How To Fully Inhabit Yourself with Yogi Aaron

Today's guest Yogi Aaron discusses his unorthodox approach to yoga which focuses on avoiding traditional stretching and prioritizing muscle activation to live pain-free. Aaron, a well-regarded yoga teacher and the creator of Applied Yoga Anatomy and Muscle Activation, shares insights on how chronic pain hinders people from living their best lives. He also emphasizes the importance of self-acceptance, listening to one's inner wisdom, and experimenting with food to achieve overall health and personal wealth. Aaron's perspective challenges the common notion of yoga, offering practices that are more accessible and effective for people of all body types and ages to align with their life purpose.

Get your free guide to becoming pain-free in 7 days from Yogi Aaron's website https://yogiaaron.com/

Transcript

Magic Barclay: 0:42

Welcome back to a magical life. I'm your host, Magic Barclay. And today we are joined by Yogi Aron. He's one of the most sought after teachers today. Yogi Aron is trailblazing a new path in the world of yoga, known for his unorthodox perspective on stretching and flexibility and how both cause more harm than good. His teachings aim to help as many people as possible live a pain free life so they can realize yoga's true intentions. He is the creator of the revolutionary approach to yoga, applied yoga anatomy and muscle activation. And the online platform, the yogi club host of the yoga podcast, stop stretching author of autobiography of a naked yogi and his book, stop stretching a new yogic approach to master your body and live pain free. And he's also the co owner of blue Osa yoga retreat and spa in Costa Rica, where he leads the yogi club, Yoga teacher training immersions, they are year round for students from all across the globe. Yogi Aran's sense of humor, contagious laugh, courageous and adventurous spirit, and his own healing journey of overcoming pain and discovering and living his true life's purpose, make him a standout and favored leading yoga teacher today. Welcome Yogi Aran.

Yogi Aaron: 2:16

Hey, thank you so much for having me on. I really am happy that we got here. Magic.

Magic Barclay: 2:24

I am so glad to have you. And from my own perspective, sometimes yoga seems to be made too hard by some teachers, especially for beginners or, you know, some bigger framed people like myself, it can be a bit hard to, you know, twist into the swan or whatever. And I think it's just all a bit too serious sometimes.

Yogi Aaron: 2:51

Yeah, definitely. Yoga people can get too serious. My, one of my teachers, um, he's been teaching yoga for almost 60 years actually. And he says that the worst hell that we can live in is becoming a serious Yogi. So never label yourself a Yogi and definitely don't become serious. Yes.

Magic Barclay: 3:15

I love that. Okay. Yogi Aron. I ask all of my guests the same three questions. Everyone gives me different answers and I think you're the first Yogi I've had on. So I'm really excited about your answers. So here's the first one. What can your expertise do to accelerate health, not just physical health, but also emotional and spiritual health?

Yogi Aaron: 3:40

So I, I believe that a lot of people aren't living their best life because They're in pain and I'm not talking about emotional right now. That's a whole other topic, but I am talking about physical pain. There's so many people living with chronic pain and the way that I approach, I'm going to say yoga for now, but it's really, um, the body. And how we, you know, work with them with the muscular system that the way my approach is not only accessible to everybody, no matter your body type or your age, but you leave the practice more importantly, you leave it feeling stronger. More stable and most importantly, uh, pain free. So that would definitely be at the top of the list.

Magic Barclay: 4:32

Wonderful. And we talk about wealth here as well. People see wealth as just what's in your wallet, the financial, but it's also personal and emotional wealth. And I know the practice of yoga helps you get in touch with that. Emotional and personal wealth. So what are your top three tips to creating wealth?

Yogi Aaron: 4:54

I've, I've been asked this question before, but never like that. So that's why I'm, I'm kind of pausing for a moment. I mean, there's so many, you know, this is such a cliche thing that if you don't put yourself first, you know, who else is going to put yourself, but it's really is cherishing yourself and cherishing, you know, the home that you're living in. I believe that we're all, spiritual beings here. And what's carrying us through this life is this body. And so how we get to experience this life is through this body. And we've only got it for a certain amount of time. When I was 30 years old, I, really hurt myself and had to hang up my hiking shoes. Since then, or since the last couple of years, I've been managing to heal that thing that I thought was broken 20 years ago. But it kind of, you know, in reflection and looking back, really looking for the answers. To how to make ourselves stronger and how to make this vessel something that we can use through life. So that's definitely at the top of the list. Number two is relying on your inner wisdom. You know, like I remember the first time I hurt myself in yoga was 18 years old. It was shortly after I, I started. And when I'm, when I'm saying yoga in this context, it means the to become more flexible, AKA abusing myself. And. I hurt myself and it took me 25 years to figure out, like it was the stretching that was killing me. And, and I kind of intuited it, but I never listened to it. So within us, there's a vessel of wisdom. sometimes it's just really, we just need to create that space to listen to it. and then the third thing is to practice getting still, all the great teachings. the spiritual teachings of the world in all traditions teach us that the kingdom, of wealth, of prosperity, of peace, of eternal joy is already within us. And when we're just kind of going, going, going, going, we miss that we miss it. We don't get to see it. Get very well or experience it. all the great masters have taught us one simple truth that is to get still. And when we get still, we're able to tap into that inner resource of wealth and prosperity. but also that place of eternal joy that exists within all of us. And I often equate that When you say wealth, for me, real wealth is that perennial joy that exists within me and my ability to tap into it.

Magic Barclay: 7:52

Now, our final standard question is around weight loss. Many people are on this journey battling, and I guess they probably see You know, a lot of experts in inverted commas as, well, you've never had a weight problem. What would you know? And I know for myself, being a bigger frame person, sometimes being in a yoga practice can be a little bit more challenging. There are certain ways I can't move or that I'm inhibited. So have you ever battled your weight? If so, how did you win the war? And what can you offer the listeners who may be on this journey or may just Be like me, just a bigger frame person. We're never going to be super skinny and we want to do yoga, but there's, you know, some physical issues going on.

Yogi Aaron: 8:43

I have been on sort of a weight journey, I guess, for about 10 years. And it's something that I've been personally kind of dealing with myself. I'm definitely not an obese person, but I am categorized, you know, medically categorized, if you want to put it that way as an overweight person. And I've gone through all kinds of journeys, and I think the first journey is just in pure self acceptance, and it's not an easy journey. I've had to consciously turn off a lot of social media, because I know that whenever I look at these pictures of beautiful quote unquote skinny people that it sets an imprint in my mind and it reinforces a negative habit pattern. And so I would, I would encourage people to look at, like, what is reinforcing those negative habit patterns. That is one definite thing, how I've managed to, turn it around for me. which has been a long process. and, and I could talk for hours on this topic because it's, it's one that I'm very passionate about, but I do believe that it's really important for us to, and I would say this to anybody of no matter what way you are. to experiment with our food because so much of our belief system about ourselves and about life often starts with food. And why am I saying that? Food is one of the four, you know, primal survivals of our existence, you know, food, sex, sleep, and survival. And so we need food to survive. And what I often see is like people have a lot of addictions to food. And I'm not talking about overweight people. I'm talking about people in general, because, you know, how many people say like, you know, if I don't eat, I'm going to die. I mean, what a ridiculously insane thing to say. And they get very upset if they don't get that food. So, I think it's really important for us to consciously experiment with their food, no matter who we are, but also do it joyfully. Have fun with it and, and see, You know, when I say experiment, see like, what is going without a meal like? What is eating a little bit more food like? What is trying different food like? Um, so many people get regimented in a certain quote unquote diet or a certain plan. And I think that we sometimes have to kind of experiment with all of those ideas so that we can know ourselves better and, and kind of see what triggers ourselves and what makes us stronger, what makes us weaker, what helps us sleep better. And food is going to affect everybody differently. Different kinds of foods are going to affect everybody differently. So I would encourage people, as I always encourage my students, to experiment. and have fun while you're doing it. Cause it is a fun process.

Magic Barclay: 11:57

It is. And there is no one size fits all with food. And you know, my listeners have heard me say this a lot that Dr. Stuart Gillespie, one of my mentors teaches us that different immune types can be loving different foods or hating different foods. So really listen to your body.

Yogi Aaron: 12:17

Yeah. Listen, listen to the inner wisdom. Um, but also be willing to experiment as well. I think both of those things have to come hand in hand. Um, and, and be honest with yourself too. And that's a really hard thing for a lot of us to do. but exactly. I mean, I know that some people do not do well with veganism, for example. while other people, do really well with eating a lot of meat. And, you know, the reverse can happen, and both will be adamant, dogmatic, if you will, of their positions, and I think both are right. you got to find out what works for you. But I also think that as our body ages, and we get older in life, that what we need starts to change. And where we live, like, what I needed to eat as a Canadian living in, in, you know, the cold tundra of Canada, is very different. Then what I need right now is I live in the jungles of Costa Rica. So I think it's also being willing to adapt and play and experiment again, and just trying different things and, and, and trying not to be stuck in, in one position.

Magic Barclay: 13:33

Very true. Okay. We've covered a lot already, but now I'm opening the floor to you. What is it that you feel the listeners need to hear?

Yogi Aaron: 13:44

So you mentioned earlier that you as someone that's a little bit overweight finds it challenging to do yoga and what I would just offer to people first and foremost is that yoga is for everybody and I know that sounds so cliche because you hear that and see that or or you hear that whenever you go to yoga class and then people that you know you And yoga say that, but then you go try a yoga class and you're like, no, this is not accessible for me. You know, the teacher at the front of the class says, you know, yoga is not about stretching. And then they kind of fold forward and bring their forehead towards their shin bones. What I really want to say is a couple of things. First and foremost, that yoga is this incredible practice. to help people to align with their life purpose. or you mentioned that I have a yoga retreat center in Costa Rica and I, you know, this happened really because of yoga. Yoga is what kind of opened And I walked through them and was able to step more fully into my purpose. So yoga has this really unique way of helping to bring people more into alignment. That's first of all. But the second thing I'd like to say is find a teacher that really supports you. There's a lot of different styles out there. Find a teacher that supports you and find one that doesn't. Teach stretching. And that's really what I'm about. I've written a book called stop stretching a new yoga approach to master your body and live pain free. So many people find yoga painful. for me, it definitely was when I first started because I was so tight. And I didn't understand muscle function. So I just listened to the dogma of, Oh, I need to stretch. I need to open up my hips. I need to open up my body. And I didn't understand that it was actually damaging myself. So I would just say to people like do yoga, but don't stretch. and definitely if people want a taste of, of yoga, you know, check out what I'm doing. I'm sure you'll leave my website in the show notes, later on, uh, people can also find my book, which is starting to become a sensation in Australia. But, uh, that's what I would offer people that yoga isn't about stretching. And I'm the anti stretching person because I know that stretching is actually damaging us more at a physiological level than it is helping us.

Magic Barclay: 16:18

Okay. So yoga is not about stretching.

Yogi Aaron: 16:21

Yes.

Magic Barclay: 16:21

What is it about? So for me, why I did yoga was so I could connect with my breath. I'm not a meditation person. I'm one of those people that get me to meditate and 50 million things like shiny things syndrome run through my brain. So for me, it was about needing to connect to how I was moving my body, how I was breathing. So what do you see yoga as for those people that have been told it's about stretching?

Yogi Aaron: 16:52

Well, whenever I get asked that question or any kind of question about yoga, my mind immediately goes to the first four sutras in the yoga sutras. And basically it says what yoga is. So yoga is the quieting of the mind that peacefully moves inwards. And so what it's basically saying, I guess, more in English terms is that our attention is able to come inward. We're always going outward in the world. You know, you were talking about all of those shiny things in your mind. And that's kind of like where your attention is going to your shopping lists, you know, the things that you have to do, in your day, the worries that you have, or the pleasures that you've had in the cravings for more pleasures. So we're constantly going outward. And what yoga is saying is that. the goal of yoga is to get us so that we can start to peacefully move our attention inward. And when we do that in the third sutra, it says that we experience this, as I was saying earlier, this perennial joy and that we feel eternally at peace within ourselves. That is really what yoga is about. And, um, and you don't hear that. I don't know why, but teachers very seldom ever really talk about that. Instead, they kind of talk about other things. I love that you mentioned the breath, because in Sutra 113, Patanjali makes that correlation of the importance of practice and that at the core of yoga practice is that we are endeavoring to be always connected to our breath and that when we unite the mind in the breath, that the breath starts to ignite that intelligence within the mind. So I don't know if you've ever had this experience of like when you're doing Some sort of breathing practice, maybe a breathing movement practice in yoga or on your own, where all of a sudden you feel like you've dropped into the present moment and there's a sense of peace within that moment. And that's really the goal. That's really what we're looking to do. the work that I'm doing comes in is that we create more stability In the physiological body, in the physical body, we're looking to create more stability because when there's instability, there's always going to be some either restlessness or pain. So we need to have stability in the body so that we can go back out into the world and live our purpose.

Magic Barclay: 19:31

What a beautiful answer. Thank you. Now here in Australia, and I'm not sure if it's like this everywhere else, there was kind of a bit of a movement for hot yoga and here we have Bikram yoga, you know, we have the hot yoga, we have all sorts of different types of yoga. What is the difference between them physically? And is there a difference with the practice itself with the meaning of it?

Yogi Aaron: 20:02

So if I heard you correctly, you're asking me if there's a difference between hot yoga and Bikram yoga and, and do they really fulfill the goals of yoga? Is that correct?

Magic Barclay: 20:13

Correct.

Yogi Aaron: 20:14

Yeah. So with, first of all, with Bikram yoga, the way that Bikram taught it was, I think, believe 26 postures that you're doing, you know, and you need to have a hot room, like a room that's like 110 degrees Fahrenheit. I don't know what that is Celsius, even 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Um, and hot yoga is basically taking that principle of having a hot room, but just doing a lot of. Postures and sometimes doing those postures very quickly. and a lot of movement. So, no, they're not quite the same. but people are addicted to this kind of hot room and. is it really helping people? I don't like to ever kind of diss any kind of yoga style. I think that some are definitely better, but at the end of the day, I believe that when somebody does a practice that involves conscious movement, as much as possible and conscious breath. That something is going to start awakening within that person and we see that happen a lot people Start to shift their life in a way way that's in more alignment. And, and those shifts sometimes are not very big shifts, but they're small and gradual shifts. And, and so I think, you know, I think that it does in some way help. Do I think that there's better ways? Absolutely. But I always say. Get people in the door and they'll figure it out.

Magic Barclay: 21:53

Fantastic. Now we love freebies here. So what can you offer the listeners and where can they find it?

Yogi Aaron: 22:01

So I've talked a little bit about how yoga can help us become pain free. Um, especially my branding of yoga, which is called Applied Yoga Anatomy and Muscle Activation. Uh, people can go to my website, yogiaran. com and access a seven day pain free series, uh, that's there. It's for free. Um, and basically I just give people an introduction to Applied Yoga Anatomy and Muscle Activation, a YAMA, and take them on a little bit of a journey of their body, a big part of what I do. endeavor to do is to leave people with some knowledge of how to move their body, what muscles are moving them, and what they can do to get those muscles working more efficiently, get them turned on, if you will. and so that's the freebie, seven days to becoming pain free with Yogi Aran.

Magic Barclay: 22:56

Very generous indeed. Now, YogiAaron. com. You're also on YouTube and Instagram, Yogi Aaron. Thank you so much for your time. I've really enjoyed having you on A Magical Life.

Yogi Aaron: 23:13

Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.

Magic Barclay: 23:16

And listeners, thank you so much for your time. We do appreciate the time that you spend listening to the podcast, downloading it, and of course, sharing it with the ones that you love. So for now, go forth and create your magical life.