Are You Flexy Enough, Bro?

Just breathe and go within.

Me ripping that foot fetish Eka pada

Just breathe and go within. We take this journey one relaxing breath at a time.

This is what a guy in a YouTube video was telling me to do. Just breathe and relax.

It was around 4 PM, and probably my second yoga session of the day. My roommate wasn’t coming home for two hours, so I had time to get weird.

Drugs? Alcohol? A little sneaky link? Nah.

I was ass up, shoulders screaming - literally screaming at the mat with sweat dripping down my back, and my legs cramping. One of my dogs, Frank, was looking mad concerned and licking the sweat off my face.

Man, how much yoga has changed my life.

It really has. Yoga has unlocked more in my life than I've ever felt.

Yoga made me dive deeper into myself than ever before. I always thought yoga was strange, and my upbringing reflected that. In my household, yoga was seen as “satanic.” People close to me would say that when I did certain stretches, I was speaking to the devil.

I always thought, "Damn, so I can't even stretch my quad? Didn't God give us this body so we could move in it?"

These dogmas confused me about yoga, so I didn’t pay much attention to it. However, during my freshman summer of college, when I was at home, I read "5 AM Club" by Robin Sharma. Next thing I knew, I was waking up at 5 AM, taking out my dog, and doing about 10 minutes of yoga. At first, it was difficult; I hardly had any flexibility. But not just that, yoga is incredibly strength-building. It requires so much effort from your core and secondary muscles, muscles I frankly had never used. I came from a gym bro background; I was also 18, so I didn’t know much about anything. I was taking a break from the gym because I found it boring to do the same exercises with just heavier weights. I was tired of shoulder presses and bench presses, and all the strange people at the gym. I met some great people, but lots of bros. I remember one guy making fun of me for my pink headphones.

Anyway, back to my story. That summer, I started doing yoga after walking Fitz in the morning. The major theme I remember was feeling open in my body, as if I had space between myself and the flesh surrounding me. This brought me a comforting sensation like nothing I had experienced before. I was working an internship that summer, and I also began drinking coffee, which felt akin to taking a dose of MDMA.

I became attached to this feeling of openness and wanted to experience it more. I started to extend my yoga sessions. I discovered a YouTube channel called Breathe and Flow and began following their videos consistently. What once was 20 minutes turned into 35-minute sessions, eventually reaching an hour. I remember being in my house with the doors open, letting in the fresh air. The trees were blooming with beauty in shades of green, and the blue sky was touched by the sun's rays as I practiced yoga and sweated at 7 a.m. Those were beautiful times.

When I returned to school that fall, I lived in the frat house. The frat house was fun but stressful. There were parties nonstop, trash on the floor, and girls everywhere—though the latter wasn't stressful, just overwhelming. Plus, I was the main DJ, playing shows at fancy clubs we rented out about three times a week. Going from having social anxiety to DJing for a couple of hundred people was quite an improvement. During stressful times, I would start doing some yoga.

• Right before a test? Yoga.

• Right before a DJ set? Yoga.

• Right before working out? Yoga.

Another amazing aspect of practicing yoga for a couple of months is that, for the first time in my life, I began to notice gains.

I was building muscle through yoga. I hardly touched weights because they felt uncomfortable, but the more I strengthened these primary and secondary muscles, the more stable I felt. Yoga also improved my balance tremendously. I could tie my shoes with one leg raised to my stomach, and it also strengthened my feet. Sometimes I would do these stability and balance yoga flows for an hour. If you want to feel sore feet, try that out. It also helped me focus in life significantly. It strengthened my abs and fostered my patience and gratitude for simplicity in life.

Me and my boy Frank

I started lifting more, and then I began hitting the gym a couple of times a week too. Next thing you know, I was doing hour-long yoga practices, followed by kettlebell sessions and then meditation. It was pretty great.

The point is, yoga has changed my life, and I hope this sparks some interest in you.

A lot of us are hurting these days. Too much stress, too much past regret, and too much stiffness in our bodies. A huge saying in yoga is that the issues are in our tissues. Maybe, just maybe, if we can begin to loosen up those tissues and fascia lines, it can have positive effects on our psyche.

So regardless of whether you are a gym bro who thinks yoga is silly and is slowed down by a shoulder injury, or if you're an older person who thinks yoga is strange, it’s meant for you. You are meant to move your body and freely express yourself. You're meant to destress and turn off your mind for a little bit each day. It works wonders. Yoga can teach you so many amazing things, and I hope you give it a shot. Just try 10 minutes. Here are some resources to get you started on your journey.

Yoga is a gateway drug.

• A gateway to opening up your body.

• A gateway to opening your mind.

• A gateway to opening up your soul.

Yoga has made me mad, made me cry, and helped me become a better person.

The truth is, all that “heavy weights, go-go-go” lifestyle is amazing—until you’re sidelined by an injury or left wondering why your body feels like it’s constantly breaking down.

So when I hear of guys saying yoga is "for girls," or worse, that it makes you look weak it tells me a lot about your character. I’ve heard it all: “Yoga is gay,” “You look like a wuss doing it,” or “It’s just for women who want to look sexy.”

Yoga isn’t just for influencers or people trying to touch their toes—it’s the foundation of strength, resilience, and living pain-free.

Why Yoga Makes You a Better Person

1. It Strengthens Your Mindset: Life is full of uncomfortable moments, and yoga teaches you how to breathe through them. Holding a challenging pose like downward dog or warrior III forces you to stay present and focused. That same mindset helps you stay calm under pressure—whether it’s in the gym, at work, or in life.

2. It Reduces Stress: Modern life is a stress bomb, and we carry the weight of responsibilities, expectations, and pressure to succeed. Yoga helps you release that stress, both physically and mentally. The practice of focusing on your breath and moving with intention creates space in your mind and body, making you feel more grounded.

3. It’s Amazing for Athletic Performance: Tight hips? Weak joints? Poor posture? Yoga fixes them all. Whether you’re hitting the weights, playing basketball, or just running around with your kids, flexibility and mobility make you faster, stronger, and less prone to injuries.

And let’s not forget:

• Better posture makes you look more confident.

• Flexibility in your hips improves your performance in… well, everything.

How to Start Yoga Without Feeling Like a Wuss

Think of yoga as dynamic movement that you can integrate into your day:

• Do a forward fold while tying your shoes.

• Stretch your hamstrings on your balcony.

• Drop into a squat for 30 seconds during a work break.

Here’s my quick go-to routine:

• Forward fold: Loosen up your hamstrings.

• Cat-cow: Warm up your spine.

• Downward dog to upward dog: Open up your shoulders and chest.

• Lizard lounge: Stretch your hips.

10 minutes in the morning or evening is all it takes to feel the difference.

That’s it.

Yoga isn’t "gay," or "satanic" It’s one of the most powerful tools for becoming a stronger, healthier, and more focused human being.

So, bro, are you flexy enough yet? Time to hit the mat.

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Tools and Practices to Get Started

• Foam roller: Release tight muscles and improve recovery.

• Yoga mat: Keep it simple and functional. Try to find a non-toxic one.

• Breathe and Flow: My favorite yoga channel on YouTube for functional, no-BS yoga.

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