Today we have a 3-man episode, with two friends of the show joining me to go beyond downward dog and dive into the more philosophical and contemplative side of yoga.

The subject is dharma: what it means to us, why it’s so important, and how to pursue it alongside other guys who share similar values.

Put simply, dharma is about maintaining a practice or a program that grounds you in the present and keeps you focused on what’s actually important to you. And in my experience, yoga is an extremely powerful tool do just that.

Richard and Johnny also talk about:

• What brought them to yoga and mindfulness

• “Dharma bombs”: sudden moments of awareness

• Bringing yourself back to the moment when you’re lost in thought

• Kinship and camaraderie among guys pursuing similar spiritual paths

We have invited back two of our most popular guests, Johnny Gillespie and Neil Taylor, to explore 'What is Yoga?' Johnny, Neil, and Derek discuss several themes around known aspects of the physical practice – including alignment and balance; however, the guys also hit on more subtle themes, such as skillfulness, connection, vulnerability, and wisdom that most probably don’t consider when rolling out the mat.

Neil Taylor is a bodyworker and a meditation and yoga teacher, in the Boston area, and Johnny is based in Wilmington, Delaware. He is the founder and owner of Empowered Wellness Studio and the creator of The Balanced Athlete, an online and studio-based functional fitness program that teaches people how to mindfully move their bodies.

Neil Taylor is many things – a musician, a meditation teacher, a yoga teacher, and a bodyworker. In this conversation, Neil shares how travel and lifestyle as a professional musician forced him to address health and wellbeing and led him to a meditation retreat that sparked his spiritual path. For Neil, yoga is about connecting with what is most important – our awareness. As he explains, “We all have a physical body, thoughts, emotions, and an underlying sense of consciousness itself. As we become aware of these different aspects of our human experience, we can become more skillful at navigating the inward path and tuning into what is more important.”