Yoga Revamped| Dean Pohlman

A new take on the yoga movement.

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“My first time was completely on accident,” says Dean Pohlman, founder of ‘Body by Yoga,’. Dean was referring to his first time trying yoga. Imagine. One minute you’re walking down the street looking for a tailor; the next you’re drenched in sweat from the hardest workout of your life. That’s saying alot coming from a former lacrosse player. “Like most people, I was skeptical of yoga [at first]. I had always been interested, but had never taken a yoga class before that day. Two hours later, drenched in sweat from head to toe, feeling like I had just exited the pool, and utterly exhausted……. I had just completed my first yoga class. From that point on, I was sold.”

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Yoga Revival

Dean’s first adventure with yoga lead him to an unexpected change in career path. He along with his partner, Paul Bolotovsky, set out to give yoga a little revival and give a new spin to it. “I saw a total void in yoga. Nobody was teaching yoga as a form of fitness; everyone was doing it as a lifestyle,” Dean says. More specifically, they set out to create a form of yoga tailored to men. Dean and Paul show us that yoga doesn’t have to be a big lifestyle change with spiritual connections. Yoga can be strictly for the benefit of your health and body. “We talk about yoga in terms that people interested in their fitness would want to hear. This is a workout that will make you better at anything you do. Whether you’re into functional fitness, lifting, or a runner, yoga will help with that. We break down the anatomy of every exercise to help you understand why it’s good for you. Our program helps you understand how it can help you achieve your fitness goals.”

Beyond that, the two dropped some of the more uncomfortable yoga positions that men may find in local mixed gender yoga classes. “Men and women have traditionally focused on different aspects of fitness. We also have different anatomies. This creates a situation in which some of the poses men encounter in class can be intimidating, if not outright dangerous. We provide explanations and modifications so that men can experience the intended benefit out of every pose.”

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The Message

Dean and Paul use their yoga workout program to send the message that; Yes, yoga can be a workout and a highly beneficial one at that. “We created Body by Yoga because nobody was making yoga accessible to people who wanted the workout without the frills.” And that’s exactly what Dean and Paul has provided. In comparison to other workouts, yoga can be far more challenging. Not only that but it can further extend the results of any other workout you put it in combination with. “Most forms of fitness emphasize strength and faster movements. Yoga actually slows you down so you can work on the other stuff and pay attention to what you’re doing, instead of rushing through the movement.” This leaves you really feeling the burn.

Dean and Paul also sends the message that yoga is no longer just for the spiritual person who has turned over a new life. A regular yoga practice can be such a useful aid for so many different types of people, fitness levels, and goals.” Thus so, Dean and Paul created ‘Body by Yoga’ to be for a variety of people. The athlete that wants to be nimble and quick will find benefits in yoga. So will the dancer that wants to increase flexibility and the body builder that wants to increase definition in their muscles. Most importantly, the average person that wants to increase their health will also find great benefit in the ‘Body by Yoga’ fitness plan. “We try to explain the anatomy and purpose for every exercise and explain how it can benefit the rest of your fitness goals.”

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Where do you see yourself & your brand in 10 years?

Body by Yoga is going to be the way that most people get started with fitness-centric yoga. We will have instructors trained in body by yoga, lots of diverse workouts to cater to many audiences, and a strong commitment to doing what we started out doing – yoga for fitness.

What’s the next frontier in building your tribe?

Releasing our DVDs. 🙂 From there, establishing ourselves as the non-weird yoga that most people won’t be afraid of trying.

What’s next? & why?

After Guyoga, we’re releasing more difficult and more specific workout programs. Guyoga is all about teaching people the basics. After that, we are releasing DVDs focused on yoga for athletes, yoga for back care, and yoga extreme workouts.

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