Four friends discover yoga overdelivers on their expectations.
Every Monday and Friday, four longtime friends meet at Soul Society Yoga, on Kent Island, to keep each other accountable and do a workout that, they say, is as hard as any gym routine.
Full-Body Fitness
“Yoga can be just as challenging as a long hard run, ruck, heavy weights, you name it,” says Paul Herdener, a father of two and a Marine who’s been taking classes at Soul Society for the past year. “I don’t think any gym rat would say this is a wasted opportunity to work out. You will find yourself exerting plenty of energy, sweating, and engaging your muscles in a healthy way.”
Initial reservations
Initially, Paul wasn’t keen on yoga. But when his buddies Chris Jacobs, Brett Cheplowitz, and Ryan Morris, invited him to join them at Soul Society, he quickly changed his mind.
“I had some reservations about doing yoga,” says Paul, “but after getting on my mat I realized I was more flexible than I thought, the speed at which my flexibility would increase was rapid, and there’s no judgement.”
Yoga Dad
After a year or more of consistent practice, these dads now see the affects of yoga bleeding into their roles as husband and father.
Ryan, a father of two young children, says yoga helps him connect to his family after a long day:
“When you try to shift gears at the end of the day to spend time with your kids, it’s almost impossible. You haven’t worked that muscle before to settle down and enjoy the moment. Yoga teaches you how to center yourself, be present, live in the moment. I think that very directly translates to enjoying time with your kids and getting the most out of what is a fairly limited time in their lives.”
Soul Society Yoga 2110 Didonato Dr Chester, MD 21619 410-708-4542 www.SoulSocietyStudio.com
