Björn Borg Brian #whyborg

Brian @bchanwarrior, Yoga

What is the best part of yoga?

To me, the best part is the feeling of balance, calmness, and fulfillment at the end of each class. When I step onto my yoga mat, I'm able to put everything aside and focus solely on my mind and body. Connecting with my breath and moving through a yoga flow has allowed me to bring awareness to self and I'm able to uncover something new or discover a little more about myself through the process. I look forward to this feeling every time.

Have you faced any challenges along your journey?

When you think of yoga, quite often people picture a slim, petite female stretching and mediating. This was also the stereotype I had in mind before I started my yoga journey. I quickly learned this wasn't true, and men of all shapes and sizes were also attending yoga classes. When I started going to classes regularly people would question why I was doing this, and challenge why I wouldn't just go to the gym to exercise. Ten years later, it's not uncommon to see men outnumbering women in a yoga studio. Through social media and general awareness, I continue to educate and inspire guys to try yoga and breakdown the stigma that men can't do yoga.

Do you have any favorite quotes or words you like?

During meditation, or when setting myself up for a yoga practice, I would normally set an intention for what I want to accomplish or feel. Lately, I've been resonating with the mantra, “I am strong.” What I like about this simple and effective quote is the word “strong” draws from the word “strength,” and strength can be measured many ways. I can be strong in the physical form or in the mental state. We are all strong individuals, and a little reminder goes a long way for a healthy body and mind.

What is your best strength?

I was fortunate to be more flexible than the average guy prior to starting yoga. After being exposed to yoga, it's allowed me to open up my body even further under safe and guided stretches. With a deeper understanding of the human body, and how everyone is build differently, I've learned not everyone can do the same thing. The key is a positive progressive practice. Yoga is not about the end posture, it's about the journey getting there.

What is your ultimate goal or motivator?

Continued good health, mobility, and strength has always been a motivator. Going to the gym and complimenting it with a consistent yoga practice has allowed me to find balance between strength training and stretching. Down the road, I plan to braided my knowledge through more workshops and training. There is so much more to learn!

How do you measure your success?

I'm a strong believer that if you are happy in life, you've already succeeded. Numbers and statistics aside, how you feel is more important than how others measure you. With yoga, if I'm able to walk off my mat with clarity and a lowered stress level than when I started, then I am accomplished.

What is your why?

Whenever I practice yoga, I am fully alive. There are many definitions of yoga, but if you look at the root word in Sanskrit, it means union (of the body and mind). The physical practice allows me to bring awareness to the body through movement and holding poses. The mental practice allows me to channel out all thoughts and focus on the present. When I unite the body and mind, to me, that is the highest form of living. Moving and breathing through the present. When I marry my love of photography and yoga, I'm all but capturing a moment of being alive. Sharing my journey, whether through social media or in person, I am to break the stigma, one pose at a time.

Product details

Shop the PAN JACKET that Brian is wearing.100% polyester.