In today’s episode, a special Father’s Day edition, Kripalu CEO Robert Mulhall shares his unique journey into spirituality and yoga, which was significantly influenced by his unconventional education in Ireland, and his father's deep dedication to spirituality.

The conversation touches on how Robert’s upbringing shaped his understanding and practice, the complexities of father-son relationships, the value of vulnerability, and the challenges of nurturing a spiritually aware child in today's environment. Robert emphasized the crucial role of nature and mindfulness in reconnecting with spirituality, particularly for fathers guiding their children.

Robert also discusses the profound connection between nature, leadership, and parenting, stressing the importance of community for men. He shares valuable insights on how engaging with nature through questions can lead to personal growth and self-awareness. We also touch upon the spiritual dimensions of parenting and the necessity for men to find supportive and vulnerable spaces.

We’re grateful to Robert for his role in Kripalu supporting men's journeys in yoga and spirituality and advocating for a move towards community-focused practices that encourage transformation and healing.

Connect with Robert

✩ Website: https://kripalu.org/

✩ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KripaluVideo

✩ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wicklowcelt/

✩ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robert.mulhall.5

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Check out Yoga For Dudes with Larry

✩ Website: https://www.yogafordudes.com/

✩ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UC4yM9Mv-q7fA8VKBEyzt27A

Today’s guest is Ray Raghunath Cappo, a hardcore punk singer and pioneer of the straight-edge movement in NYC during the ‘80s who is now a devoted Bhakti yoga practitioner. Touching on his story in his recently published memoir, Punk to Monk (2024), Ray shares his transformative journey from being a leader of the globally-recognized punk band Youth of Today to a spiritual leader, teacher, and advocate of yoga.

In this conversation, Ray reflects on his journey as a monk, the importance of finding balance in life, and the concept of Seva – service – in spirituality. The discussion also highlights how yoga serves as a path to self-discovery and the significance of serving others as a means to connect with a higher purpose and why men should get into yoga.

Check out Ray’s book, on our website: https://www.gtypodcast.com/recs-books-gear

Connect with Ray

✩ From Punk to Monk by Ray Cappo: https://amzn.to/43hAYlz

✩ Website: https://www.raghunath.yoga/

✩ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/raghunathyoga

✩ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raghunathyogi/

✩ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RaghunathYoga

Support and stay connected with the GTY community

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✩ Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@guystalkingyogapodcast⁠

✩ Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/guystalkingyoga⁠

Check out Yoga For Dudes with Larry

✩ Website: https://www.yogafordudes.com/

✩ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UC4yM9Mv-q7fA8VKBEyzt27A

As a complementary bonus to episode 76 (“Becoming Fearless with the Bhagavad Gita”), Hari shares his own path and story with devotional yoga beginning with his curiosity spark while watching The Adams Family as a kid and seeing Gomez performing headstand and other yoga poses. A decade-lius later, as a young New Yorker during the hey day of late 70s and early 80s, his spiritual awakening started to root while zig-zagging and chanting mantras on foot across Manhattan as courier – a foreshadowing of his true calling as one who delivers ancient philosophy packed in contemporary wisdom, and evolved into a bhakti practice, and his eventual discovery of a Hare Krishna temple.

Connect with Hari

✩ Website: https://hari-kirtana.com/

✩ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hari.kirtana/

✩ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Harikirtanadas

✩ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harikirtana

✩ Free Chapter of Journey Into the Bhagavad gita: https://bit.ly/3EqUNyt

✩ Journey Into the Bhagavad-gita: A Guide to Exploring Timeless Principles of Transcendental Knowledge and Integrating Them Into Your Life by Hari-Kirtana Das: https://amzn.to/3QBcOwr

✩ In Search of the Highest Truth: Adventures in Yoga Philosophy by Hari-Kirtana Das: https://amzn.to/3GrwQYr

Support and stay connected with the GTY community

✩ Website: https://www.gtypodcast.com/⁠

✩ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gtypodcast/

✩ Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@guystalkingyogapodcast⁠

✩ Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/guystalkingyoga

⁠Check out Yoga For Dudes with Larry

✩ Website: https://www.yogafordudes.com/

✩ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UC4yM9Mv-q7fA8VKBEyzt27A

Hari-kirtana Das — yoga teacher, spiritual mentor, and author of two books on yoga philosophy — delves into yoga philosophy and the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, and shares how such ancient wisdom still relates to the challenges of modern life. An eighteen chapter dialogue between Krishna and the warrior Arjuna, the Bhagavad Gita is a story about following your dharma and being fearless in the face of life’s many challenges, by recognizing your essential nature and call to duty.

Additionally, the conversation touches on how individuals can find their unique paths in yoga, especially during times of identity crisis, to become fearless in the face of uncertainty. The themes of masculinity, fearlessness, and the transformative power of yoga as illustrated in the Bhagavad Gita are the backbone of Hari’s conversation with Derek and Larry.

Connect with Hari

✩ Website: https://hari-kirtana.com/

✩ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hari.kirtana/

✩ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Harikirtanadas

✩ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harikirtana

✩ Free Chapter of Journey Into the Bhagavad gita: https://bit.ly/3EqUNyt

✩ Journey Into the Bhagavad-gita: A Guide to Exploring Timeless Principles of Transcendental Knowledge and Integrating Them Into Your Life by Hari-Kirtana Das: https://amzn.to/3QBcOwr

✩ In Search of the Highest Truth: Adventures in Yoga Philosophy by Hari-Kirtana Das: https://amzn.to/3GrwQYr

Support and stay connected with the GTY community

✩ Website: https://www.gtypodcast.com/⁠

✩ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gtypodcast/

✩ Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@guystalkingyogapodcast⁠

✩ Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/guystalkingyoga⁠

Check out Yoga For Dudes with Larry

✩ Website: https://www.yogafordudes.com/

✩ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UC4yM9Mv-q7fA8VKBEyzt27A

Known professionally as Amandi Music, “Mandi” is a Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and producer based in Boston. His transformative journey began while sitting at a gas station on the Mass Pike, en route to the Berkshires, debating whether to attend a yoga retreat at the Kripalu Center.

At the time, Amandi tipped the scales at 400 pounds and was determined to break old patterns and prioritize his health. That weekend retreat became a turning point. Since then, the practice of yoga — and its ability to harmonize mind, body, and spirit — has completely transformed his life. He has become a source of energy and frequency to those around him.

Amandi shares his story and insights into how yoga helped him lose weight, feel younger, move more freely, improve his fitness, shift his mindset, and ultimately, save his life.

Connect with Mandi

✩ C.R.A.W.L: https://www.dontwalkcrawl.com/

✩ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontwalkcrawl/

✩ Mandi’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandimusic/

✩ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmandiMusic

✩ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amandimusic

Support and stay connected with the GTY community

✩ Website: https://www.gtypodcast.com/⁠

✩ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gtypodcast/

✩ Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@guystalkingyogapodcast⁠

✩ Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/guystalkingyoga⁠

Check out Yoga For Dudes with Larry

✩ Website: https://www.yogafordudes.com/

✩ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UC4yM9Mv-q7fA8VKBEyzt27A

In 2008, Mark Stefanowski sought a life change after a DUI charge on Christmas Day. He began watching VHS tapes of Bryan Kest’s power yoga classes, which led him from a basement practice to the systematic and consistent practice of Bikram yoga. Eventually, he found his place—and later completed his training—at CorePower Yoga.

Now a Harley-riding, charismatic, and thoughtful yoga instructor, Mark teaches online classes, in-person donation-based sessions at breweries, and maintains a regular schedule at CorePower Yoga in Colorado. Passionate about making yoga both accessible and challenging, he brings his signature Full Throttle style to the greater Boulder area, helping others embrace the practice as he has.

Connect with Mark

✩ Full Throttle Yoga: https://www.fullthrottleyoga.com/

✩ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fullthrottleyoga/

✩ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ftyogamark

✩ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/mstefa01

Support and stay connected with the GTY community

✩ Website: https://www.gtypodcast.com/⁠

✩ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gtypodcast/

✩ Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@guystalkingyogapodcast⁠

✩ Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/guystalkingyoga⁠

Check out Yoga For Dudes with Larry

✩ Website: https://www.yogafordudes.com/

✩ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UC4yM9Mv-q7fA8VKBEyzt27A

Repeat guest Dave Johnson returns following his 2022 GTY conversation to share his journey and practice with handstands. In this episode, Dave reflects on how handstands have taught him not only commitment to a goal but also the importance of patience and staying calm to release tension while balancing in one of the most challenging inversions. He also explores the benefits of incorporating handstands into a yoga practice, offering insights on preparation, building strength, and the essential role of recovery.

Connect with Dave

✩ SWEAT Yoga Studio: https://sweatyogastudio.com/

✩ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yogawithdave/

✩ Guys Talking Yoga Episode 44: The Game of Becoming Aware with Dave Johnson: https://www.gtypodcast.com/podcast-episodes/44-dave-johnson

Support and stay connected with the GTY community

✩ Website: https://www.gtypodcast.com/⁠

✩ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gtypodcast/

✩ Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@guystalkingyogapodcast⁠

✩ Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/guystalkingyoga⁠

Check out Yoga For Dudes with Larry

✩ Website: https://www.yogafordudes.com/
✩ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UC4yM9Mv-q7fA8VKBEyzt27A

A teacher and lecturer in Kinesiology, Religious Studies, and Sociology at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan, Colin Hall is also a yoga teacher and co-director of Bodhi Tree Yoga and Bodhi Tree Yoga College in Canada. Derek and Larry came across Colin’s informative and entertaining Yoga History Podcast during the pandemic, and were blown away by his passion and knowledge of yoga history.

The guys discuss Colin’s path in yoga, the inspiration behind his Yoga History Podcast, his academic background in religious studies and kinesiology, and the philosophical aspects that have shaped his practice. They also explore the cultural differences between yoga practices in India and the West, highlighting the contributions of key figures like Vivekananda and Krishnamacharya in shaping modern yoga. Lastly, Colin emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and the benefits of yoga for men, encouraging them to embrace the practice for both its physical and mental health advantages.

Connect with Colin:

✩ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colinyogin/

✩ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@YogaMatVirtuoso

✩ Yoga History Podcast with Colin Hall: https://yogainternational.com/ecourse/the-yoga-history-podcast/

✩ Bodhi Tree Yoga: https://www.bodhitreeyoga.com/

✩ Bodhi Tree Yoga Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bodhitreeregina/

Support and stay connected with the GTY community

✩ Website: https://www.gtypodcast.com/⁠

✩ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gtypodcast/

✩ Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@guystalkingyogapodcast⁠

✩ Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/guystalkingyoga⁠

Check out Yoga For Dudes with Larry

✩ Website: https://www.yogafordudes.com/
✩ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UC4yM9Mv-q7fA8VKBEyzt27A