almost three-year-old and almost six-year-old. And I'm homeschooling them as well. Well, the older one anyways. And just running a business and being with my kids and working from home. And so just trying to get that babysitter coverage is not always easy. So anyways, I'm working it out. It's always shifts and changes and all of that stuff. But yeah, it's not always easy being a working mama. So, but you know, the big lesson I'm learning is to ask for help and ask for support.

Yeah. And do you ever bring them to the studio and just like... Oh, for sure. Yeah. No, they come to the studio. But because they feel like they own the place, they are a bit... They're building forts everywhere. They feel very comfortable there, which, you know, in some ways I'm so happy for that. But when, you know, when there's classes going on, that can be a little bit stressful for me because I'm trying to contain them. And I really prefer for them to feel free and feel like kids, you know, that get to... Kids play loud and kids bang things and do stuff. And so I actually prefer for them not to be there.

So I'm not trying to contain them so much. But yes, they do come to the studio and we find our way. And the members know them very well there. Yeah. Nice. So how long have you been into... Actually, how long have you been into yoga and how long have you actually been teaching? So I took my first yoga class when I was 19, living in Santa Monica. I haven't done the math, but I'm 42 now. So it's that long. I was about to ask you. It's always changing, right? So I just like one year, it's, you know, I've been practicing for 20 years and then I'm like, wait a minute. So yeah, so rather than do the math, there you have it.

I started when I was 19. You're supposed to say 20 plus. Oh, sorry. Oh, I guess that's true, right? But anyway, so that's when I took my first class, fell in love with it. I was so lucky because I could walk to class and walk home from class and I just walk home all blissed out, you know, and happy. And my friends would be like, you took yoga, didn't you? I'm like, yeah. I would just, you know, it just felt amazing. So anyways, that was the beginning of my journey. And obviously I had a good introduction. And then I started teaching in 2004 was when I finished my first teacher training. And immediately started teaching at the studio where I took my teacher training and then just kind of continued on from there and just absolutely love it.

It used to be a part-time thing and quickly turned into my full-time gig. Well, you got an awesome spot down there. Thank you. Yeah. So that's another transition, right? So there's being a yoga student, which I'll always be. Then there is being a yoga teacher. Then I started doing teacher training. So teaching other teachers to teach. And I'm a studio owner, which is like a whole nother world. That's a whole nother level of yoga that I would, you know, I'm still, you know, delving into and understanding. That probably challenges your, I would imagine, serenity and mental, like, there is like a mental challenge, though, in a bit.

Seriously? Yes. I mean, I'm constant. I know how the mind works, right? So I, all the stuff that comes up, all the fears, all the anxiousness, all the drive, all of that stuff, I understand where it's coming from. And so now, you know, I've, I've worked with all of that stuff to a degree in my past life. But now in this part of my life, it's so much more intense, you know? And so, you know, I, although I know the source of a lot of it, I still struggle to, you know, work with it. But I'm so glad I have the tools that I have, because, you know, I feel like the struggle is manageable. I mean, I haven't collapsed yet.

So, you know, so I'm really glad I have the tools that I have. And yoga has really been a key in getting those tools. Well, you guys have been down there for two years now? No, we celebrate a year on Thanksgiving morning. Oh, really? Yeah. You opened on Thanksgiving. We did. Or the day after. No, Thanksgiving day. So Thanksgiving morning is actually a pretty busy time for yoga studios. People slide in before they go, you know, around their family, which is probably a good idea. I bet it makes people a little more calmer, a little more receptive to what tends to happen, which is a lot of energy, a lot of relationship stuff, you know?

So, no, it's actually a very popular time for a class, which is why we did it. So we opened with just one class that morning, free class. And we had to turn people away. We were so packed. Wow. So it was a really great start to the journey. You must have had an impression on people to where they would want to come and learn from you. Well, I mean, I hope so. I mean, I don't know that I try and leave an impression, but I definitely try and contribute to people's lives meaningfully. So if I've been successful at that, thank goodness, you know. Cool. Well, so I thought I would have you in on this podcast.

I honestly don't know hardly a thing about yoga. And I've had people ask, and rather than butcher it or just say, just Google it, I thought this would be a good topic. Yeah, yeah. So I guess we'll start from the basics. I guess you're going to teach me about yoga. Oh, yay. How fun. Now, first of all, that's a huge topic. I know. And it so depends on who you talk to, too. I mean, this is an issue that I have is the word yoga. It means so many things to people, and all of those things can be so different. And then there's so many different styles of yoga, you know. And so when someone says, like, yoga is good for low back pain, my question is, which yoga?

Because I kind of question whether not all yoga is created equally for all ailments or issues or intentions. So there's just tons and tons of different styles of yoga out there, and the intention behind them are all very unique and different. And yet, there's also some common benefits that they all share. So it's a big topic just in terms of trying to narrow down exactly what style. So I can just tell you my experience. That's fair. Yeah. So I don't want to, like, you know, talk about styles that I don't really know enough about. I haven't studied them. So mostly the yoga that I've studied would either be very generically called hatha yoga, which is just physical yoga.

Hatha? Hatha. Yeah, yeah. It's spelled H-A-T-H-A, but you don't, the H is very different in how you pronounce it. And that's really just the physical postures of yoga, but it's a very generic way of, I think what people mean by that these days is it doesn't mean you're going to do a bunch of the vinyasas, which is this little sequence that puts a bunch of poses together, where it's basically like this, you're in, like, a plank position, like you're going to do a push-up, and you lower down partway. And then you come up into a little back bend, and then you push back into, you know, the popular pose downward facing dog.

So that little mini sequence is called a vinyasa, and there's a lot of classes, and in fact, that's probably one of the most popular styles right now is this vinyasa style class, which includes a lot of those as transitions between postures. Why is there so many of those? So many of what? Why is there so many classes that have, like, a flow or a vinyasa? People are really attracted to that. That seems to be the most popular. I mean, just, you know, me being a studio owner working on the schedule, that seems to be the one most people want to go to, and I think there's a few reasons for that. One is that I think people prefer to move.

You know, if you think about our lives, most people are in constant movement, right, until they collapse, right? And so this constant movement, and part of that is because of our minds, because we're constantly chattering. The mind is la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la. And so we kind of are dictated by the speed of our mind, and so we try and keep up with our actions and our lives, and so we're constantly moving. So going to a class that's slower, where you're kind of still, and even if you're working hard in that stillness, I think can be a little bit confrontational for people. It can be really uncomfortable.

And so I think the movement feels, it meets people where they're at a little bit better, if that makes sense. It does. I know that the, so I've probably only gone to about five yoga classes ever. I'm just kidding. And they're probably different styles. Yeah, yeah, exactly. But the, I remember the first time, it was years and years ago, and it was in a 24-hour fitness at the time. And I actually, at the very end, when we were laying there, I called it sleepy time. Yeah. I started looking around, I'm like, can I crawl out of here? Like, because I just, I couldn't stay still long enough. Right, yes.

Well, so everything up to that point is really to help people lay there. Right? Like, it's sort of like, it's almost like the whole class is to get you to that shavasana so that you can lay there. So one of the ways that yoga is a different form of exercise than other exercise is that one of the intentions is to help you work with your nervous system. Right? So most people, like, if you go, so we know that running, weightlifting, all that kind of exercise is really good for stress relief. Right? But it keeps you moving as fast as you're always moving. Right? So, again, it meets you where you're at, and that feels really good and comfortable.

You get a nice endorphin hit. That feels pretty awesome, too. But then your nervous system only knows how to move one way. Right? It only knows how to move fast. And so, you see, we have a nation of massive sleep disorder. People are taking, you know, drugs just to go to sleep, and then they have their coffee to wake up. So, we don't, because we don't know how to regulate our nervous system. And so, one of the benefits of yoga, and one of the intentions behind yoga, is to teach people to be able to regulate their nervous system to go the other way. Makes sense. To be calm, to be able to have those moments of stillness without flipping on the TV or having a glass of wine.

And not that having a glass of wine or watching TV isn't bad, but if it becomes your crutch or your outlet for how you numb out, tune down, tune out, then it becomes probably more of an issue. Right? Because now you're relying on that and not able to really sustain that yourself. Well, I know that I've even heard with some people that they, like, they can't go to sleep unless the TV's on, or they just can't tolerate dead noise. Or, what do they have? They have those gray noise machines now. Oh, yeah. I have kids. So, yes. For babies to sleep, right? The little white noise. Yeah, white noise. The ocean sounds, all of that stuff.

Yeah. I honestly think part of that is because it helps drown out the sound of their own thoughts. Yeah. So, then, how long does it take for someone to start to really be able to, I don't want to say, like, absorb, but, like, to be able to, like, make that nervous system change stick to where it starts to influence their life? Um, it's so different for everybody because it's like, where are they starting from? You know, some people, we had a lot of people come in and they're on, they're on anti-anxiety medication. They're on antidepressants. You know, like, they're, so they're being influenced by the meds.

And so, you've got that influence plus whatever stresses are going on in their lives. And so, it's, it's so, uh, it's so personal as far as how long it would take. And then, also, what someone's intention is in practicing yoga because not everybody goes to yoga with the idea that they want to learn how to calm down, right? One of the things is, is because yoga is so physical and people can, it's become, the focus has become the workout, right? In fact, hot yoga is like the latest craze. There's so many hot yoga studios and part of it is because it makes you sweat. And so, people feel like they're doing this great workout because they're sweating profusely, but it's just because it's freaking hot, right?

Like, they're not really working any harder. Their body's more stressed, but they're not really working harder. Um, but it's so popular because they feel like they, you know, that sweat and that workout. So, I don't think that it's everyone's intention that they practice yoga to learn how to calm down. Now, that being said, sometimes it'll sneak up on people, right? So, it wasn't their intention, but then all of a sudden, they find that, wow, that thing that used to get me upset, I'm not upset, you know? Or, wow, I'm sleeping better at night, you know? It's not, so, I mean, they don't have to have that intention, but sometimes it sneaks up.

But then some people, you know, they skip out on shavasanas every time because they're like, ugh, you know, who needs that? Well, so, I know that, like, in here, like, I have people come in for, like, they have their own, you know, reason, whatever it is. And then, but really deep down aside, I want to, I mean, I want to address that reason, but I really wanted to get to this other thing. So, when people come into, like, your studio, I'm guessing you have classes for different types and so on, but do you really want to get them to that nervous system change or sleepy time as time goes on? I would say at our studio, at HP Yoga Collective, I would say the majority of the teachers, the answer is yes.

And we use whatever we need to help them get there. So, if it means giving them a really hard, sweaty class, then that's what will happen, right? That's what, and some teachers, that's what the student needs, and those students love that teacher for that because that depth of work helps them get there. The room is never heated, so it's their own sweat and hard work that gets them there. But another component that's really huge that all of our teachers are really proficient at is working with the breath and really bringing in the breath as a part of the practice. So, the classes at our studio don't move super fast, which actually helps prevent injury, and it also helps people develop their own sensitivity and proprioception in their body.

But then it also teaches their nervous system how to calm down because, really, the breath is a key in all of that. Did we email about this? I'm having deja vu right now. I don't know. I feel... I don't know, maybe. I think that's great. Like, I was thinking about, as we do some breathing stuff in here in regards to setting tension if you're going to move weights, and a lot of people, at least that I experience, like, they say, like, well, I don't like... Some people, they're, like, totally open to it. Other people, they're, like, I don't want to start at this. There's something... This sounds ridiculous, but, like, the more I think about it, like, people can't...

Like, how many people are on those... What are those breathing machines at nighttime? Yeah, the CPAP. Yeah, I think we've got a problem with breathing here. People don't know how to breathe. It's really interesting, but people do not know how to breathe. One of my favorite teachers and mentor, he's actually coming to our studio later at the end of this year, is Max Strom, and he literally travels the world. So, he's in Europe. He goes to the Middle East, Asia. He travels the world, and his main platform is teaching people how to breathe. And in teaching how to breathe, they learn a lot about regulating their own emotions and their own nervous system.

But, yeah, people don't know how to breathe. And it's scary, honestly. When people take a deep breath in, whatever they're feeling, whether it be a physical sensation or emotional, it makes it more intense. And then the exhale can actually help it release, right? But that moving towards an intensity, if it's something that doesn't feel good, is scary. And so, I think, you know, I think people breathe really shallow. Part of it is because of that. Because it can be tough if you don't have the tools to feel all of those things. We spend a lot of time trying not to feel. Not to feel. Sounds like dead inside.

I mean, in a way, I mean, I hate to say it, but I mean, in a way, we kind of are, right? Like, people are just kind of going. I wouldn't say the mass. Well, I mean, I don't really know. I don't know how to quantify it as far as percentage. But there's a lot of people that, you know, are afraid to feel their feelings. And that's where you get a lot. I mean, there's a lot of sickness and disease out there. And I would say that, first of all, a huge majority of it is stress. And another part of it is trying to avoid what we feel. And so, we stuff and we shove and we numb and we do all sorts of things.

So, do you ever get people then, like, when they finally get breathing down, do they have an emotional release like they cry? Yes. We get that for sure. We have many, I wouldn't say every class, but especially people who are newer to yoga. We get people after class just sort of like, I don't know where that came from. Oh, my. And they feel embarrassed because they don't know that that's a normal thing, that that's okay and that it's normal and it's safe. Are those people that, like, I keep imagining, like, a type A businessman personality that they probably need it the most. Is it, that type of reaction, is it with that kind of person or is it more of like a type B?

I guess, is there type B and C? There should be if there's an A, right? Right. You know what? I don't know that a type A would necessarily let go enough for it to happen in the yoga class. I don't know that that wouldn't then something shift privately. Yeah. Right? Because I think, I think that type A's have a really good control system. They're good defensive mechanisms. Very good at controlling emotions and feelings. You know, so I wouldn't be, I don't know that, I don't know how to judge the people that I've known had that response, whether they were type A or not. I'm suspecting that they probably aren't.

But yeah, I think that what we classically call a type A are people who are pretty good at masking that stuff. Not that they don't do it or feel it later when they're in their own privacy, you know, but I think in a group setting, they probably have a better control of things. So do you have, do you have a story of anybody that, I mean, obviously no names mentioned that you can remember that had a really good, a good life change with learning how to, I hate say, is doing yoga, is it called doing yoga? I mean, yes. I mean, it's, again, this is a big, like we could really, if you had a bunch of yoga teachers around, you can get a pretty good philosophical debate about it because yoga is a practice.

It's also a state or experience with inside of yourself. And so, yeah, I mean, people say, yeah, you're going to go do yoga. Yeah. You're going to go practice yoga, whatever you want to call it. Yeah. I feel like they make t-shirts about like joking, like, do you do CrossFit? Do you even lift? Do you do yoga? Yeah, they could, they could, yeah. Yeah. So as far as the story, I mean, it happens, like I'm just picking, like when you first said it, I actually remembered a woman who had a big emotional release. I mean, it was a big one and she was embarrassed enough she didn't come back. Oh, really?

Because it was intense, right? Like it was, it was like she, it surprised her. And so she had a lot going on in her life. She was dealing with a major move, a major relationship change, things like that. So this huge welling up of emotion that happened that she wasn't expecting scared her. And so she, I talked to her and she's just like, I'm just not ready for it yet. Which is like, cool. You know, the fact that you know that, that you aren't ready for that, you know, maybe she doesn't have the tools to deal with it yet. You know, maybe she doesn't have the support system to handle it yet. Yeah.

So I, you know, the fact that she was self-aware enough to say that I think is like great, you know? Yeah. And then more often than not, what it is, is you just, for me, I see people just coming back over and over again and they start, their face just looks a little brighter. They're just, um, they're more sincere in their practice. Like they just kind of get to the, they show up on their mat and they're like, they're ready. They're like ready to go there, wherever that is for them. They're just, you know, um, and then when they leave the practice, they leave a little more slowly, you know, rushing off to their next thing there.

You know, they grab a cup of tea, they say hello to a few people. Like there's just this, this shift and that I definitely have seen that happen over the years. And that is really cool. It's cool seeing someone walk in and really rushed to get to their yoga class, which happens all the time. I got to hurry up and get to yoga so I can calm down. Um, but then they leave and it's done, right? Like all that anxiousness, all that energy is like settled and they're like, they leave and they're like, ah, thank goodness. I feel so much better, you know? Um, so I, yeah, I don't think I have one story, but just like, uh, a lot of stories.

Yeah. I would imagine too, like the, um, so I guess the practice of, I almost said doing yoga, the practice of doing yoga. Yeah. It's, I feel like you're, it sounds like you guys are practicing to better cope with the rest of your day. It certainly has the, it has the ability to do that because there's the postures in yoga, right? There's like doing the moves, right? And you move in and out of them. Sometimes you hold them. Um, sometimes you're, the moves are more focused on maybe stretching. Sometimes the moves are more focused on strengthening. So there's all that going on in there. Then on top of that, there's breathing, right?

So then now you're trying to take these slow, calm breaths while you're going through some sort of intense sensation. So learning how to breathe through intensity is, is something that you learn in yoga, but then there's your mind and all your thoughts and all your dialogue as you're doing it. And some teachers are more skilled at others of really teaching people into paying attention to not just what they're doing, but how they're relating to what they're doing. Right. So are you practicing yoga and like forcing this on yourself and pushing yourself and driving, or are you practicing, um, for perfect, for perfection, like trying to perfect this pose or the, you know, the practice in general or your breath, whatever it is, or are you here just to have an experience or you here because you're curious about your body, about what you're feeling, you know?

I mean, so, um, I, like I said, I think some teachers are more skilled at, uh, teaching students into that, but the opportunity is there always. So you brought up positions and I was going to go into it at some point. Um, is, is acquiring a certain position or skill at getting that position is, is that the, is that one of the major points or can you get someone to the Savasana anyways, regardless of, is it just their intention of doing it and like the effort? It's not the overall stature of the poses. Um, I know the different disciplines. Yeah. I was going to say, um, there, I, I think it's a combination of the poses, right?

So it's a, it's a combination of how the, how the poses are put together and sequenced, how they're performed. Um, and a lot of it's how the person is showing up, right? So what somebody needs to get to Savasana one day may be different than what they need to get there on another day, right? So as a group teacher, um, you do your best to support everybody in the same place. And as a experienced teacher, you watch the room and you try and read it. Do they need a little bit more? You can, I mean, you can see when people are totally distracted or when people are completely struggling and you can either use their struggle to teach them into something about themselves, or you can learn that you're pushing them way too hard and back off and give them some space to not struggle so much, you know?

That makes sense. So I guess now we've got to know, are you a cat or a dog person? A dog. I like cats though. I just never was raised around them. I, yeah. I just, so I don't have a lot of experience with them, but I'm, I'm kind of an animal person, but. Do you have a bunny? I, I grew up with a bunny. Do you really? I have a bunny right now. Oh, do you? Yeah. We have a lot of animals, but bunny is not one of them, but we have chickens. Um, you have chickens right now? Yeah. We have chickens. We had goats recent until recently. Where are you at? Where you, I don't think I should say because we weren't supposed to have them, but.

Oh, well, cause the only spot I remember them being, cause I have a friend who lives, uh, like he likes doing the same kind of stuff. Um, he, he lives along the riverbed. So there's, there's allowances for, since you have no neighbors behind, but yeah. So yeah, you don't have to tell me geographical. How do you not, I guess a goat. It's not far from here. How's that? Yeah. A goat is quiet. It's. They are actually, except for when they're giving birth at 3 a.m. And then, then you start to worry about your neighbors. But prior to that, uh, they were very quiet animals. You, I mean, you really wouldn't know them.

They make, their noise is much quieter than a dog barking in the neighborhood. So. Oh. Yeah. Hmm. I always heard, uh, I always imagine goats screaming though. No, they don't. They don't? No, just a little, you know. It's like a, like a squeaky gate. Yeah. I mean, really. I mean, ours were, ours were particularly quiet, um, until they had babies. And then the communication between mama and baby got kind of loud, which is part of why we don't have them anymore. Um, because then, then all of a sudden it was very stressful because one, we're not supposed to have them. And two, just courtesy of the neighbors, you know?

Yeah. Um, so. So where'd the goats go? Did you, did you give them to a friend? You didn't eat them. Did you eat them? You know, talking to a yoga teacher about this is really interesting. I don't know that I ate them so much as, so, um, we, my family and my husband in particular is into permaculture is into permaculture. And permaculture basically is, um, you have a problem and there's always a solution, right? And so we had a problem and we tried to solve it by, um, selling the goats, giving them away, whatever we could do. We tried. Um, but they were shy goats, so they weren't really appealing for pets.

Um, and they were older goats, so they weren't really appealing for, um, milk, which is what people, basically why people would have goats. So we tried to sell them and we didn't have any luck and we still had these noisy goats and my husband is a hunter and you know, he, it was a very traumatic experience for him. It wasn't his original plan with getting goats. Um, but he did do it and learned that he actually does like goat meat, but you have to remember that the rest of the world does eat goat like we eat cow. So it's weird because we have a perception of goat that, you know, they're so much cuter, but I mean, a cow is actually quite beautiful.

I mean, yeah, yeah. So anyways, that's why I was just curious with, uh, cause I know that everyone that comes over to my house, so actually I have an indoor rabbit. Um, I built him like a two story hutch. He's got like basically like a bunny mansion, but I've had him for like 10 years and so he's getting a little older and they're like, what, what's the deal? Why do you have this bunny? And I'm like, well, we used to have another bunny and, but then that bunny died and now this is the last bunny. Yeah. So they're like, why don't you just eat him? I'm like, no, he's been like my buddy for like 10 years.

I can't do that. Yeah. It's a long time. Yeah. So yeah, I was, that's, that's why I, that's why I wouldn't, I mean, I would eat goat, but I don't know about my pet goat. That's pretty heartless. Well, first of all, they weren't like our pet pets, right? So like we have dogs that are pets. So the goats were for their milk. Like we did have like the, you know, they did have names, but they came with names. We didn't name them, but they were for, um, it was for their milk. So, um, and when that didn't work out, when the milking whole thing didn't work out, then it became like, okay, what are they then?

If we're not milking them and we're not petting them cause they're super shy, then we're just feeding these animals that are living here. And so it was, that's where it became like this question of, that's where it became the problem. Right. And then we had to find the solution. Their milk was like rent money to live there. Um, yeah, right. I mean, kind of. Yeah. Right. Like we fed them, took care of them, loved on them, all that, you know, but, um, yeah, they, they weren't contributing back in the end. Right. Yeah. It's, it's weird. Trust me. I have very mixed feelings about all of that. Um, very mixed feelings.

It's like too much to go into, but yeah, I, I, yeah. Well, let me, since we're diving into, uh, other realms, the, why don't, uh, I'm sure you have a couple of life hacks that you live your life by. I know that I like to drink water. Um, if you were, is there anything you tell people like early on when they come to your studio, you're like, these are things that, that how I run my life that I might help you that are not just, uh, yoga practice based. Is there anything that you do? I don't know. Drink water. I like that one. Will you tell me about that one? Drinking water? Yeah. Oh, well, so. I mean, I know we all have to, but to, to actually call it a life hack.

I, can I interview you for a second? Yeah, you can interview you. You'd be the first one too, actually. Okay, good. Um, actually, so I, I call it, there was a period of my life where I was addicted to being hydrated, I call it. So I would, I'd actually, before I go to bed, I mean, I, I would forget during the day and I see we both have hydro flask or actually we have the same model as the Costco model, isn't it? Oh, uh, no, actually these are, um, you know, it's a local company. Oh. They're an HV based company. So they sell them everywhere, but, um, we sell them at our studio because, hey, yeah.

So they're, they're HV people though. Oh, I didn't know that. Yeah. Their headquarters are in downtown Huntington. We, we saw them at, uh, my friend bought me one at Costco. Like we, we go camping every year and like he just, one year he bought us all flip matching flip flops. And this year he bought us all matching, uh, Takya's, right? I give him, give him a pitch. Takya. For sure. Takya. Yeah. Takya. Um, but yeah, for those, there was a period where, um, like I wouldn't drink that much during the day and like there was seriously, I would, um, maybe drink like two cups of water a day. That's it.

So I just committed to drinking water and like, I would not consider myself fully hydrated unless I was brimmed out and I would have to actually pee three times a night. Oh geez. So I know it sounds, it interrupts your sleep a little note, but it was a, it was a cost benefit thing. Cause like, so I guess when, I think when people too, when they, when they drink, so, uh, part of the process of, I think a hangover is, uh, they call it a anti-diuretic hormone. Have you heard that? So they pee a lot. So I think part of the hangover and just part of feeling crappy overall is just not being hydrated.

Sure. Yeah. So that is my water hack. Okay. Awesome. You're not fully hydrated until you're brimmed off. Okay. I will remember that. We actually, we are really into water too. So we have like pristine hydro filter at the yoga studio and we encourage people to bring their bottles empty and fill up at the studio. So they're, it's not like not all waters created equal. Yeah. I believe that too. Like, um, I, we used to actually, I grew up on things like Taco Bell and tap water and stuff. So I've, I've, and you made it. You survived. Woo. Well, we don't know yet. I might've taken like 10 years off my life.

Yeah. You're here now though. Right. Yeah. That's why I'm so short is cause I was eating Taco Bell all those years. Well, so that was my one life hack. Do you got one? Um, I'm trying to think, I don't know that I have anything in particular that I, you seem to make, you're getting your own eggs. I mean, we are, I don't expect that everybody could pull that off though, or is even interested in it. Um, I definitely encourage people to, you know, eat local, eat nutritious. That's actually a component at the studio as well as like promoting wellness and health through nutrition as well as yoga and meditation.

Um, so, I mean, I, but I, yeah, I mean, I'm really clear. I don't expect people to do the things that I'm doing. So, I mean, I think it's sort of like, I'm better at if you ask me what I'm doing, I could tell you, but I don't necessarily think, I don't have a way of saying that everyone should do that. When I'm teaching my yoga classes, I always have something that I share beyond just what the poses we're doing. Um, I, you know, about life, about approaching discomfort or sitting with suffering or sitting with your feelings or breathing, you know, so there's always, there's always something like that, that comes out in the yoga practice, but it's usually much more inspired.

So I think I'm a little stalled right now. It's okay. I've got a lot of wisdom, but I just, you know, I don't, I don't usually, I don't have this like general thing that I live by. So. Yeah. There, um, I imagine it kind of like, like you walk into your, your class and you've, you know, those, you know, those calendars you just like rip off day one. Oh yeah. Yeah. And it's got the quotes and all that. Yeah. They have, they don't have like, like a yoga studio, like 365 days of classes. Oh, they have them. They do. You know, I, what I do is I walk in and I, at the beginning of every class, I encourage everybody to remember why they're there.

Why, why did you come, right? Did you come for the workout? Did you come for, you know, a place where you just can chill out, peace out, whatever. Um, and when they do that, I do the same thing. And, um, I always remember my why. And when I, when I remember my why as to why I'm teaching, um, I become much more open to what's present in the room, what's present in my life. And then just cool stuff flows out and I'm like, Ooh, wow, that was awesome. So it never feels like I premeditated it. And I mean, the sequencing and all of that, I have my ideas, but it always feels like there's some other, I don't want to sound too like woo woo, but I just, I just feel available to something else.

And then I just say stuff and then I make notes later because it helps me, you know, it's not just for them. It's for me too. I can see a blog coming. Shelf high five blog. Yeah. Right. So, yeah. So, I mean, I, like I said, I, um, it's cool because I feel like I don't own the stuff I'm saying. It's just feels very, um, organic based on what's going on in the room or what's going on inside me in the very moment. Yeah. And, um, so yeah, it's a cool, it's a cool experience for me as a teacher to teach from that place. Cool. Well, so I heard have a purpose is what I'm do something with purpose. Uh, do something with purpose.

Here's your purpose. Well, I mean, it's tricky. Self-inspired purpose. Yeah. Well, I think every, everyone runs around looking for their purpose. Right. And so, um, I think that that can feel very fulfilling for those who find it, but I think sometimes the constant looking for it makes it so that you almost miss it. Right. Because sometimes our purpose is inherently in just being who we are. And so there isn't this grand, you know, I think some people, it seems like everybody's purpose is somehow serving and changing the world. You know, that that's, I've never heard of purposes that aren't somehow that, you know, um, which is wonderful.

That's great. But, um, if you're not guided to any particular path that excites you, do you then suck? You know, do you, does, is your life now purposeful, purposeless? I mean, um, and I think that's a really harsh thing to tell people, you know, if you're not feeling this major inspiration, then, you know, too bad for you, you know? So I, I feel like I, sometimes I wonder, I get that, I get this feeling of having a purpose because I mean, right now I'm feeling pretty on purpose with this studio and stuff, you know, but I also get the idea that if I'm so dedicated to that, then me, myself, my individual self is now so tied to that, that if that goes away, does that mean that I'm now purposeless again?

Right. But what if me inherently being me was enough? That makes sense. I think, um, I had, uh, there was, I was thinking before that with, um, in regards to like desiring things or like people having goals, which I think goals are great, but at the same time, like, let's just say if, what if your goal was to, um, accomplish X, Y, and D and you never do, do you, is it, are people comfortable being who they are in that journey to accomplish that or are there then failures of not ever accomplishing that one thing? Right. Cause I don't think, I don't think a lot of people accomplish their goals and stuff, right?

Yeah, no, no, I agree. And I think we get so tied to those goals that, and so in yoga addresses this. So part of it, so like I say, I have people set an intention, right? Some people might say that that's their goal. Like what's their goal for coming here. Um, but, uh, there's the setting, the intention, there's the picking the goal, right? And then kind of forgetting about it so that the goal or the intention that you set kind of turns you in a particular direction. So you're now not no longer going East. Now you're going Southwest, right? So you've turned and that's all you've done with your goal or your intention is turned in a particular direction.

But then what happens from there is one step at a time, right? So then whether the goal ever gets accomplished or not, it doesn't matter. Cause I know for me, I've set a goal. I faced Southwest. I took a couple steps and then the goal changed because the few steps that I took in that direction, I learned something new about myself. I learned something new about maybe where I thought I was headed. And then I was like, oh, and then I just about face. Now I'm going East, you know, and took another. So it's, I think the goals are really great at having us direct sort of where we're intending to go in the moment.

Just rough orientation. Yeah. A rough orientation. And then, and sort of, you know, I'm facing this way now. That means I'm not facing that way. And so that's great. And then, but then, then the navigation happens in the moment and in the particular step that you're on, if that makes sense. And so then at that point, whether we ever hit the goal or not, it doesn't matter because all that matters is the particular step that we're on. Yeah. That makes sense. Yeah. I like it. Thanks. I didn't come up with it. I read it in about 20 books and then just summarized it. Well, I haven't heard it before.

This is, yeah, I actually, I, I, after talking with you about this stuff, actually, I can think of a handful of people that I'm going to share this podcast with. Great. Because I think they'll, I think the information will be really valuable. Oh, good. And I can't regurgitate what you heard from 20 books. So, um, I wrote down some questions of, uh, they were common questions that I found on Google about yoga. That's cool. So, let's see if you can, I guess. Let's see what my yoga knowledge is based on. Well, I guess we should start with the disclaimer that there's many different types of yoga and that it's your own experience.

Yes. That's all I can speak from. Yes. Um, so group classes or one-on-ones. Yes. Why would one pick one and not the other? Uh, well, um. You don't see a lot of one-on-ones anymore. No, you don't. Um, I mean, it depends on where you're at because some of it's based on, um, uh, financial resources. So one-on-ones are a lot more expensive than group classes. So that's one, uh, aspect of it as to why people might choose a private versus a group class. Um, certainly in a private setting, you can get a lot deeper with somebody and, and working with them on their very specific intentions and their very specific, um, history injuries, whatever it is that they're working with.

You can definitely tailor it so much more, but it does cost more money because of that. Um, but, uh, group classes, I think, um, they're great. First of all, there's a lot when there's group energy, then it can really help. So if everybody in the room is kind of at the same time going deeper into their own experience, it somehow supports each other doing that same thing, if that makes sense. So if you're in a room by yourself with your intention to like breathe and be focused and be present, most people do all right with it. But a little more easily distracted. But if you're in a room with a group of people all trying to do that, there's just this supportive collective energy that seems to help everybody do it.

So even though everyone's got their own private mat, their own private little world, it seems that they are still supporting each other just by being there. Oh, I like it. Oh, so now we're talking about mat space. Oh yeah. Can, is it, is there etiquette within class where like you don't go into someone else's mat space or bubble? Um, typically you just don't step on someone else's mat and that's just a hygiene thing. Yeah. Um, that's a pro that's probably like the biggest one as far as it's tough because a lot of classes you stick your arms out to the side and you're, I mean, another person might be right there, you know?

So it's, it's tough to claim a full bubble. I'd say most, uh, most of the studios in the classes that I have been at when people bump into each other in the class because their arm space or something like that, most people are pretty just like, ha ha, you know, or hello, you know, just, it's a lightheartedness about it, you know? Um, and again, that's my experience. I know that that's not always the experience everybody has, but my experience, people are just kind of lighthearted about it and, you know, no big deal. So yeah, just not stepping on people's mats, I'd say is the only like etiquette thing.

Is there, there's not like a groom your toenail, get rid of fungus before you go. Uh, no, I mean, that would be nice. And there is kind of a, um, uh, a, I don't want to say a rule, but an idea in yoga that you, um, that cleanliness is helpful to reduce suffering in one's life. And so yes, can, you know, that stuff is a good idea, but you know, what can you do? You're not going to run and police everybody's pedicures, you know? I feel like I would just lie to him and say like, like your, your energy is dampened by toenail hygiene. Well, I mean, as a teacher, it's not fun to look at sometimes, but I mean, if they're comfortable with it, then I'm good with it, you know, and they're not stepping on my mat.

So it's okay. You know, that's good. Um, okay. So, uh, in regards to community, cause I'm hearing a lot about community from you as well. So, um, tell me about the, you said the group energy as well as, um, there's another thing we said about community as well, but, um, what's your experience with at least getting people into a community that does that? Uh, that does what? Uh, I, I'm trying to stay away from saying doing or practice yoga. Cause I, cause I don't think it's yoga, like the yoga community, yoga community. Um, so, uh, well, I mean, I don't know, I don't, I mean, I was just talking to a friend of mine about this today.

I don't know that people, so first of all, our yoga studio at HP Yoga Collective community is a huge part of the studio. It's, I mean, it's embedded in the studio that it, it's, it's from the beginning, from the beginning of our story, um, of how we came to be community is really what backed the studio opening and it's what, um, has helped promote it and continues to promote it. But people feel it when they come in, right? It's the sense of being seen and welcomed, um, when they walk in the door. I don't know that people are necessarily looking for that when they come to our studio. They're not like, I need to find a community, you know, but they walk in looking for something else and they find themselves welcomed.

They find themselves seen and people happy to see you and you start to feel connected to these people. And so the community starts to happen. It's, it might be what keeps you there. If that makes sense. Yeah, it does. Um, and that's a, that's an important component to me because I feel like, you know, with the social media, the way that it is now, people are so disconnected. We have a false sense of connection now, right? Because we can like a friend's thing that we like touch base with them, right? Like I see what you're up to. I liked your page, you know? And, um, and it's such a, it's such a false sense of connection now.

And so I feel like people are more and more disconnected than ever right now. Um, so having a place where you can come in and people see your face and smile and like, Hey, Sebastian, so great to see you. I'm so glad you came today. How are you? You know? And like, all of a sudden you're just like, wow, you, first of all, you're remembering my name and you're happy to see me. Like that's wow. Okay, cool. You know, um, because what I see is a genuine, it's not just like a, it's not good customer service. It's genuine, like happy to see these people, you know? Um, and then what's really cool is seeing it amongst the members, seeing it amongst them, you know, that it's not just the staff that are, that are acting this way, that the members, that we get a lot of tourists that come in cause we're, we're located on main street and people, where are you from?

Oh my gosh, Canada. That's something, you know, a lot of Canadians, by the way. Um, is there really? Oh yeah, but you're a lot of Canadians. Absolutely. Um, so, but I mean, so we get people from all over the world and it's just so fun that the members immediately reach out to a new face, like haven't seen you before, you know? Um, and so that's, you know, it's, it's just, it's perpetuated itself within the students as well. Um, so I don't know, I think there's a growing need for community more so than people even realize that they need it. And once they get it, they feel like, oh wow, you know, this was missing.

Yeah. Like you don't know that you're missing it and then it shows up and you're like, that feels really good. Yeah. I think you're right. I think there's, um, my thoughts on social media is that I think we see the highlights of people's lives. Yeah. We don't see the lows. And it's almost back to that goal setting again. It's like, well, I want that to be me, but it's, then you're always living in want. So yeah, community sounds good. Yeah. No, I think it's important. And whatever community that is, right. And, um, it's usually shared values or shared experiences that help people come together.

And what I love about a yoga community is that it's based on this positive, you know, practice. It's based on, um, uh, inspiration. It's based on wanting to be better people, feeling more peaceful inside. So it's got, you know, the roots and the intentions within the practice to come together as a group of people behind that is to me really cool. Cool. So, so it's not just about having your own chickens. Everyone has their own chickens. No, it's not. It's not. Although we, you know, some of our members buy our chicken, our eggs. So, you know. Yeah. It's nice to share that. I was going to ask that earlier, but then I realized, I don't know if I can ask that because of the resale thing.

Oh, you know what though? I mean, it's just, yeah, we're cool. We, we sell our eggs to, to people we know. Okay. We're not out there in the retail world selling them at stores and stuff. Cool. Um, this is, I know we probably addressed this already, but I'm going to, I'm going to ask you just because it was on the list. Uh, I'm not flexible. Will I be able to do yoga? That was a Google question. That's my favorite. I love it. I got to be honest with you. That's one of my favorite ones. So people think that being flexible is a pre-qualification to do yoga when yoga's intention is to help you be more flexible.

So there isn't this prerequisite. You don't have to go to a stretch class before your first yoga class. Yoga class is that class. So I think what's challenging for people though, is to feel like the inflexible person in the class. And so that's more their ego that needs to be more flexible than their body. Okay. I like that. So what is the, uh, let's see. What should I wear and break? Uh, no, let's not do that. What are the different styles of yoga? Oh gosh, there's so many. That's hard to, it's, I mean, I don't even know where to start, but there's, there's a lot. So there's practices that are more rigorous that are more challenging, um, that are probably best suited for experienced practitioners or people who are more athletic at the very least.

Um, those are styles like vinyasa, Ashtanga, um, uh, any hot vinyasa classes for sure. You want to have some sort of athletic experience cause that's pretty stressful demand on the heart. Um, and, uh, but then there's all sorts of, um, there's restorative yoga, which is literally like lay over things and just do nothing. It's like, that's like an hour of, uh, of training your nervous system, right? Exactly. That's exactly what it is. So they put you in these positions like a, like a supported backbend. So it's not severe backbend, but just, you know, you're, you're relaxed in this position. And then usually there's some nice music or maybe some breath practice or something like that.

Um, but it's pretty much just about the nervous system. Okay. Um, and then there's classes that have a little bit of both, you know, in, in between and different styles. There's some that are more intentionally therapeutic that are much more like about therapy for the body. And then there's some that are much more broad and, you know, just an overall wellness, well being, stability, flexibility kind of thing. So yeah, I don't, it's like I told you, it's a really hard question to answer. And I mean, even the, even the word yoga had nothing to do with all this physical stuff that we do now. It actually had everything to do with meditation before.

And so now we've now adopted it as the physical practice and now it's crazy how many different things are out there and people are innovating all the time. So people are creating their own styles all the time. Yeah. I mean, now there's like yoga lottis. I don't, I have heard that. Yeah. So I mean, and I mean, there is, I have a friend of mine who was a former boxer. And so now he teaches like a, a, a yo box or something like that. Yo box. I can't remember the name of it, but it's combining boxing and yoga. So there's this cardio component, but then it brings in the yoga. So, I mean, it's being innovated and, uh, there's this evolution to it all the time.

Um, so there's so many, there's more styles out there than I even know about for sure. So then I think that leads into a question that people are wondering, how do I know what to pick? This is the thing you got to be willing to experiment a little bit. So there's a few things, right? There's the style, whether you want to do that style. Um, and then there's the teacher themselves, right? Every teacher has a different way that they teach and, and share. Sometimes it's just the teacher's tone of voice, right? Like some, there's some teachers. I remember I had a, there was a teacher I went to one time and she sounded like a kindergarten teacher.

I couldn't keep going. I was like, I'm out. Like I, it was really hard to follow the instructions and feel that sense of like wanting to give her the authority in the room because of the sound of her voice. But that was just me, right? There was tons of people who loved her voice. Um, so there's so many personal factors that go into it. Um, as far as what class. So a lot of it is really this experiment. Like, let me see. I'd say the first thing you should look at is what fits in your schedule, right? Like, where are you going to fit it into your schedule? And then based on that, look and see what's available on that time.

Um, and then give it a shot. You know, I definitely recommend starting with like more basic classes for people just so you kind of have a sense of what you're doing, but some people can't handle the basic classes because they move too slow for them. Um, and so they won't stay. So I don't recommend everybody start with basic classes. Sometimes it's okay to not know what you're doing and just kind of find your way through a more advanced class because that's meeting you where you're at, right? You need to just kind of move a little bit more, you know? So how long do people kind of, or do something should people give it like go one time and say, ah, that person's voice was annoying or, Hey, this, this movement was odd for me and just jump around like that or just kind of say, Hey, I'm going to do a couple of weeks of it and just see if it sticks.

Cause I know you said they'll sometimes find their way, right? Yeah. No, I would say it's different. I'd say it's different for everybody. Yeah. I mean, go try it, try different teachers, try different classes, especially if you're new, don't just stick to the one thing, try different things because if you, if that's your only experience of yoga, you don't know what's possible. So trying different things and learning different ways that it shows up, I think is a really a much better option. So most studios, including our studio offers introductory specials where you can do that, where you can kind of bounce around, um, for a reasonable price, um, to be able to explore just like that.

So you can find the teacher, the schedule, the time, the class that fits best with you. But like some people say, yoga is not my thing. There is a yoga class for everybody out there. It's just a matter of finding the right teacher and the right style. Sounds good. What do you teach anyways? What is your class over there? My, my class is called a vinyasa class. So I do bring in vinyasas, although I don't do it as much as I used to, because I don't know that I'm not feeling that it's as safe as, um, you know, our wrists are not really designed to be that weight bearing that much. And it, it demands a lot on people's risks considering how we spend our day typing and doing all, you know, so, um, I minimize it a little bit more than I used to.

Um, but yeah, I'd say mine's, mine's a pretty good balance of, of strength and stability and, um, stretching and flexibility. My classes usually start pretty gentle where you feel like, oh, this is going to be an easy one. And then all of a sudden out of the blue, you're like, dang it, I'm working so hard. Where did, what happened? And then right when you think you can't take it anymore, it goes the other way and it's like chill again, you know, and you're like, you know, so just to the brink of, oh, thank God it was over. Yeah. I mean, it's, I mean, we all laugh, my students and I laugh about it, but I mean, it just, it gets just to that point where it's just, you know, I like that I'm very mindful not to push people to too far.

Cause I don't think that's the practice of yoga. Um, but, uh, yeah, to, to get them to challenge, let's put it that way, to challenge themselves to a point. And then it goes back the other way. So with, I was just thinking about what you said, the wrist thing, um, cause I know you're a mom. So some people get as moms, they get cause they're holding babies like this. So does that, have you noticed that after having kids that your wrist have more issues with doing flow or? Um, no, not mine in particular. I had the hardest time when I was a massage therapist and a yoga teacher. That was, I couldn't practice cause my wrists were a wreck.

Oh yeah. Um, but yeah, but I ha I haven't noticed it. Although my kids are a little older, so I don't hold them the way that I used to at the holdings different now than when they're tiny, tiny. Um, so I'm trying to think, but I think when I, when they were younger, I think it did affect my wrists were more impacted by that. Um, and so I just kind of stayed away from some of that stuff a little bit more. Okay. Yeah. So we should do the question that I asked you before we were on that you really had a passion about. Oh boy. Which one was that? It was, uh, um, why does Savasana always end with a right turn?

Yeah. So not, so it's, that definitely seems to be the, the idea that's been like perpetuated for a long time. Roll to your right. More and more teachers I am hearing say roll to your side, um, which really gives people the option to go right or left. Right. Um, the, there's a lot of, if you look it up online, you'll see a lot of reasons why to the right. If you talk to an anatomist, there's not a lot of, uh, backing behind some of those reasons, such as, uh, if you roll to the right, it takes pressure off the heart, but the pressure, the heart is really quite centrally located with just a slight tilt towards the left.

So I don't know that there's that much pressure relief by going to the right versus the left. Um, some people say, um, so in yoga where there is this science of breathing, we, uh, we breathe through our right and left nostrils. Uh, we alternate that actually throughout the day and that, um, the, the energy is different when you're breathing more through your right nostril and more through your left nostril. And so the left nostril tends to be this like more calming, um, like chill, slower kind of energy. Um, and so if you roll to your right, your left nostril is a little bit more open. So it kind of maybe helps you maintain that calm that you just experienced when you, um, and then some people think that it's just, you know, the right side is just kind of this auspicious side in India and therefore the right, you know, we step forward, we do every posture with the right side.

First, we do everything with the right roll to the right. So right, right, right, right, right. You see it in yoga all the time. So it could be literally something as very simple as that. So we haven't gotten it down to, has anyone gotten it down to the root of this is the actual start of why? Not, I mean, like I said, it depends on. It's all, it's all, it's all people are adamant that it's because it takes pressure off the heart. So I think it really depends on who you talk to. There's no like yoga Bible that's been like in passed down from like, this is what yoga is not as old as people think it is.

I mean, yoga is yoga, the way we practice it is not, it's really only as old as about the 1930s. Before that yoga was all about meditation and the postures were only designed to help support you in your meditation practice. So yoga, the way it is now is actually rooted in Scandinavian gymnastics and was brought to India through the British rule of India. And the postures were then sort of adopted to help them strengthen their bodies so that they can be a healthy society for the revolution that was about to take place. So there's, I mean, there's this whole history to it that most people aren't aware, but the postures are not as old as people think.

And in fact, new postures are being made all the time. There's postures that are super popular now that when I was practicing when I was 19, didn't even exist. But now they have a Sanskrit name to them, which is the language that we put a lot of the, um, the, the, uh, texts are written in. Um, and so the, so it makes it sound like the posture has been around a really long time, but really what happened is the posture was created. Someone named it an English name and then they looked up what that English word was in Sanskrit and then boom, you have your now Sanskrit name. It reminds me of like when people move to Hawaii, all of a sudden they get the Hawaiian name from their real name.

Yeah, right. Totally. Yeah. It's something, it's something like that. So it's, I mean, I don't mean to take away from it because innovation is important, but it's also understanding that it's, uh, uh, sometimes we attribute, uh, an more ancient root to what we're doing and therefore hold it with greater, I don't know, reverence than maybe it deserves. Not, not the reverence part, but the holding to the roots of it. Yeah. That makes sense. Yeah. Um, I, I can't, I was, I was talking to someone the other day, I had a question I was going to ask you was how come you hear about a lot of positions named after animals?

Yeah. I mean, it's, is that the, uh, Sanskrit thing? Uh, some of the, well, so some of those positions were a little bit older and they're trans. It's just the Sanskrit word and a name. And so some of those postures somewhat look like that. Some of the neat postures are named after, um, uh, like Hindu sages, um, that were important in the Hindu culture because the roots of yoga have roots connected to Hinduism. Um, some would say that it is sort of this offspring or offshoot of Hinduism itself. Um, but you don't have to be a Hindu to practice yoga. That's not the case, but I definitely wasn't on my question list.

Yeah, yeah, no, you know, but I mean, it's important to acknowledge like, so some of the texts that, uh, were at the root of yoga were like the Vedas, which are a very important texts in Hinduism. So there's, there's, there's definitely roots to that, but it doesn't necessarily require an, it is not a religion. Nothing, yoga is not a religion. In fact, people from all different faiths could practice yoga and get deeper in their own faith because of the level of self-awareness that it cultivates. So I think you're, you tangent into a good thing. I feel like that, um, I know outsiders will probably say it's about any type of exercise or activity, but, um, cultish comes to mind with different things because it's like, you're all like-minded people.

I'm not saying it's a cult. No, I hear it. Um, but do you ever hear any resistance from people? They're like, well, I want to practice yoga, but I don't want to do that. Or I don't want to be part of this, or they don't want to be part of the community or a different mindset. Um, does that ever happen? Um, I mean, I'm sure it does. I mean, I don't really, I mean, there's certainly people who show up, practice and leave that aren't looking for some of that other stuff, you know, like the connection and whatever, and they just get what they want out of their practice and go. So, I mean, I think that definitely happens.

Um, there are some people that get so gung ho that they're like, yoga is all you need, you know? And I, I was that way for a while. I was like, oh yeah, you do yoga and that's enough. Right. But it's not, I mean, there's no cardio in yoga. So you need your cardio health, you know, weight resistance with weights can be really helpful and beneficial. So I think that as, if you're looking at it just from the physical component and the fitness component, I don't think that it's the end all be all. If you're looking, I think, I think, however, yoga is an incredible compliment to all of the physical fitness that's out there because of the breath work, because of the work with the nervous system, because of the flexibility that it helps to increase and the stability on the joints.

All of those things are really great things that would help anybody in any fitness routine that you might have. So, but I know that there are some people that are just like, yoga is all you need. And I, I just disagree with that. I love yoga. I own a studio. So wouldn't that be great if that were true? But, but it's not, there's lots of things I think that the physical body actually requires in order to stay healthy. Yeah. Okay, cool. I was just curious. I know that when, um, I've, I have a friend that he, so I wouldn't lift it at a CrossFit gym years ago. I don't, I don't currently that much, but when I was there, I actually have a lot of friends that, actually a lot of my friends now are still people I met there, but then we don't really go there that much anymore.

So I asked a friend one time to come, they were having a Christmas party. So I said, Hey, do you want to come to, he's like, what are you doing today? He initiated the conversation. He said, what are you doing? I'm like, well, I'm going to Christmas party. Oh yeah, where is it? He sounded very interested. And I said, it's at a gym. He's like, I don't want to go. And I'm like, well, why not? He's like, I'm, I don't want to go. And I think he was afraid of the fact that he was going to be surrounded with people that have the same ideals, but not his. Right. Cause he wasn't a very extremely fit nor health minded person.

Yeah. But I didn't want to sit around talking about protein and probably, yeah. Yeah. What'd you lift today? Yeah, I know. Right. Yeah. So I could, I could appreciate it. You know, he was afraid he'd be bored probably. Oh, he knows I would include him. Yeah. Um, so as we, as we finish up here, how can everyone reach you? And do you have any closing statements that you really want to talk about? Like I'm presenting my case. Um, okay. So how you can reach me is at the yoga studio, HB yoga collective, and we're on main street and beautiful downtown Huntington beach, really close to the, um, the water.

So, um, I always encourage people to, um, you know, if you're not rushing off to the next thing, grab a cup of tea, walk to the beach, you know, have the full experience. Um, but, uh, we have a website, HB yoga collective.com. And that's the place where you can find all the information about our schedule and events and things like that, that we're having. Um, and closing comments, I would just say, um, if you've never tried yoga, try it, you know, and, and try it more than once because it really has incredible benefits for everybody. And the biggest one is really around the nervous system around working with the mind about finding ways to be okay with yourself.

And so it's so much bigger than most people really understand or realize. Um, and even if you don't go with those intentions, um, there's a probability that you'll experience that anyways. Nice. Like it. Well, thanks so much for coming in. Yeah. Thanks for asking me to. It's been fun. Okay. That was good. Huh? Corey Strobel, everyone. Don't forget to contact her. The show notes are at p2sportscare.com slash 78. Her place is called HB Yoga Collective. It's in downtown Huntington Beach. It's actually about one block, two blocks, maybe from the ocean. It's amazing. You walk out the door, look to the right, you stare all the way down the pier and nothing out, nothing, or even nothing's past that except for the blue ocean.

So it's a really cool spot to be at. Um, if you guys again, want to check out the posters as well as the, uh, organized podcast, go to p2sportscare.com slash shop. You'll find everything there. Um, I am starting to come out with some more eBooks as well. And I was brainstorming when actually last night when I woke up, when I woke up, I was thinking, you know what, you know, it'd be cool. This, like this sleep that I had was amazing. And I know a lot of people who can't sleep. I'm like, well, maybe we should, maybe just a pocket, uh, a eBook on like the 10 things you can do to improve your sleep or how to get a good night's sleep.

I mean, crap, writing down your thoughts into a notebook. It would be amazing. And I'm not talking about things like get a new bag and so on, but there will be some position, maybe some positional changes in there. Oops, sorry. Nose got stuffy. Um, but even things like, uh, um, do some meditation beforehand. You know, do, do your breathing work before bed. Um, these are all things that I think, uh, it would help people's sleep that I thought, you know what, that, that might be a really easy book to write and I think would help a lot of people. So if you're interested in that, um, email me or you'll find it on the shop page as well.

That'll eventually be on there. Um, lastly, don't forget to treat people extremely well. Don't be an a-hole and leave people better than how you found them. Talk to you guys next week.