How Man Flow Yoga Helped Paul Overcome Chronic Back Pain (And Get Off Medications) (Member Highlight: Paul C.)

Paul C. is a 54-year-old Man Flow Yoga Member with an unusual “origin story.” Paul has a chronic neurological health condition, specifically he has a disorder of the peripheral nerve roots in my spine. This condition not only causes chronic and acute pain, but it also causes muscle weakness, weird sensations, and even loss of functioning in different areas along his spine.

As I’m sure you can imagine, this made Paul quite limited in which workouts he can safely do. In fact, before discovering Man Flow Yoga, the only exercise Paul could safely do was swimming. 

But it wasn’t until he discovered Man Flow Yoga that he realized that the Man Flow Yoga style of yoga is actually the ideal workout for his condition, not swimming. 

Keep reading to see how Man Flow Yoga helped Paul get rid of his symptoms and even ditch his medication: 

How Man Flow Yoga Helped Paul Become Symptom-Free

Man Flow Yoga helped immensely with Paul’s chronic condition. He even told our team that he’s learned more about his body from Dean’s instructions than he’s learned from doctors and physical trainers in the 30 years prior to discovering Man Flow Yoga. 

So, why has a consistent Man Flow Yoga practice succeeded where doctors, steroids, and physical therapy did not? 

Well, this is where things get interesting… 

Paul has long suffered with a chronic condition in his back, and specifically with his Peripheral Nervous System (PNS). PNS is a collection of nerves, along your spine, which travel to and from your brain. In other words, since his PNS was out of whack, it’s possible his brain was receiving pain signals when it shouldn’t have been. 

Of course, this is a slight simplification, but it sets the scene for how Man Flow Yoga helped.

When our team interviewed Paul, he told us that he never actually understood the connection between his back, and other muscles in his body—his hamstrings, glutes, hips and core in particular. 

If you’re also a Man Flow Yoga Member, or have watched any of our free YouTube videos, this is something that Dean preaches all the time: 

The root cause of back pain is almost never solely because of your back. Likewise, the most common “solution” to back pain—like passively stretching your back—doesn’t address the root cause of pain (and stretching can even exacerbate your back pain). 

Well, Paul fell into this same trap many men find themselves in:

He didn’t address the root cause of his back pain—and stretching it only made it worse. 

But by paying attention to the cues Dean gives in each Man Flow Yoga routine, Paul quickly learned something that his doctors and personal trainers never even told him.  

By focusing on the root cause of back pain, which in most cases means strengthening your back’s supporting muscles (including your hamstrings, glutes, hips, and core)…

…Paul’s been symptom-free (and steroid-free) since 2020, which is when he joined Man Flow Yoga!

And you know what? 

This may not even be the best part of Paul’s story! 

How Man Flow Yoga Helped Paul Eliminate His Depressive Cloud (After Struggling With His Mental Health Since He Was A Teen)

Paul has struggled with depression and anxiety since he was a teenager. And while he’s developed different techniques to manage his anxiety and depression, this came to a head during the pandemic: 

Like most people, the  isolation and monotony of the pandemic heightened Paul’s depression and anxiety. And since he couldn’t use techniques he’s relied on since being a teen to manage his mental health, he felt extra lost and targeted by extreme differences in his mental wellbeing. The 

Well, luckily for Paul, he became more consistent with Man Flow Yoga around the time the pandemic started. And so, like with his chronic back pain, Man Flow Yoga also provided a much needed “lift” to his mental health. 

Paul told our team that he specifically used the depression- and anxiety-focused workouts Dean created in the Man Flow Yoga Members area to improve his mental health whenever he felt the depressive or anxious cloud following him. 

The result? 

Paul’s mental health actually improved during a time when most people’s mental health declined. Paul still uses these workouts to this day whenever he feels depression or anxiety rear its ugly head. 

Other Noticeable Improvements Paul Unlocked With Man Flow Yoga

Besides being symptom-free from chronic back pain for going-on-3 years, and giving Paul another strategy to manage his anxiety and depression, Man Flow Yoga also helped Paul enjoy working out more. 

Before finding Man Flow Yoga, working out had a certain risk factor for Paul. His doctors and physical therapists advised him to avoid most forms of working out—because his PNS wrongly sent pain signals to his brain, which could cause a loss of functioning across his spine. This increased his fear and anxiety when working out. 

But thanks to Man Flow Yoga and Dean’s educational style of coaching, Paul feels more relaxed even when he’s doing more intense workouts. 

Plus, before Man Flow Yoga, Paul had to get steroid injections into his spine once every couple of months. In July of 2020, right before committing to consistent Man Flow Yoga workouts, Paul was even hospitalized because of his chronic back pain. Not only has he not had steroid injections since August 2020, but he’s also stayed out of the hospital completely—thanks to committing to Man Flow Yoga. 

Paul’s Favorite Aspects of Man Flow Yoga

As an educational psychologist who earned his doctorate in the science of teaching and learning, Paul values the psychological aspects of education more than the average person. 

And while he realizes that Dean is not a psychologist himself, Paul thinks that Dean’s coaching style is an absolute master class in educational psychology. 

More: 

Paul also appreciates how easy the Man Flow Yoga app makes it to find a workout that suits him for each specific day. While he’s completed some programs like The Clark Workouts and The Strength Foundations Challenge, Paul mostly searches the app for whatever he needs to work on for that specific day. 

For example, Paul returns to the aforementioned depression and anxiety workouts whenever he’s feeling depressed or anxious. Or if his back hurts on a certain day, he’ll opt for a back-focused workout. 

The app makes it easy for him to be consistent and improve not only his physical health, but his mental health too. 

But above all?

Paul loves how supportive the Man Flow Yoga community is. He finds it empowering and motivating to connect with other regular dudes who aren’t chiseled like Greek Gods, and instead are just trying to get a little bit better each and every day through Man Flow Yoga. If he’s struggling on a certain day—whether physically or mentally—he knows he can lean on the support of the guys in the group including Members like him as well as Dean himself (and other members of the Man Flow Yoga team). 

Want to give Man Flow Yoga a shot to see if it unlocks a similar level of life-changing results as it has for Paul (and thousands of our other Members)?

Joining Man Flow Yoga, quite literally, changed Paul’s life. And he wants to challenge you to change your life too: 

Why Paul Thinks You Should Join Man Flow Yoga

Paul encourages everyone he knows struggling physically, mentally, or emotionally to just give Man Flow Yoga a shot. 

Since we offer a free 7-day trial, Paul emphasizes that you have absolutely nothing to lose by trying. Chances are, you’ll find something that connects with you on a visceral level like the back and mental health routines have for him. 

Start your free 7-day trial to Man Flow Yoga here: https://manflowyoga.com/seven-day-trial/ 

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.