“Yoga is the place I go when I need to be energised,” Caleb smiled. “It’s the place I go when I want to feel alive in my body or give my body a workout…”
We spoke to Brand Warrior Caleb about his experience of being both a yoga student and teacher. As we chatted, it became clear that yoga is so much more than physical exercise to him.
“Yoga is everything,” he said, eyes lighting up. Among other great tips, he let us in on a few benefits:
1 Yoga Stills The Mind
The first thing Caleb mentioned was the mental calmness. “The monkey mind has definitely been tamed,” he laughed. “After practicing yoga regularly, I feel more still in my mind. There’s more clarity, I feel less anxious…”
Research agrees. Studies have even demonstrated that practicing yoga can be used to combat anxiety and fight depression.
But Caleb thinks this takes time. “When somebody takes up yoga for the first time, they’re very focused on the physical: understanding the postures, the techniques, the basic fundamentals of yoga…but the more you practice, the more you start to realise that yoga is a state of being.”
In other words, more yoga equals more mental stability.
2 Yoga Heals The Body
It wasn’t a surprise when Caleb mentioned he was a gym boy. “I probably go to the gym about six times a week,” he said. But despite this fitness ethic, before yoga he still battled low energy and chronic pain.
He described limited movement and lousy flexibility. “It’s funny,” he added as an aside, “many guys have an aversion to yoga because they say that they’re not flexible enough. But that’s a reason to do yoga.”
Caleb even shared his history of plantar fasciitis – inflammation of the sole of the foot. For a while, it was too painful for him to put all his weight on it. “Thankfully yoga has healed that condition,” he said.
No shock there – studies prove that as well as benefiting heart health and migraines, yoga can reduce inflammation.
“Overall, my range of movement has improved, I feel energised, stronger, pain free and more fluid – my body moves the way it’s meant to.
Basically, I feel more joyful in my body.”
3 Yoga Improves The Self
“Yoga has enabled me to become a better version of myself,” Caleb sat forward in the chair. “It’s helped me break down all the obstacles that have been stopping me from thriving. The psychological, emotional, physical…it’s allowed a fuller expression of myself.”
Caleb isn’t alone in feeling this way. Hundreds of people have reported that yoga leaves them positively transformed. But why are we surprised? Anything that boosts both mental and physical health like yoga can’t help but improve personal wellbeing.
He’s made it clear that yoga isn’t just exercise for the body, it’s a workout for the self. It helps men thrive. Or, in Caleb’s words, “it’s shown me how to be a joyful person.”
This article was written for Warrior Addict by Gina Vaughan and features Warrior Addict Founder Brand Warrior Caleb Packham