How Man Flow Yoga Helped James Run The Fastest Mile of his Life (Member Highlight: James B.)

I continue to come back to Man Flow Yoga because I think it’s a place where like-minded guys are able to work in an environment that feels safe and Dean’s instruction is spot-on.

Before James discovered Man Flow Yoga, he had a unique yoga class he attended: 

He did yoga with a group of other guys in his female yoga instructor’s basement. And this gave James his first taste of why men need to approach yoga differently than women do. Men, on average, aren’t as flexible as women—and trying to mimic a female yoga instructor can actually cause injuries for men (instead of helping them avoid them, as yoga should do). 

James went to his yoga instructor’s basement weekly with a few other guys, where they followed a more male-centric yoga program. But then, after about a year of this routine, the group broke up and James felt lost. 

James always had an inflexible body, particularly in the lower half of his body. His original motivation for trying yoga was to become more flexible—something that becomes more and more important with age.

And so, the sudden end to his basement yoga sessions with other men left him lost. He improved his flexibility in the class, but he also learned that he couldn’t just go to a female-dominated yoga class and get the same benefits he did in the basement classes. 

Well, that’s when he started searching for other men-centric yoga classes and discovered Man Flow Yoga… 

How James used Man Flow Yoga to improve his speed and weight training 

Besides using yoga to become more flexible, James also runs and weight trains. So he also wanted to find a style of yoga that would complement his running and weight training. 

When he looked into Man Flow Yoga, and saw how we not only focus on flexibility, but also on mobility and strength-building, he was hooked. 

Within his first month of joining Man Flow Yoga, he saw a noticeable improvement in his strength, mobility, and flexibility—more of an improvement than he gained from his basement yoga class too. 

He found that he was able to get into certain poses easier. He had less trouble staying in the poses once he got into them. And he felt stronger. 

While his lower body was still super tight and inflexible, he was also becoming more flexible and mobile from his consistent Man Flow Yoga practice. He noticed this particularly when he ran. 

This came to a head one day when he was running a mile and noticed that he ran the quickest mile he had in his entire life!

Not only did he feel faster, but he had fewer aches and pains pop up after running too. 

But, a few months after joining Man Flow Yoga, James vacationed in Italy, and his workout routine went by the wayside. 

How James bounced back after his Man Flow Yoga routine fell off-track

Perhaps the most important aspect of working out isn’t your consistency, but how you bounce back after you fall off-track. 

Life gets hard sometimes. We each lead busy lives. And knowing how to bounce back after falling off is something we all struggle with. 

When our workout routines fall off track, it’s often harder starting back up then it is to start exercising in general. Finding that you’re not as strong, as flexible, or as mobile as you used to be can sting. And for many people, this sting actually prevents them from starting back up again. Your mind is an incredible excuse-creation machine when you let it be. And this is an excuse many men use to neglect their workout regimen. 

But this didn’t happen to James… 

While he was in Italy, every piece of his workout routine went by the wayside. 

He wasn’t running anymore. 

He wasn’t weight training anymore. 

And he wasn’t doing Man Flow Yoga either. 

When he got back to the States and tried to pick up his exercising habits where he left off, he felt discouraged and frustrated.  

He noticed that the same poses he was able to get into easily and hold for a long time weren’t as easy anymore. 

But instead of giving up, as his mind tried convincing him to do, he kept hearing Dean’s voice in his head, telling him to stay patient, as hard as it was. 

Instead of letting his discouragement and frustration take him even further away from his exercising habits, he used it as fuel. He started back again with the Beginner’s Fundamentals Program—the same program he did when he first joined Man Flow Yoga—and got back into his mojo thanks to realizing that patience is the most important “skill” to have for progressing. 

While he lost some flexibility and strength while in Italy, his desire to stay patient and keep progressing helped him bounce back. 

And this is a lesson we all need to learn. 

Sometimes life gets in the way of training. When it does, your training will fall by the wayside. But as long as you don’t beat yourself up over it, you can bounce back and start noticing massive improvements again when you pick it back up. 

The other reason why James keeps coming back to Man Flow Yoga

Upon returning from Italy, James was at his lowest when it came to his exercise habits: 

But another reason why he didn’t let his discouragement and frustration make him abandon Man Flow Yoga completely is because of the other men in the private Man Flow Yoga Community Facebook group. 

To this day, whenever James doesn’t feel motivated or inspired, he’ll log into the Facebook group full of like-minded men to find an extra, untapped source of motivation. 

Not only does the group contain like-minded men with a like-minded mission, but it’s also a safe space for him. He feels comfortable sharing whatever’s bothering him. And while the group is a digital space, the men inside give him the feeling of being back in the basement yoga class that he did with another group of men. 

And you know what?

Dean, the founder and lead instructor of Man Flow Yoga, asks each guest he interviews for his Better Man Podcast what the biggest problem facing men today is. 

One of the most popular answers his guests give is that men need to have a stronger connection with other, like-minded men. 

And the private Man Flow Yoga Community Facebook group makes that possible.

Want to sign up for Man Flow Yoga?

If you want a way to build your strength, improve your mobility, and become a more flexible version of yourself (while also minimizing your risk for injuries…), then join Man Flow Yoga. 

When you start your free 7-day trial below, you get access to the same Beginner’s Fundamentals Program James first went through when he joined (and the same one responsible for restoring his exercise habits after he fell off the wagon).

>> Start your 7-day free trial to Man Flow Yoga here <<

Already a Man Flow Yoga member? Share your story with other men like you by booking a Member Stories call at  https://manflowyoga.com/member-highlights-signup.