Featuring Wolfpack Yoga (WY)

Let’s start by saying this is not a publication on the complexity and perfection of yoga poses, which are more than 800. There are enough and excellent books that explain the history of yoga and its philosophy, covering with an extensive explanation the depth of the postures.

Neither it is about the yoga perspective of connecting the world’s energy to align your chakras. This is a program based on purely physical training with an emphasis on mental focus through breathing to gain better control and mobility of the body.

In fact, I am not an expert in yoga. My area of expertise is military strategy and training; specifically, in the preparation of SOF (special operations forces) commands. In this field I have invested 25 years of my life putting together training plans aimed to prepare warriors to be ready to fight battles against any enemy threat.

I have finished an amazing journey in the Colombian Navy, which gave me a unique leadership experience. It is my previlege to have been inspired with a warrior mindset by many team mates from the special operations forces family  (Colombia and the United States). I shared training and war experiences with fellow Marines for half of my life. I´ll keep the pursuit of sharing this warrior legacy with others

I started my hatha yoga training in 2017 in order to improve my performance as a freediver. Since then I have trained different styles of yoga, namely: Bikram yoga, Ashtanga yoga and more recently Gravity yoga. These yoga practices seem to me excellent to improve the mobility of the body.

However, after each independent training, I felt that something was missing to make each practice extraordinary. In this sense, the Bikram routine seems very long (90 minutes) and does not contemplate a detailed explanation on breathing techniques. For its part, in my opinion, the positions of Ashtanga are too complicated, which limits the practice to a very advanced level. From Gravity you we can rescue the technique that teaches how to maintain a breathing rhythm during the postures.

This led me to seek for a more efficient practice and to propose a new customized approach, to which I gave the name of “The Wolfpack Yoga (WY)”. WY seeks simplicity in this universe of complexity. I designed then, a basic personal training plan, maintaining the principles of SOF training with a methodological approach focused on specific objectives, with defined standards, and with a desired end state (effects to be achieved).

Each event or individual WY stance includes a methodology to be followed that includes:

  1. Description of the posture
  2. Training objective
  3. Execution, specifying the duration time of each posture
  4. Muscles activated by the posture
  5. Effects of the posture

Likewise, the WY concentrates an exceptional effort on breathing, the The Warrior Breathing Training Plan (WBTP), with specific apnea techniques with full and empty lungs (during inhalation and exhalation) and some detailed exercises that clearly define the following aspects:

WY highlights the simple and basic aspects not found in other yoga manuals, such as the scientific reasons why the focus on breathing is beneficial for the health. This particularity, among others, makes WY a differential practice.

The WY is an invitation for all people, regardless of age, to include in their life routines and exercise programs that helps them with their physical elasticity, joint, and muscle mobility.

Ketasana

The WY has been designed for the grandfather who wants to improve the balance and control of his body and thus, enjoy a greater vitality that allows him, among other things, to play with his grandchildren or to perform more safely the ordinary everyday tasks. It is for the above, the WY includes postures that train balance, equilibrium, mobility of the body, and in turn strengthens the spine.

The WY is a complement to the training of recreational athletes. In fact, one of the objectives of the carefully selected postures of the WY plan is to give greater flexibility and mobility to the main muscles and joints that are required in triathlon. WY practice is productive before and / or after swimming, running or cycling training.

In military terms the WY focuses on the strategy to systematically and productively perform a yoga routine. Well said by the Admiral of the United States Navy Alfred Mahan; not only the good performance in the fulfillment of the tactical mission, the optimal administration of the assigned resources, and the positive results of the combat field assure the decisive victory, this is only the consequence of a judiciously designed strategy.

“As in a building, which, however fair and beautiful the superstructure, it is radically marred and imperfect if the foundation be insecure, so if the strategy be wrong, the skill of the general on the battlefield, the valor of the soldier, the brillancy of victory, however otherwise decisive, fall of their effect”.

 -A.T. Mahan

With all of the above, it is understood that the intention of the WY is not to replace the yoga instructor, the WY is only a strategic proposal to assume a training plan in breathing and mobility. The tactic in the execution of the individual tasks corresponds to each one who wants to delve into the specific details of each posture; either through tutorials or online courses, or by taking personalized classes in a yoga studio.

In summary, “the warrior’s basic guide to breathing and mobility” is presented, with an approach from SOF training to yoga. We are all warriors in our daily lives, so the WY is one more tool that we have at our disposal for mental and physical preparation, to easily overcome the obstacles that we encounter on the way.

Welcome to Wolfpack Yoga!

Hold the breath…have fun!