Yoga With A Bad Ass Attitude

   

     I like certain programs that are unique and sticking to the basics, not complicated and has some great use for the imagination. One day I decided to check out what DDP Yoga was because I heard about ex-pro wrestler Diamond Dallas Page doing this Yoga gig. As a researcher and an athlete it helps to learn a thing or two from people you've actually heard of and a system that you have studied on. When I saw what it's about, I was in awe and it was refreshing. This isn't your typical studio vegan health nut Yoga, its Yoga with an attitude. I studied the exercises as I possibly can and tried a few of the workouts and it just clicked. I don't like doing other people's workouts, as you know I love creating my own workouts with various systems. This works.

 
    I already knew quite a few of the poses in the DDP Yoga system from other programs I've studied and used but he makes them a little different. He uses Muscle Control (calls it Dynamic Resistance) to turn the exercises into a cardio type workout while also building strength and flexibility. The exercises are similar but he names them very differently, mostly after certain pro wrestlers and football analogies but that's cool to me and makes the workouts interesting. He doesn't sugarcoat anything and goes right between the eyes. It's amazing how this guy expresses himself in a unique way. He won't tell you it's going to be a sweet and old fashioned workout, it's going to be tough, you'll curse and you'll be sweating your ass off; he'll actually say that. For me, it's awesome to find something that is unique and having fun with it and believe me I make my workouts as easy or as tough as hell as I want and I wouldn't want it any other way.

 
    His advanced program DDP Extreme isn't just tough, it makes elite athletes look like chumps. One of the exercises he does is push-ups but in a damn handstand non supported; the man is 6'4 around 230 lbs. That's insane and his flexibility is incredible. I've tried a few of the exercises and I was dying after a few minutes, he does this for practically a whole hour. It does look like a bit of an infomercial when you first see the promos of it and normally I wouldn't look twice at things that have to do with Infomercials but it caught my eye and I like to think he's got that bad ass physical culture side to him that is raw, uncensored and in your face and I love that. If anyone can do his Psycho Workout all the way through you have my respect.

 
    Dallas is the real deal. Most ex-wrestlers have trouble having a life after being in the spotlight, believe it or not this guy became a wrestler when most athletes are ready to retire. He just made it happen and led a new career that gave people faith that you can make a difference not just for other people but more importantly for yourself. He has helped thousands of people and even practically saved two great wrestling Icons Razor Ramon (Scott Hall) and Jake "The Snake" Roberts from their own self destructive paths. Dallas has seen it all practically in wrestling, he's won the world title 3 times, wrestled the biggest names in the wrestling business and knows the hardships of being on the road and being plagued with injuries. He made a name for himself a second time around and turned one of the oldest forms of exercise into one of the most hardcore systems around. Take a look at DDP Yoga and see for yourself how awesome it can be and that it's no longer a smooth ride to blissfulness, you earn it with sweat, tough exercises and more expressive personality.

 
Be awesome guys and Dallas, you are one incredible man and I thank you for what you have done.

The Inspiration Of A Half Man Half Goat

    

     In various religions, there is a symbol of man of with horns on his head and goat legs; they like to think of this creature as a sign of the devil and that evil lurks in all those that look like him. The Satyr however is more so the opposite in my opinion. His story if you look at Greek/Roman mythology (Roman would call this Satyr Faunus) is a tale of living life to the fullest. Letting our desires become a reality in a loving and free-spirited fashion. Living life being who you are, love whom you want and celebrating until you are no longer on the earth. Does that sound like a symbol of the Devil to you? I'm not against anyone who has religious points of view but I don't like certain views that makes it sound like it's trying to control everyone and make them feel unworthy because they don't believe in what you do. Pan really loves all kinds of things (especially Nymphs but that's another story) and doesn't want you to feel unworthy. Sure we have urges that we could balance out but not controlled.

 
    Pan is a dancer and uses music as his voice. However no matter how much study I put into on this awesome symbol of love and celebration he'll always sound Irish in my head for some reason, I'll let you sink that in for a second. Back to the task at hand, one of the key aspects of his life playing the "Pan" Pipes and dancing is that he does it with passion and incredible strength and agility. Most who look at Ballet Dancers think of this prissy, stuck up and bad acting when in fact if you look close enough, Ballet has pound for pound the strongest legs in the world because it's not just tip toeing around a stage, it's using graceful skill and using the legs as the voice of the play that is taking place. Salsa Dancers at their best are absolutely incredible and the women with their beautiful bodies and amazing strength to move in ways that can make a man blush (it happens trust me). For women, they move in ways no man can and I'm not saying this to be sexist, men can move too but have to move more weight because we are denser and have greater amount of hormones being thrown out. Dancers in reality are known for not just incredible leg strength, agility and flexibility but how they use them with undeniable passion.

 
    When it comes to leg training, nothing builds your natural hormone levels greater. The leg muscles are the strongest in the human body and can withstand greater stress than any other parts. One of the best basic forms of building leg strength is the squat. Now granted I'm not just talking putting a barbell on your back and going up and down, there are many variations of the squat. One of my favorite exercises is the way Sumo Wrestlers do their squats; We know that Sumo guys are these big, humongous beasts that are mostly covered with fat and look like they can't move around very well, truth is they may not have great endurance but their legs are incredibly strong and very agile. Believe me do 100 Squats Sumo Style and you'll be feeling wobbly afterwards, they're tough. Beyond the squat, there are sprints, lunges, wall sits, jumping and moving like a wild animal; think of moving like a frog, a kangaroo, a stalking lynx or hopping with great power like a Jack Rabbit, your legs will become stronger, your tendons will burst with strength and your explosiveness is off the charts. Your Growth Hormone will shoot up and this will help you gain strength, build a powerful metabolism and help you stay young. Wouldn't that be awesome?

 
    Leg training when you do it correctly and not risking injury or trying use so much that you tear something; you extend your energy to your sex organs. Wow did I really just write that, did I break the fourth wall? Sex is a beautiful thing, sure there are idiotic ways of showing it but true and passionate sex is incredible. When you learn to do incredible training with the legs it jump starts the system in that area more than anything else. Add in flexibility training and you got yourself a winner. It's not all about how much muscle you have or how flexible you are (it does help in some ways) it's about how you bring that passion and energy into it and then using that energy for something else. It's learning to channel yourself and understanding how you balance yourself. It's different for each individual but the common theme is that good and smart leg training will lead you to great health in many forms. No matter your age, you can increase your hormones naturally if you apply yourself the correct way for you. So next time you think Pan is the devil and all that, think of it in a different perspective. The power he possesses with his legs can actually show you ways of strengthening your body that you didn't think of before. Love one another and share this incredible life with as many people as possible and channel your energy in a very positive and productive way.

 
Happy Monday everyone and get your hands one of the most unique systems on the planet the Pan Program.

 
    

Creating A Flow

    This isn't how to build flow using energetic training (Chi Kung) but it helps. What I do want to tell you is, you can create a flow of putting exercises together whatever they may be, could be DDP Yoga, Squat Training, Muscle Control, lifting heavy weight or Farmer's Walk; you can put some of the most intense and even the toughest exercises together and create your own energy by how you move, your breathing and how you bring them together in sequence like a circuit or just resting than moving to the next exercise. It's a practice that develops not only great physical strength but building internal power. Most people believe in order to channel your energy internally you have to do training of that sorts, not always true.

 
    Finding that rhythm for you may not be easy or maybe it will, it's up to you to figure that out. Following someone else's workout is great no question but the other side of that is it doesn't always flow with you because you didn't come up with it, you're just following someone else. Some people don't like me saying that but you know what, I've learned from experience when you build your own workout and it flows for you, it is so much more worthy than just trying to "Keep up" with the other person. I love DDP Yoga it is one of the best systems in conditioning today and combines many elements I'm interested in but as I've said with every other program I like, I learn and study the exercises but I don't feel good about trying to keep up with that person's program when I can just come up with a workout of my own that is just as intense or more and I'm getting greater benefit out of it. "Make it your own" as DDP would say and I have been following that motto for many years nearly a decade actually. Find a rhythm that works for you.

 
    One of the most important aspects of creating your own flowing sequence no matter how intense or the tempo might be is pacing yourself. Most who buy those infomercial crap just want to jump in and not consider the consequences. In reality you are not meant to try to keep up with the people on the DVD, you are meant to build yourself up and keep up with yourself. If you just try to go as fast as they do or anyone for that matter, you're missing out on building your own style and doing your best to flow for you not to see if you're just as good as they are. Nobody is better than the next guy, some have more experience and their bodies can handle greater stress but they're no better than you. You are one person and you need to give yourself a chance to make something out of yourself.

 
    This is my favorite part about the article where I get to tell you about being creative. You can follow along with someone else and just be a mindless sheep or you can break the rules and just make shit up. Let me put it this way; you understand the basics of your program whatever it might be so now, just make up the workout, learn how your body flows through each exercise and follow your intuition about what to do next, follow your instincts, listen to your body and feel in your mind what gives you the most benefit. I rarely ever do the same workout twice in the same week because after doing the same exercises in the same sequence over and over it becomes boring to me real quick. I don't want to feel I'm stuck in this routine, I want to be free to make my own choices and go with how I move and exercises that give the freedom to breathe, stretch and just let my imagination run its course. That's the beauty of just making up your own workout is the use of your imagination and tapping into that power that resides within you and you don't even realize it. Build a flow that creates your own bliss, your own intensity and the only person you should be keeping up with is yourself. No one else has your body and your strength and/or weaknesses so why should you try to keep up with everyone else? Think outside the box and do something out of the norm that only you decide how intense it will be, what the tempo is and making it work for you and nobody else.

 
Have a great weekend everyone. Be awesome and train hard. Next Friday will have me writing my last article for the next few weeks as I will be in California for my 30^th Birthday celebration. You are the most bad ass people I've ever had the pleasure writing for. You all inspire me to do what I love. Keep reading and find the best resources for you or your friends/family.