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!

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)
———————————————————–

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…

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…

Dear Yoga Student,

My last hamstring post flooded my inbox,
Facebook, and Twitter pages with responses…

So let me get right into it and tell you how I fixed
my hamstrings (yes, I ended up pulling the left
one too).

ICE: This is helpful the first few days only. After
that, I find it totally pointless. Alternating ice/heat
is meant to increase circulation, but most of these
routines are prescribed by doctors who feel like
they need to have some advice for their patients who,
for the most part, don’t actually move except to grab
some bonbons from the freezer on commercial breaks…

… so yeah, ice it good and cold the first few days,
but after that, lose the ice.

DON’T STOP STRETCHING: Everyone I talked to
including yoga teachers told me to stop practicing
until it healed. There were two fundamental problems
with this.

(a) By that time, I was totally hooked on yoga and
hated missing even one day of practice

(b) While resting did help it heal, as soon as I’d do
anything, my hammy’s would flare up just like before

*Don’t get me wrong here. If you absolutely quit doing
anything and “lay flat” for 2 months, your hamstring
will heal. It’ll heal fast and hard and tight, but as soon
as soon as you try to use it again, it’s going to hurt.

FORGET MASSAGES: I know I’ll get hate mail for saying
this, but I’ve pulled a bunch of muscles (being stupid mostly)
and massages never helped. They’ll talk to you about
“breaking up the scar tissue” and “balancing the energy,”
but honestly, digging your thumbs into a bruised hamstring
proved counter-productive for me.

NO HOT YOGA: The heat along with stretching can make
even the most bruised-up tissues feel strong and limber.
It’s a weird thing, but if you pull your hamstring, stay out
of the heat for at least 2-4 weeks. You won’t know your
limits, and you’ll wake up in a serious world of hurt.

NO JOGGING: Jogging is pretty tough on a bruised hamstring
so don’t do it. Walking is good though.

CYCLE & SWIM: Both cycling and swimming are great
for gentling strengthening your hamstrings, and you
want to start this within a week of injury. On a bike,
just cruise around (nothing hardcore). In the pool,
get a kick board and do laps. That up/down motion
is great on the backs of the legs.

FORGET THE ‘EXPERTS’: People go to doctors looking
for quick fixes and cures, not prevention or long-term
health plans. It’s as much our fault as it is theirs,
but just remember that no ultrasound machine or
sports therapy session even comes close to a very
conscious yoga practice (at least from what I’ve seen).

POWER YOUR QUADS: Your quads (fronts of legs) are
the opposing muscles to the hamstrings, so you want
to engage them as hard as you can every time you’re
folding forward. Sometimes, it can be helpful to literally
grab your quads and squeeze them tight to feel the
strength balancing out the weakness.

BEND YOU KNEES: With a slightly bent knee, your quads
automatically engage a little thus protecting your hamstring.
Micro-bend your knees in all your forward bends (even
if your teacher yells at you:)

HEALING TIME: It all depends on how bad it is. A small
strain might heal in 1-3 weeks, a pull could take 2-3 months,
and a true tear usually will take 6-18 months to fully heal.

Sounds depressing, I know, but if you follow the routine
above, after about 4-6 weeks, you can do everything you
did before, you’ll just “feel” your hamstring and will have
to back off to make sure you don’t go backwards with your
healing.

SUPPLEMENTS & MEDICINE: People do get steroid shots
and things, but I wouldn’t go that route. As soon as you
can, get off all painkillers as well. Supplements were really
helpful for me. Here’s what I used:

Pineapple (one whole one per day) – Very high in the enzyme
bromelain that helps inflammation and tissue regeneration.

MSM -2000-3000 mg/day (same dosage as in YOAGBODY).
Be careful as crappy brands will give you terrible gas and
bloating. In my formula, we cut it with Vit C and Greens
for maximum effect.

Vit C - 500 mg buffered so it’s easier to digest.

Green Juice – Just cause it’s always good;)

Spouted Rice Protein - This one is new to me, and very
helpful. Difficult to find, but 15-30 grams per day is great.
I’m creating a special YOGA PROTEIN formula in about 4
weeks, so I’ll give you more info then.

Yoga, like any kind of physical practice, is going to
open you up to injuries. The truth is, injuries are
really rare, and as long as you take care of yourself,
they often end up helping your body to balance itself out
in the long run.

That’s a whole other discussion we can get into later…

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC
Nutritional Supplement for Yoga Students

p.s. Let me know how you fixed your hamstring…
I’m always curious to learn new tricks. Post your
experience down below:

p.p.s. Seriously, say ‘no’ to Advil.

Dear Yoga Student,

Have you seen the movie, “The Secret?”

I saw it. I loved it. I think I watched it three times. It made me feel really good about my life and my dreams and my aspirations…

… but you know what? It doesn’t work!

The ideas in the movie are amazing – positive thinking, setting your intention, creative visualization, abundance mindset – but that’s not enough.

Never has been. Never will be.

Everyday, I meet bright-eyed positive thinkers who never get anything done. I mean nothing. They can’t pay their rent, they show up late to class, they don’t go to the dentist… I could go on and on, but I’ll stop!

What the world needs is NOT more dreams. We need more action takers. More people who wake up in the morning when their alarm clock goes off (instead of hitting the snooze button 4 times). We need people who eat more broccoli and less T-bone steaks. People who are serious about creating radiant health and abundance in their lives…

… people who are NOT AFRAID to actually get off the couch and do something!

You can make “dream boards” or sit around “imagining” how you’d love your body and life to be all day long. It’s fun and uplifting, but ultimately pointless until you do something.

Let me tell you a story so you get this deep down under your skin.

My first bicycle was a hard rubber-tired Schwinn red & white tank that my dad fixed up for me. It was a collector’s item to be sure, but it was not a bike that any kid in 1984 wanted to be seen riding around on.

The one I wanted was a Predator BMX with black mag wheels and a blue steel frame. My family didn’t have much back then, but instead of sitting around staring at the picture of the bike in a magazine hoping some positive thinking fairies were going to take pity on me and give me the bike of my dreams, I forced the issue.

I mowed lawns. I did chores. I cleaned cars.

It took me 9 months, but I saved up $268 dollars and I bought the damn thing myself. For cash. That, my friend, is the real “Secret.”

Suck up your pride, strap on your boots, and get to work. You want something? Great, now take some massive action and get it!

Here’s why I’m telling you all this:

I’m a really flexible guy, but it’s not magic. I found a system that worked – yoga poses, diet, nutrition – and I followed that system until I got the results I wanted.

My old body was like that hard rubber-tired Schwinn. It was OK to look at, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to ride that thing around for the rest of my life.

Now, I got my BMX…

Stay bendy,

Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC
Yoga Flexibility Kit