Ed Harrold is a health and performance coach, yoga teacher, and the author of ⁠Life with Breath⁠.

In this episode, he shares how he came to yoga and breathwork as a stressed-out, “broken” middle-aged guy battling physical and psychological demons; how those practices have completely transformed his health and fitness; and how you can start down the same path today.

Ed also talks about:

• The science of breath and the dangers of shallow breathing

• The anatomy of the the psoas, diaphragm, lungs, and ribcage

• Where to start if you want to change the way you breathe

• How he gained flexibility strictly through breathing exercises

• Managing your energy throughout the day through mindful breathing

In this special bonus episode, Larry Milburn shares several stories about his work teaching men Yoga. You can also listen to Larry's full episode, titled "Reckoning Poses and Working Out the Gunk with Filmmaker, Podcaster, Yoga Instructor Larry Millburn" for more of Larry's insights, advice, and stories.

In 1995 Larry Millburn wandered into the Center for Yoga in Los Angeles not knowing what he was looking for and the path ahead. Sensing he needed to find a healthier approach to balance out some bad habits he told the studio owner at the front desk that he was looking to get “out of his body” to which she replied, “No, you need to get into your body.” In this conversation, Larry shares his long path with yoga beginning in his early 20s as a young actor and musician, and how he later reconnected with the practice in 2005 when he needed to fill a void in his life. Eventually, his curiosity, practice, and path lead him to become a deeply committed and passionate yoga teacher at Charym Yoga Studio in Connecticut. And when not on the mat in his reckoning pose, Larry can be found hosting his Roadie Free Radio podcast and leading yoga classes on Follow Your Drishti.

In Southern California during the mid-1960s, most twelve-year old boys were focusing on Sandy Kofax, Don Drysdale, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, young Rich Driscoll was captivated by Autobiography of a Yogi, the best seller by Parmahansa Yogananda. Ever the seeker and student, Rich’s path and interest in meditation took him to Yogananda’s Self-Realization Fellowship as a curious teenager, absorbing Ram Dass’ Be Here Now on his weekends, and later to the University of Colorado in Boulder – the epicenter of American Tibetan Buddhist movement in the 1970s – and eventually to Morocco with the Peace Corp. During a mid-life struggle with loss, his meditation practice became a grounding force and eventually strengthened and intertwined with hatha yoga through the guidance and support of two amazing women who kept him on his path.

Johnny Gillespie is the founder and owner of Empowered Wellness Studio and the creator of The Balanced Athlete®, a functional fitness program that teaches people how to mindfully move their bodies in a safe and more integrated manner. In addition to being a registered 500-Hour teacher with Yoga Alliance, he is credentialed and certified in strength and conditioning (CSCS), personal training with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (CPT), and a meditation teacher trained by David Nichtern, senior teacher in the lineage of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. In this brief but packed discussion, Johnny shares his passion and perspective on yoga, fitness training, Buddhism and finding the right yoga teacher and practice.

Andrew Stackhouse found yoga nearly fifteen years ago as a means to complement his path to sobriety and was instantly hooked on the physicality of the practice as well as its humbling and empowering qualities. “Stack” shares his well-earned perspective from being dragged to yoga by his wife to ultimately becoming a teacher and co-owner of a studio in Southern California and defies the image of the typical male yogi with his motorcycle-riding, Metallica-listening and energy drink-fueled presence, and yet also personifies everything that is the 21st century man: thoughtful, experienced, and committed to sharing the practice of yoga with everyone at The Center Studio.

Curt is the director of the center for innovation at the Fessenden School and a long-time friend since college. Curt shares his path for how he got into meditation in high school and how his practice helped him manage stress-related back pain while making a career shift from financial services into education.

Bill Rexford is a longtime coach, teacher, and athlete who had a successful career playing lacrosse both for Dartmouth College and at the top level of club leagues. Rex talks about how yoga came into his life in the 90s as a high school coach in Oregon and how it helped him navigate the realities of past injuries and roadblocks with intentionality, both in his practice and his life.