“Why is it that the majority of people are so moved by a sunset?” Marc asked.
As you can tell, professional football player turned yogi, Marc, is one of our more philosophical Brand Warriors, and he’s convinced that yoga helps us be who we truly are.
He shared his own story about how yoga helped him tap into himself.
Strong self-knowledge
When one of Marc’s football coaches first introduced him to yoga, he quickly realised that it was more than just a bit of stretching: “I was unravelling more and more of myself. I would learn more about how that physical movement was helping me, and then mentally, and then there was the breathing,” he said.
“All of a sudden I would see my game excel a little bit.”
But it wasn’t just his football skills that improved: “as a human being I found myself more steady, because I used to be quite fiery sometimes. Especially on the football pitch,” he added.
No surprises there, yoga has been shown to create a self-awareness that not only boosts performance but shifts unhelpful behaviour patterns.
More control
Marc spoke further about how practising yoga has given him more of this autonomy “I find it fascinating that we’re all born into a body that we know absolutely nothing about,” he looked genuinely perplexed. “And then we go on our way with it."
“So rather than listening to what people say I should do, or how I should be, or how I should move, yoga has given me more understanding of how I work.”
Because of this, Marc found himself able to steer his own life more; changing how he spoke or thought to be more helpful. But ultimately, it enabled him to create a better space for the people around him: “how am I affecting others? What kind of environment am I creating?” He wondered aloud.
“It’s quite a power to have,” he said, after a pause.
Deep connection
Marc laughed when we asked him whether yoga helps with sex: “that’s a no brainer!” But he quickly became serious.
“If you have deeper sensitivity to things, then you can connect with somebody more deeply... Yoga helps us tap into all these layers that we are, so of course it’s going to help with being close to somebody else we care about.”
He also adds that lovemaking deserves the same focus and attention achieved in yoga practice. Because ultimately, he says, “making love is human. That’s why we’re all here.”
It’s clear that yoga is central to how Marc experiences his humanity. And we agree. We don’t see why everyone can’t live the same way, which is why we’ve joined forces with organisations like C.A.L.M. and the Sharanam Yoga Project to support others in this journey.
As Marc himself says, “none of us know what yoga is until we experience it – how can I explain to you what a chilli tastes like? Not possible."
“Give it a taste. See what it’s like.”
This article was written for Warrior Addict by Gina Vaughan and features Warrior Addict Founder Brand Warrior Marc Laws