Category Archives for Uncategorized

HELP WANTED: Vegan Chef

I’m looking for a vegan chef who is healthy looking (no need for models, just healthy and smiley) to create unique and original recipes for my subscribers.

Here’s what I’m looking for:
*Plant-based recipes
*No use of weird mock meats or funny stuff
*Minimal use of tofu (some OK, some tempeh OK)
*Legumes are great
*Raw foods are great
*Little use of wheat
*Little to no use of funny vegan stuff like fake whipped creams, sheez and other weirdness – we just like natural foods

We teach plant-based nutrition outside of the context of veganism. We are not vegan activists and actually avoid the word “vegan” as it just makes people feel bad or attacked, instead we focus on “plant-based” and “healthy” and “natural” so everyone is welcome.

Here’s what I’m looking for:
*I’d like to create a video recipe book of 25 videos
*This will be used in my membership site and perhaps used
in other products/offerings to my customers

Your job:
*Create the recipes, “host” the show
*Cook/prepare recipes on camera
*Provide written recipe sheets

We will provide for you a camera crew, so you don’t have to worry about filming or lighting, just cooking. If you have a nice kitchen or access to a nice kitchen, that is ideal.

Pay starts at $100 per video + expenses (food). All videos would be shot in 1-2 days (a weekend, most likely). If it goes well, we will do perhaps 3-5 of these projects per year.

HOW TO APPLY:
*Shoot a video of yourself making something (can be as simple as a smoothie)
*If the video quality is not great, that’s no problem, we just need to “see” and “hear” you
*Upload the video to youtube (can put as “unlisted” if you’d like to keep it private) and send the link!

ALTERNATIVE JOB:
*We are also hiring a non-camera chef to create recipes and blog for us.

Written on 08 December 2011 by Lucas under Uncategorized with Comments Off

Stretching Before or After Workout?

Dear Yoga Student,

Question from Thomas (in Maine):

“I’m a runner and I find yoga really helps me recover
quickly and prevent flare ups in my knees… but I’m
not sure if I should do yoga before or after running.
Does it matter?”

Answer:

To do short hold and dynamic stretches before any
form of exercise (tennis, weight lifting, jogging) is a
great idea. These types of stretches are not about
gaining flexibility, they’re all about warming up and
preparing your body for more intensity.

For example, a runner who pulls his heel to his bum
for 15 seconds on both sides to stretch his quads is
never going to gain MORE flexibility doing this…

… but it’s still very beneficial and ACTUALLY the better
way to stretch before a workout (as opposed to doing
deep, passive stretches).

Why?

There’s a muscular component to it, but mostly it’s
a disconnect for your nervous system. In order to
do a very deep stretch (a la Gravity Poses) you have
to consciously train your nervous system to relax
the tension in your muscles.

The deeper you go, the more your nervous system
is learning to let go and soften.

But if you’re doing sprints, dead lifts, or even
hitting golf balls, you need your nervous system
to be a twitch away from full engagement.

That’s the long answer, but here’s the short takeaway:

*Brief, dynamic stretches are best before a physical
workout to prevent injury and “warm up”

*Long-hold, passive stretches for flexibility gains
are best done AFTER your other workouts OR at the
end of the day

This way, your nervous system isn’t getting mixed
messages… when it needs to, your body will be strong.
And when it’s time, your body will soften and open.

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC
Sun Warrior Protein – Rice Protein (vegan)

p.s. Do you have some favorite pre-workout dynamic
stretches? Wanna share? Post them down below…

Written on 23 February 2011 by Lucas under Uncategorized with No Comments

The Only Doctor I Listen To…


Dear Yoga Student,

I read 80% of the diet books that come out each
year just to see what people are talking about.

Mostly, they’re just hype written by people who
who have no business writing about health and
wellness what-so-ever…

… so when I do find a health expert that is DIFFERENT…
someone I can trust, it’s pretty exciting (geez, I’m such
a geek).

So let me introduce you to Dr. Mark Hyman.

For my money, he is the ONLY guy in the mainstream
teaching health, weight management, and disease
prevention that you should listen to.

I read everything he puts out many many times, and
he calls his approach, “Functional Medicine.” It’s a very
simple practice that seeks to eliminate the cause of
disease rather than the effects of disease.

This is BEYOND alternative medicine… instead of finding
a natural cure for headaches, you instead find the cause
of the headache and get rid of that.

Sounds obvious, but 99% of all medical practices are
reactive, so this is really revolutionary.

Here’s what often happens:

We have a bad experience with a doctor, so we write
off the entire medical community as a sham and start
going to acupuncturists, chiropractors, and healers.

OR

We have a bad experience with a quack naturopath
and swear off “alternative medicine” forever. If
you’re like me, you tend to gravitate toward
extremes…

… but for real health, extremes are usually NOT the
answer. Prevention is. The middle path. Finding what
works, finding the source of problems, and uprooting it.

Fun stuff.

So that’s why I love Dr. Hyman. He’s a big advocate
of a plant-based diet, yoga, and meditation as well…
so that pretty much sealed the deal.

Stay bendy,

Lucas Rockwood
YOGABODY Naturals LLC
B12 for Vegetarians & Yoga Students

p.s. Don’t be put off by the titles of Dr. Hyman’s books like
ULTRAMETABOLISM. Sounds sensational, I know, but
it’s the best health and diet book I’ve found in 10 years.

Written on 18 January 2011 by Lucas under Food, Nutritional Supplements & Yoga, Uncategorized with No Comments

Bugs in My Gut? (oh my!)

happy belly

Dear Yoga Student,

There are 10x more bacteria cells in your body
than human cells…

… which is enough to fill a half gallon jug! (bacteria
cells are much smaller than human cells… but
there are tons of them!)

So this 1/2 gallon jug of bugs includes a delicate
balance of good to bad bacteria that are essential
to maintaining your health.

Yup, that’s right:

There are bad bugs inside you now – hopefully
getting beat up daily by your good bugs, sometimes
called “beneficial microflora.”

These living organisms help with all sorts of
metabolic functions including the digestion of
your food.

When people talk about “living foods” they
are talking about beneficial bacteria-laden foods
like kefir, yogurts (unpasteurized), krauts, and
nato.

I eat fermented foods (homemade) at least 3x
per week and they make me feel great. They
reduce bloating, clear up my skin and give me
a really natural lift in energy.

… and when I’m traveling and can’t get living
foods (or whenever my digestion needs some help),
I also use a probiotic supplement.

Probiotics are supplements that contain dried
(but active) beneficial bacteria. This is a manual
way to add to your “good guy” bacteria troops
really quickly.

With probiotics, you want a minimum of 5 strains
and a potency of at least 25 billion CFU’s (personally,
I only use 10 strains and 50 BB CFU’s as I find it
more effective).

Here’s what a probiotic, beneficial bacteria supplement
can do for you:

* Produce natural compounds that ward off
pathogenic bacteria, yeasts and viruses
* Reduce digestive mucous
* Starve off pathogenic bacteria (if there are enough good guys)
* Produce short-chain fatty acids for gut health
* Boost immune system
* Synthesize Vitamins B & K

So the question is: How are your bugs doing?

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC
Sun Warrior Protein – Lean, Yoga Strength

p.s. How much sugar you eat (less is better) is a
huge determining factor in your gut bacteria health.
GET THE FULL STORY HERE
(on that page, scroll down for info on the probiotic I use)

Written on 11 January 2011 by Lucas under Food, Nutritional Supplements & Yoga, Uncategorized with No Comments

The Physics of Yoga Strength [interesting]


Dear Yoga Student,

If you’ve ever seen a buffed up yoga
teacher with giant biceps and budging
pecs…

… you can be sure he or she did NOT get
that body-builder physique doing yoga
poses.

Here’s why:

Yoga builds FUNCTIONAL strength, not for show,
but for real life, real power. Ask any yoga teacher
and they’ll tell you a similar story where a buffed
up gym rat comes to class with biceps bigger
than the teacher’s legs…

… and yet he can’t hold a chaturanga (half
pushup) or side plank (side pushup) for more
than 3 seconds while the skinny guy next to him
can stick a handstand for 1 minute.

And here’s why this matters:

Yoga DOES build strength, but not in the way
you’d normally think of. Firstly, it builds dynamic
muscle balance as opposed to mass which is
extremely useful no matter what your goals.

Secondly, it builds greater range of motion, which
by definition, equals greater strength.

Here’s the formula:

*Range of Motion x Force = Output of Power*

A pitcher with a strong arm who has a
pathetic reach due to his tight shoulders
can’t hurl the ball as fast.

A golfer who is build like a truck but whose
hips are locked up can’t compete with his
weaker yet bendy competitors.

Long tissues, strong body. Short tissues, weak.

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC
Sun Warrior Protein

p.s. For the record, there are LOTS of very smart,
very functional weight trainers and body builders…
lean muscle is one of the secret keys to fitness
when done right.

Has yoga made you stronger? Post your story
below…

Written on 22 December 2010 by Lucas under Stretching Exercises & Yoga Poses, Uncategorized with No Comments

Don’t Smoke Your Joints!


Dear Yoga Student,

If you’ve ever mowed the lawn before, you know
how amazing grass is. You can stomp on it, cut it
almost all the way down to its roots, abuse it…

… and it grows back stronger and stronger all
the time.

In many ways your body’s muscles are the same
way. As you’re building strength and flexibility,
you are creating micro tears that heal longer and
stronger (hopefully) than before.

All good.

This is why you get sore, and I’m sure this is
not news to you… but what about your joints?

What about if you pop your arm straight 20
times in a row until your elbow is throbbing?

What if you do so many squats your knees
swell up like melons?

Do you elbows and knees get stronger? Almost
never. Muscle soreness is a sign of progress
(as long as you can still walk straight) but joint
pain is a sign of injury – or soon to be.

So when you practice, expect your quads to burn
and your hamstrings to get sore after a hard
session. That’s OK.

But do everything you can to keep your knees,
shoulders, elbows and lower back pain-free. Soreness
there is red flag… don’t smoke your joints!

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC
Brown Rice Protein – Sun Warrior

p.s. In the next email, I’ll share with you some
very simple, extremely effective tips for joint
care in yoga… got a question? Post it down below…

Written on 01 December 2010 by Lucas under Stretching Exercises & Yoga Poses, Uncategorized with No Comments

Top 5 Foods in America (all pretty blah!)


Dear Yoga Student,

According to the USDA, here’s a shortlist of the
most-consumed foods (in no particular order):

*Milk
*Processed cheese
*White breads & flour
*Refined sugar
*Colas
*Ground beef

Milk might be a good food for some people,
particularly for those whose body tolerates it
and if they can find a local, whole, non-pasteurized
and non-homogenized source (extremely rare).

But the rest? If you never ate that stuff
again, you’d probably give yourself an instant
bump in health and vitality.

Here’s the thing though:

We all get into weird patterns of eating where
breakfast is ALWAYS the same and lunch consists
of one of two options, and before you know it,
it’s really easy to just eat milk, wheat, sugar,
and corn all day long (in various forms) with
some other stuff on the side.

Does that happen to you?

Biodiversity in your diet is really fun, and it’s
extremely healthy – particularly when you eat
locally and focus on ugly, bumpy, army green
colored veggies.

Here’s an experiment I’ve been doing, maybe
you want to try for yourself…

**FOOD EXPERIMENT**

Make a laundry list of every single plant
(and animal) food you ate last week, and
then try to double it this week. Most people
have 15 or less, to give you an idea, so aim
to eat at least 30+.

Let me know how it goes…

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC
Sun Warrior Protein

p.s. If you’d like to post your “what I ate” list
of foods, I’d love to get some ideas from you.
Please post them here down below…

Written on 24 November 2010 by Lucas under Food, Nutritional Supplements & Yoga, Uncategorized with 2 Comments

Doing it Your Own Way Stinks (yoga students)

Dear Yoga Student,

For most people, their best quality is also their worst. Let me show you what I mean.

I’ve always been a one-man show doing everything on my own terms for as long as I can remember. In some ways, it’s done me a lot of good.

But in other ways, it’s been an idiotic waste of time.

When I was a kid, I used to spend hours trying to “invent” a pizza dough recipe in the kitchen when there were dozens of great recipes to be had in any bookstore.

I used to try to fix my motorcycle without reading any manuals – just twisting screws and yanking on cables.

And the amount of times I’ve screwed up my computer… let’s not even go there!

Then I found yoga.

My first teacher was a noodle of guy about 6 1/2 feet tall, and whenever I did anything even slightly off, he’d get right up next to my ear and growl:

“Stop messing around and do it like I told you!”

As stupid as it is, I don’t like people telling me what to do. Fundamentally, I just don’t like it. How stupid is that?

People have been doing yoga for a zillion years, and yet I thought I could figure it out on my own! Surprise surprise, I was a complete wreck!

Back then, it was hard for me to focus my eyes on one point, breathe through my nose and press my hands together above my head all at the
same time (I’m not making this up).

More than once, I feinted in class, and the morning-after, I’d walk to work with a limp.

I put up a good bull-headed fight, but eventually, Noodleman beat my independence out of me and opened me up to a whole new world…

… a world where I could piggy-back on the work of other people and move ahead 10x or even 20x as fast – at anything!

In the yoga scene, people are always looking for gurus and sages to follow, but I was just looking for teachers of any kind, and I looked everywhere!

Yoga geeks in the park. Nutrition nerds at health food stores. Fitness buffs in the gym.

I didn’t care then, and I don’t care now who I learn from (as long as they’re good). I just love to learn.

One of my daily mantras became this: “I don’t know Jack, so today, I’m going to find someone who does.” (very spiritual, eh?)

Where I’m going with this is that my best quality, my independence and obsessive nature is also my worst. And your best quality is probably stinks sometimes too.

Think about it.

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC
Yoga Flexibility Made Easy

p.s. I’ve started making these free yoga videos with
posture clinics and recipes. Check them out here:
YOGABODY Revolution Show

Written on 13 September 2010 by Lucas under Blog Posts, Uncategorized with 3 Comments

Two Guys, One Fly, Some Dirt

Dear Student,

Imagine a guy sitting under an apple tree trying to relax, but flies keep landing on his nose. He swats 7 of them dead, but there’s one he just can’t get… and it ruins his afternoon.

Same tree, same fly, 2 days later, different guy. The fly lands on this new guy’s nose, but this guy just sits there, staring at the fly, scheming.

Same tree, same fly, 2 days later. Guy number one is still swatting at the fly, hot and bothered, but guy number two has rubbed mud all over himself and is smiling like an idiot through clay-crusted lips because the fly doesn’t want anything to do with him anymore.

Here’s the moral:

“If you want to be successful in life, simply watch what most people would do in a given situation, and then do the total opposite.” (Earl Nightingale)

Think about it.

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC

p.s. Most people are sitting at home, watching the tube,
wishing they had long, lean, limber bodies. But there’s a
little gang of us grinning through our mud-stained lips.
Yoga Swing

[Btw, comments welcome below]

Written on 13 September 2010 by Lucas under Blog Posts, Uncategorized with 3 Comments

Kids are No Good at Yoga (not yet)

Dear Yoga Student,

Kids are no good at yoga.

They can’t sit still, their bodies are like noodles, and they’d much rather being throwing rocks at passing cars than trying to twist themselves into funny shapes.

But here’s what kids ARE good at: trying something new. Their whole life is about diving into the unknown!

The other day, I was watching this cheesy movie with my daughter about street dancers in Baltimore, and without even thinking, she started break dancing!

She tried to do a handstand, stall on her elbows, and kick from bridge to standing. She couldn’t really do it, but you know what?

She wasn’t that far off!

When it comes to body awareness and coordination, young children really just don’t have much of it. But that doesn’t stop them from sucking up knowledge like a Hoover – and not from books, or hours of planning, or years of dreaming…

… they just try it! And then they cry.

And then try it again, and again, and again until they get old enough to start worrying what other people think.

And that’s when it becomes pure torture just to drop down into a simple pose like the full frontal splits!

Kids are cool, and because they KNOW that they don’t know much, that’s why they can learn and change and grow more in a couple days than you or I can in an entire year.

I swear, last weekend, I saw brain cells multiplying right before my eyes. Handstand, handstand! Do it again!

Gotta love that.

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC
Cleanse Your Bowels

p.s. A note from Gabrielle, “The Hot Yoga Doctor,” in Australia:

“I too have started using Lucas’ YOGABODY Naturals and felt a
difference straight away. I have only taken them for 3 days. I
noticed that in my stretches that I effortlessly was able to
surrender just that little bit more. It felt great. No pain, just
lengthening, stretching bliss.” YOGABODY Store

Written on 13 September 2010 by Lucas under Blog Posts, Uncategorized with 7 Comments

MSM for Sore Yoga Students (secret sauce)

Dear Yoga Student,

Guess what my favorite mineral is? (hint: it’s not gold)

Actually, it’s sulfur.

They call sulfur the beauty mineral because it’s an essential building block for all the body’s tissues…

… skin, nails, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. And it’s also a yoga student’s best friend.

When I first discovered yoga, I used to eat like cow rummaging through the city dump – pizza, beer, ice cream, chips – and let me tell you, stretching used to hurt!

I’d go to bed sore and wake up limping! No joke. My hamstrings ached, my back was on fire, and my shoulders were so stiff it was torture just to slip on a t-shirt.

Why was that? Two reasons:

  • 1. I was in piss-poor shape
  • 2. My body didn’t have the nutrients it needed to do
    the things I was asking it to do (like bend over… pathetic, eh?)

Lucky for me, I met a guy named Anthony who showed me the light. He taught me that food is the most powerful drug you’ll ever put in your body.

And he showed me some high sulfur foods to start chowing down on. Whole foods like durian, cauliflower, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage.

But he also showed me a superfood supplement that was just as natural as those veggies, but 10x as potent… perfect for yoga students!

It’s called MSM and it’s an organic form of sulfur that comes from rainwater trapped in pine trees.

Weird huh?

Well, it works magic for yoga students reducing soreness by at least 40% and giving your body the minerals it needs to heal about 2x as fast.

No joke.

I love the idea of getting all the nutrients I need from the foods I eat, but hey, I ate only raw organic foods for nearly two years straight, and when I got tested, I was still deficient in half a dozen minerals.

So what’s up with that?

Here’s the straight story: the earth’s soils are depleted. We’ve got a zillion people mooching off the planet and one of the repercussions of that is, our veggies just don’t hit you with the same mineral-dense punch they used to.

Live and learn. The earth is changing, and so is your body.

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC
Sun Warrior Protein

p.s. To learn more about MSM and other ingredients in
my YOGABODY formula, go here: YOGABODY Stretch Formula

Written on 13 September 2010 by Lucas under Uncategorized with 1 Comment

The Yoga of Bank Robbery

Dear Yoga Student,

When they asked the famous bank robber, Willie Sutton, why he robbed banks, he said:

“Cause that’s where the money is!”

Stupid question, but a pretty telling answer. He wasn’t robbing liquor stores because it would have been a waste time. He wanted big money.

Here’s why this matters: it’s easy to waste time looking for what you want in the wrong place. So if you don’t like your yoga teacher, find another one. If you’re bored with the style of yoga you’re practicing, try something new!

It’s your life, and you get to make the rules, but when it comes to health, flexibility, and energy, I’ve found that the “bank” lies in really simple daily activities.

Here they are:

  • 1. Most people feel REALLY healthy the more active
    they are (by active, I don’t mean talking the stairs
    instead of the lift… I mean, actually DOING physical
    exercise).
  •  
  • 2. Most people feel REALLY healthy the more whole foods
    they eat (yup, you guessed it… fruits and veggies).
  •  
  • 3. Most people feel REALLY healthy when they learn to
    calm their mind and detoxify their body with deep
    breathing exercises.

With everything in life, there’s a fast way and a slow way to getting what you want. The saying goes that the “tortoise wins the race” but I don’t think that’s true anymore.

Today, the people who hear a new idea and take action immediately are the ones who end up manifesting their dreams without all the yucky, boring processes that the rest of us go through.

Think about it…

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC
Yoga Swing Yoga Trapeze

p.s. Post your thoughts below… love to hear from you!

Written on 13 September 2010 by Lucas under Blog Posts, Uncategorized with 2 Comments

Where Do You Get Your Protein?

Dear Yoga Student,

There’s a protein myth that’s been floating around for over 10 years, and I feel the need to kill it dead simply because I’m sick and tired of people asking:

“Where do you get your protein?”

It all started in 1995 when this hack named Barry Sears wrote a book called, THE ZONE, that basically took the Atkins Diet (really old) and added some fancy medical language to it.

Suddenly a medical doctor was promoting meat and milk and bacon not just as good crash diet foods, but also as a part of a healthy and balanced diet.

Hey, it sounded good. I took the hook.

I bought the book. I followed his advice like the freaky compulsive that I am, and for 2.5 years, I was a meat-eating, anti-carb fanatic.

I’m not making this up.

I’m actually the only vegetarian in the world who has eaten more meat than most non-veg people will eat in an entire lifetime. I’m not proud of that, but it is what it is.

Here’s what happened:

  • 1. I lost a ton of weight
  • 2. My breath stank
  • 3. My muscles disintegrated
  • 4. I had petrified stools (sorry, had to go there)

Here’s what overeating protein does: it tricks your body (chemically) so it thinks it’s starving. Then, in ‘starving mode,’your body literally eats itself.

Grossed out yet?

Well, here’s the real tragedy. I lost weight on THE ZONE because I’m compulsive about this stuff, but everyone else eating high protein gets as fat as a truck because they’re not.

They eat MORE meat, but they also eat more bread, pasta, rice, and processed sugar too… and they bloat up like balloons!

Don’t believe me?

Take a look at photos from the 1980′s when low fat, complex carbohydrate diets were en vogue (a la FIT FOR LIFE). It’s true that around 1985 most people could use a good shower and a haircut, but for most part, they were much thinner and healthier.

Fast forward to today when everyone wants chicken everything and protein shakes for breakfast…

… have a look around! People are fatter, sicker, and sadder than ever. Hmmm… something ain’t right.

Today, I get my protein from broccoli, nuts, seeds, tofu, and spinach. I’m still really lean, and as a nice bonus, I don’t
stink of putrefied animal flesh anymore which is a big plus for my personal life.

Joking aside, mother’s milk is about 10% protein. Most fruits and vegetables are 3-50% protein. And if you’re super active or traveling a lot, I highly recommend about 16-30 grams per day of YOGA Protein.

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC
Yoga Swings for Backbends

p.s. If you’re interested in my philosophy on food (it’s so easy and powerful that kids can understand it), check out THE YOGABODY DIET section in the YOGABODY Handbook.

And if you want to learn my experiences using all-natural,
plant-based protein, wholefood supplements, read more here:
YOGA PROTEIN for Lean-Bodied Strength

Written on 08 September 2010 by Lucas under Food, Nutritional Supplements & Yoga, Uncategorized with 7 Comments

Discipline vs. Flow (which is better?)

Dear Yoga Student,

Traditional yoga relies on specific sets yoga postures done over and over until mastery.

Here’s how it works:

(1) You go to class.

(2) The teacher gives you some poses to do in a specific order (poses that she has practiced for YEARS and that work for her and her students).

(3) You do those poses 6 days a week until the teacher tells you to do something else.

Ashtanga, Sivananda, Integral, Bikram – all these styles rely heavily on the structure and discipline of a fixed sequence.

And here’s why I get pissed off…

There’s a movement among senior yoga teachers to “do whatever you feel in the moment” or to “do spontaneous yoga!”

Now if you’ve never done this before, it is a lot of fun, and it is a great way to practice… sometimes. Like on the weekends. Put on some music with some friends on a Friday night, roll out your mats and just play. I love that.

But here’s the BIG catch. You’re probably not really ready to flow yet (hardly anyone is), and if you “free flow” every day, you won’t experience half the juice that structured yoga practice has to offer…

… most of which are real life benefits, not even anything to do with the yoga poses themselves.

And here’s the rub: every one of those teachers that advocate free flow, spontaneous yoga practices comes from a highly structured, disciplined background.

To understand this better, think of a gifted child piano player. She plays Mozart, she plays Bach. She’s awesome Wins the talent show.

She plays her whole life, every day for an hour; but by the time she’s 40, she never plays the classics anymore. She plays jazz at a local cafe on Sundays. She sits down with a drummer and bass player – sometimes people she’s never met before – and they just play.

And it’s awesome. It’s magic.

And it’s actually BETTER than the highly structure disciplined practice she knows so well but is now ready to leave behind.

But the ONLY reason she can improvise and jam on the fly is because she spent decades hammering away at the fundamentals. Learning the classics. And getting the notes ingrained into her body and mind forever.

Flowing is great fun, but for now, use it as a fun break from your discipline. Success leaves clues, and in yoga, structure is always the mother of success.

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC
Want More Strength in Yoga?

p.s. What do you think about this “do what your body
wants” practice idea? Share your thoughts here below…

Written on 08 September 2010 by Lucas under Personal Growth & Development, Uncategorized with 5 Comments

The Yoga of Hard Rock

Dear Yoga Student,

Sometimes when I do yoga, I listen to loud music. Shoot me.

And one morning, I was up in the studio racticing as usual, listening to this old Modest Mouse album full blast, sweating my head off, and of course, wearing nothing but a pair of briefs.

I lost track of time.

I’d been up there for hours, and suddenly two students came walking in (early for class).

And one of them said: “That’s not yoga music!”

It was a pretty funny scene. Me in my underwear, them in their Lulu Lemon yoga gear, and Isaac Brock screaming something about “working on
living” over and over.

Ha!

Seems like everyday someone is trying to tell me what yoga IS or what yoga ISN’T. Yoga cloths and yoga beads, yoga gear and yoga nicknames -
and frankly, I don’t care!

I mean, put away the history books for a moment, and ask yourself: what is yoga really?

Stretching? Indian exercises? A spiritual practice? A cool place to meet other new age-y people?

I don’t know about you, but I have a pretty hard time defining most things in my life, and I’m not about to let anyone define my yoga practice for me.

Sorry, it’s mine.

And you know what? Enya doesn’t make yoga practice any easier than Angus Young, so if you hear “Back in Black” on full blast around 6 a.m., just do me a favor and wait outside… I’ll be done soon enough, and then we can play the harmonium and pretend that deep down we don’t all just want to scream and dance and rock out.

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC

p.s. Just for the record. I do like Enya:)

http://www.yogabodynaturals.com/store

——————–Rave Reviews————————
“YOGABODY is great stuff!”

I have been taking your YOGABODY for about
4 months and I feel fantastic. It’s great stuff!

- Mandie Kemp (yoga student)
———————————————————–

Written on 07 September 2010 by Lucas under Blog Posts, Uncategorized with 1 Comment

So I Changed My Life

Dear Yoga Student,

I’ve got something I just have to get off my chest.

In 2002, I reluctantly read my first personal growth book. It was Anthony Robbins, UNLIMITED POWER,and it changed my life.

I know what you’re thinking: “Isn’t Tony Robbins that giant guy on the infomercials in the middle of the night?”

Yup, that’s him.

Here’s what happened. I was living in Arizona at the time (high desert, dry air, lightening at night with no rain), and a close friend gave me the book.

He told me:

“Don’t talk to me again until you’ve read this book cover-to-cover.”

So I did. It took me two full days, I filled three entire notebooks with notes, and that was it really. My entire world view was flipped upside down.

An ancient proverb says, “What the mind can see, the body can do,” and six years ago in Arizona, my mind suddenly saw a world of possibility.

I saw myself with a fit, flexible body.
I saw myself financially secure and free.
I saw myself living and traveling all over the world
sharing healthy living and yoga with others.

And it all happened. And it wasn’t hard. To be honest, it’s been like sliding down a greased-up slide in the park.

So what does this have to do with you?

Well here’s the thing. I love facts and figures, science and diagrams. But the truth is, whether you want to get more flexible or find the love of your life, ain’t nothing going to happen until you get up off your ass and start doing something about it!

Sorry to be so blunt, but I don’t know how else to say this.

Take action, read books, experiment, travel, and never stop learning. Force feed yourself green foods, brainwash yourself with positive thoughts, drop down into first gear and charge up that hill!

Inertia is death to the body, and a tragedy to the soul. Fight the good fight, my friend, and transform your life today.

Ok, that’s all.

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC
Vitamin B12 for Vegetarians

p.s. What do YOU think of all this? Post your thoughts below…

Written on 07 September 2010 by Lucas under Blog Posts, Uncategorized with 3 Comments

Backbends & Dogs that Don’t Bark

Dear Yoga Student,

I’m going to teach you a very strange back bending
tip, but first, a story.

In a classic Sherlock Holmes mystery, our clever
protagonist solves the crime by noticing a key clue
overlooked by everyone else…

… there was a dog present, and yet during the crime,
he didn’t bark.

A good guard dog would ALWAYS bark, and yet
he didn’t.

Why? Because the dog knew the perpetrator sop
well that he didn’t bother.

When we look at yoga and health transformation,
success always leaves clues behind, and yet sometimes,
the dog (the teacher) doesn’t bark.

Why? Maybe she forgot, maybe she got bored of
teaching it, or maybe she just knows it so well she
didn’t even think to mention it.

Mostly what I’m talking about are unorthodox practices
and things that that students do that help them achieve
greater benefits and transformation through yoga.

This is how I learned about the connection between
nutrition and flexibility.

This is how I learned about VO2 Yoga Interval Training
for arm balances and inversions.

And it’s also how I learned that in really deep back
bends, when you’re freaking out, one of the best
things to do is to open your mouth.

In almost any led class (mine included) the teacher
will tell you that you have more control of your
body and mind with nose breathing.

This is 100% true, and ultimately, it’s the best way
to practice a dynamic (flowing) yoga sequence.

But… I started noticing that of the teachers I knew
who had very deep, very open back bends, at least
half of them were opening their mouth to get into
the pose.

Emotionally, back bends are really intense and if
you couple that with restricted breathing, it can
sometimes be too much (ever seen someone cry
in yoga?).

So next time you’re working with a backbend sequence
and you just feel like you’re going to explode, allow
your mouth to hang open until you get your head
screwed back on straight.

Once you feel stable, close your mouth and get
back into the practice.

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC
Yoga Swings

p.s. Please post your thoughts down below:

Written on 13 August 2010 by Lucas under Tips & Tricks: Stretching, Yoga & Life, Uncategorized with 3 Comments

Yoga Students: Your Brain on Coffee

Dear Yoga Student,

As a former coffee junkie, I’ve become obsessed with
researching how long-term, heavy caffeine intake
affects us…

… and it’s pretty interesting stuff. The reason I’m so
interested in this is because it’s completely socially
acceptable to down 2-5 caffeinated beverages a day,
and many people drink nothing but caffeine all day
long.

What about just a little? Or just once and awhile?
Probably no big deal except that when you don’t have
it, your brain LACKS blood flow.

You move faster, but your brain is only able to do
simple tasks – not high level thinking. This video shows
before/after brain scan to see what a coffee drinker’s
brain looks like when she misses her morning brew.

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC

p.s. I’m really surprised at how effective Liquid Clarity-B
is for NATURAL energy boost. YOGA B12

Written on 04 August 2010 by Lucas under Uncategorized with 2 Comments

The Yoga of Asking Questions

Dear Yoga Student,

Asking yourself good questions is one of the
most powerful yoga practices of all…

… and there’s one question I’m obsessed with.

*QUESTION*
“If I keep doing what I’m doing now… what’s
going to happen in 5 years? 10 years? 20 years?”

“Will I be happy? Healthy? Sick? Alone? Rich?
Broke? Loved? Fulfilled?”

When I’m trying to figure out what to do with my
work, my lifestyle, or my relationships, that simple
question gives me crystal clear clarity every time.

If you’re asking about yourself, your intuition
already knows the answer.

But now let’s take that question WAY beyond you
and me, and let’s start asking bigger questions.

*LIKE THIS*
“If we keep farming the way we’re farming now…
what is going to happen in 5 years? In 50 years?”

As I’m sure you know, genetically modified seeds
are becoming a huge player in our planet’s
ecosystem. Though no one knows for sure, it
seems like that could be a very bad thing…

… and as a guy who lives off plants (me), I have
to think about where the food I eat comes from
and whether or not it’s truly a sustainable system.

OR, is the planet just sick and getting sicker.
Problems can really linger and fester, but I find
solutions strike down lightning fast.

So, I’m optimistic that if we all keep asking
questions about ourselves, our communities,
and our planet, the solution and direction
needed will indeed come.

I was reminded of the “practice of questioning”
today after I heard a very interesting interview
with “Eco-Feminist”, Dr. Shiva.

HAVE A LISTEN HERE

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC
Yoga Swings

p.s. Comments or questions? Please post them down below…

Written on 16 July 2010 by Lucas under Blog Posts, Uncategorized with 4 Comments

Plant Foods Change Lives – *Live* Teleclass

Written on 12 July 2010 by Lucas under Uncategorized with 7 Comments