Christian Valeriani - EvenFlow Yoga & Thoughts Like Butterflies

Christian Valeriani is the owner of EvenFlow Yoga in Fair Haven, NJ.  In 2002, Christian experienced a significant life shift through which he was introduced to the practice. Three years later, he hung up his corporate hat to serve others by way of teaching yoga. Since then, Christian has taught over 15,000 hours of yoga, is a highly sought after workshop presenter, and directs a Yoga Alliance Certified Teacher Training Program. Christian remains the perpetual student and infuses his teaching with a rare balance of charisma and humility.

Visit him on his website: https://evenflowyoga.com/
And at: https://wisemen.health/
on IG at: @evenflowyogajerseyshore
and on IG at: @the_wisemen_project

During the conversation we speak about:

• How he got introduced into yoga?
• Yoga as a workout vs. mindfulness. 
• How the breath takes on a different personality during meditation. 
• Hardest challenges as a yoga studio owner.  

Thanks for listening to this episode. Check out: 👇
Free Grow Your Yoga Live Webinar - Every Thursday at 12pm EST
➡️ Click here to receive link

New Student FREE Livestream Yoga Special ~ Try 2 Weeks of Free Unlimited Livestream Yoga Classes  at Native Yoga Center. info.nativeyogacenter.com/livestream Sign into the classes you would like to take and you will receive an email 30 minutes prior to join on Zoom. The class is recorded and uploaded to nativeyogaonline.com  ➡️  Click Here to Join.

Practice to a New Yoga Class every day with our nativeyogaonline.com course called Today's Community Class with code FIRSTMONTHFREE.

Native Yoga Teacher Training 2024- In Studio and Livestream - for info delivered to your email click this link here: ➡️ https://info.nativeyogacenter.com/native-yoga-teacher-training-2023/

Subscribe to Native Yoga Center and view this podcast on Youtube.

Thank you Bryce Allyn for the show tunes. Check out Bryce's website: bryceallynband.com and sign up on his newsletter to stay in touch. Listen here to his original music from his bands Boxelder, B-Liminal and Bryce Allyn Band on Spotify.

Please email special requests and feedback to

Transcript

Todd McLaughlin: 0:33

Welcome to Native yoga Toddcast. So happy you are here. My goal with this channel is to bring inspirational speakers to the mic in the field of yoga, massage bodywork and beyond. Follow us @nativeyoga and check us out at nativeyogacenter.com All right, let's begin

Christian Valeriani: 1:03

Welcome to Native Yoga Toddcast. Today I'm excited to bring to the podcast Christian Valeriani. He is the owner of Even Flow Yoga in New Jersey. Go to his website, evenflowyoga.com Go to his Instagram, give him a follow at@evenflowyogajerseyshore. Also he leads yoga retreats, and so check out his website, wisemen.health and check them out on Instagram handle at@the_wisemen_project. All right. So this is a really amazing conversation because I had the introduction through a friend. And I heard that Christian, you know, owns a studio for 17 years up in New Jersey. And I just love the opportunity to speak with other studio owners and get ideas, tips hints as to how they're doing. And I love to hear just basically yoga teacher stories. I like to know like, what what is going on? How do you interact with your students? And what way do you conduct the class? What type of sequences do you follow? What type of reaction do you receive from the community? And then beyond all that, I'd love the opportunity just to meet another amazing human! To hear what life experiences have happened that have caused this chain reaction of events to bring us to the moment we're in here now. So let's just get started. Let's go. I'm so delighted to have this opportunity to speak with Christian Valeriani. Christian, how're you doing today? Really well, Todd, thank you so much for having me on. I appreciate your time. And considering me,

Todd McLaughlin: 2:58

oh, man, well, you've been extremely gracious and accommodating my requests for podcasting time. So I really do appreciate that. And I'm excited to introduce our listeners to you and your yoga path, your yoga journey. To begin, can you tell us a little bit about where you are and what the name of your studio is?

Christian Valeriani: 3:20

Sure, sure. I'm on the Beautiful Jersey Shore coastline. So if anybody's familiar with the Asbury Park area, a lot, Bruce Springsteen from 1000 years ago, five minutes from Asbury Park, so like, like 35 miles south of New York City. My yoga studio is an even flow yoga. And for some of the listeners out there, you might be thinking even flow like Pearl Jam. Yes, like Pearl Jam. But also, also for the listener listeners out there, if you're familiar with BK Si, Yang gar, the amazing man who wrote light on yoga. He also wrote a book called light on life. And in the beginning of that book in the intro, he talks about the importance of yoga being a breath centered practice. And he talked in this one excerpt I'm paraphrasing, he talks about how when we get into our practice and our masks, we shove that even flow of breathing. So if serendipitously I was reading that while in that same timeframe, I was trying to figure out like a name for my studio, and I want to link it to like either the Grateful Dead or a Perfect Pearl Jam or something. And then I read that and I'm like, Uh huh. Yeah. Even flow and I think that and it's stuck. And that's been, you know, 17 years. Yeah, moment.

Todd McLaughlin: 4:33

What do you think the chances are that Eddie Vetter was reading light on life when he wrote the song?

Christian Valeriani: 4:40

I think it came out after that after the inception of project, but yeah, good point. The great music festival in Asbury Park called the see here now yoga festival, Music Festival, and Jim headlined like two years ago, and I was going to show up with a big sign that says like Even Flo loves your Pearl Jam but COVID Hit Oh, really weird staff who within tickets or whatever, but, you know, maybe one day Edie will understand that there's a studio named Dave for his song.

Todd McLaughlin: 5:11

What is the impetus behind the seat here now right away I thought a ROM Das is Be here now. Is there a connection between the creation of this festival that name and ROM Das?

Christian Valeriani: 5:22

You know, I wish there was, but it's actually a C. S E. A? Yes. So be here now. So I think it's it's a take on be here now. But yeah, it's a surfing, yoga and like music festival, which is, which is pretty cool.

Todd McLaughlin: 5:38

What a cool idea.

Christian Valeriani: 5:40

The urinal was like, the greatest, you know, that's like our hippie manifesto. Right there, man. Right.

Todd McLaughlin: 5:45

That was great. I know. That was the first yoga book that I picked up. And it was a mind opener for sure.

Christian Valeriani: 5:52

Can I tell you a really quick story? Yeah, you can, please. I love telling I love telling stories, I think, you know, hopefully, they're relevant. But my wife and I went out to San Diego a few years back. This is BC before child. So we're in this like, We're in San Diego, really close to the ocean and like this little like, serve taco shack, whatever, right? And I see this young kid outside the taco shack, and he's got a copy of B here now in his hands. And he has these two young girls who are like, you know, all dry, like, oh, and he's like reading from the book. And I'm like, This guy, right? And so he comes into the restaurant, and they sit down near us and my wife and I were done eating, we get up to walk away. And I walked by and said, Hey, man, I said, you know, great book, you know? Yeah. And you and you follow? You know, it's really cool to see younger generation, like reading this book. And I was like, how do you follow like, you know, the ROM rom das podcast or whatever? And he's like, yeah, man who's wronged us? Oh, and I'm like, Dude, the guy that wrote the book, man. You know, that he was just like, Oh, yeah. All right. Cool. So you know, it's,

Todd McLaughlin: 7:02

that is classic. He might look great guy. Yeah, absolutely. Do you remember the first time you saw that book? Wow. Can you remember what the mind

Christian Valeriani: 7:12

just to give you some context? I'm 48. So I'm a 1975. Kid, probably like 15 years old when I was in high school. So I'm like, I'm like an old school like hippie like,

Todd McLaughlin: 7:27

me, too. There it is the dancing bear.

Christian Valeriani: 7:32

So when I was getting into like the dead in the whole deal, I picked up a book and I was just like, blown away. Yeah.

Todd McLaughlin: 7:38

That's cool. Man. That's amazing. My first glimpse of that I was 17 on the island of Maui and a friend of mine, around about 11pm at night said, Hey, let's go to this teepee out in the jungle. And we go into this teepee. And there's there it is. And I started flipping through it just gone What in the world and I that first picture of Hahnemann ripping his chest open with Rama and Sita. You know, in his heart, I'm like, What is this and then the artwork is so psychedelic. And the way he writes in that book, so anyone listening, you have to get a copy of be here now. I think it's a it's a part of every yoga library as a staple. Yeah, sure.

Christian Valeriani: 8:20

Let me give you another story. So for those out there who are familiar with Krishna Das the kirtan singer, yes. I've been following Krishna Das forever. And so every year, again, BC before child, I go up to the Omega Institute in New York State, which is like, you know, it's like summer camp for adults. And so they have what they call the aesthetic champ, which is on Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend. And it's just you know, all the great chanting artists you know, Krishna Das, Jai Otago, it's not, you know, Karl Karl, so the whole thing. And there's and for those weekends, they do a 24 hour chant that they start at like Saturday at noon, go all night into Sunday at noon. And so the one particular Saturday night that I was at this, you know, had gone for eight years in a row whatever. They did a bit of simulcast of ROM das from Hawaii. So the big they had this big screen if you can imagine like this big wooden like amphitheater with like 500 people in it like you know, really close and there's a big screen TV and they they got rom das to come in and he's like on the screen just like his head right. And Krishna Das was on stage about to play. Now some people don't know that Christians Austen rom das were in India together at the same time studying under, under the

Todd McLaughlin: 9:37

guru Neem Karoli Baba, Baba, right.

Christian Valeriani: 9:40

So they flashed the screen. And here's like ROM, ROM das and then there's Krishna Das and the two of them were just looking at each other. And they stared at each other for about five minutes. You could hear a pin drop in the place and they're looking to each other. Finally, Krishna Das goes Brom I was like, What's up Krishna? And the whole place just like you know, burst out in laughter and it was just like one of those moments where it it was beautiful to witness to to met when experienced so much together. Yeah. gone their separate ways they're after and have created so much of their in their own respect, but just holding the space for one another. Like there was intimacy there was there was a kinship. There was like, you can almost watch them going through their memory like a film. And they were just holding the space for one another. What a moment.

Todd McLaughlin: 10:36

Haha, Man, that sounds so cool. What a moment. Yes, yes. That's amazing. That's, that's, that's cool. Do you? Well, first of all, I want to make reference to the fact that you are twice you mentioned BC before kids. How many children do you have? And how old are they?

Christian Valeriani: 10:51

I have one daughter, who's five and a half? Going on? 30?

Todd McLaughlin: 10:55

Yes. And are you are you? Have you settled into parenthood? Are you enamored with it? Do you miss the old days BC? What What are your thoughts?

Christian Valeriani: 11:05

There is nothing I'd rather be in this moment than a parent to my daughter.

Todd McLaughlin: 11:09

Yeah, amazing. The best?

Christian Valeriani: 11:10

Yeah. So it's just a great opportunity for me to take all that yoga and all the tools, you know, yoga, sobriety, all the things I've learned over the years, and apply and apply it to being a parent. And being present with my child and, and really taking most times taking the perspective of you know, I'm the student. Yeah. Like she's the teacher. Like she's the one that doesn't have the developer ego yet. So she sees every day with fresh eyes. Oh, that's cool. I look at her and I go, Oh, that's what I should be doing. Instead of starting the narrative in my head as soon as I wake up in the morning, right? So I'm blessed to have such a healthy, amazing, really cool kid. He's a cool kid.

Todd McLaughlin: 11:54

Awesome. Are you a born and raised Jersey boy, born and raised in Jersey right there. And right there in Asbury Park,

Christian Valeriani: 12:03

a little town a small town called colts neck, which is about 15 minutes north of Asbury Park, went to Rutgers have a Nigerian English from rockers and worked on Wall Street for you know, seven years before I began into yoga. I have a kind of interesting, you know, kind of a meandering path. Yeah. Which, which I think is great. We all should have that.

Todd McLaughlin: 12:25

Did you begin yoga before working in the investment world? Or was it the other way around?

Christian Valeriani: 12:32

It was the other way around. So kind of to encapsulate when I get when I got out of college I scored a job you know working for for Smith Barney at the time. And after after quite some time and being in that environment, my my addiction to alcohol and drugs got really bad. And so I got sober on April the 13th 2002. And but I'm still working in that industry. And and everything that that accompanies working in that industry. It's not the industry's fault. It's you know, it's my, to my own stuff. But after like three years of being sober, I was like, This is not what I was meant to do. Yeah. Like, I think I'm good at this. But it's not really it wasn't it wasn't feeding my soul. Meanwhile, I was getting into yoga pretty heavily at that point. Matter of fact, one of the guys that was in my like sober network of groups, who had been doing yoga for like 20 years. He said, You know, it is very refined. North Jersey accent he says, You're young dog. He's like, why don't you want to do the yoga and and serendipitously I kind of ran into this yoga class like the next day and started doing it. And the more I did yoga, the less I wanted to work in that job. And then one day, I just quit. Got my yoga certification of Shiva, Nanda trained 200, our Dharma meter trained 500 hour and then just started teaching yoga. And then

Todd McLaughlin: 14:04

opened up my own studio. Amazing.

Christian Valeriani: 14:07

Cool. I mean, I wasn't I didn't have I didn't have I wasn't married. I didn't have a child. I didn't really have much responsibility. So I was like, now's the time. Yeah. Like all I have to do is like wake up and go to work. That's you go to like go to like a meetings like seven days a week.

Todd McLaughlin: 14:20

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's amazing. Did so Shivananda Did you do your training in Nassau in the Bahamas? Or where did you go for because you mentioned before we started I had a flight to the Bahamas that just made a connection that is that was that?

Christian Valeriani: 14:34

I wish I wish that were the case. At the time, because I was still married to my job. I had to find somewhere local and there was actually a Shivananda branch local. And I'm so grateful for the people I could cry thinking about it because you know, I remember I'm gonna start a practitioner by by but at base. That's how I was brought up in the Istanbul world. And I was just looking to get certified. So I was like, oh, what's the logo? Like, oh, that's local. And it's convenient. Like, I'll do that. And so without the intention of ever really like, necessarily learning the Shivananda you know, kind of any lost me or whatever. I fell in love with it. Yeah, it was absolutely amazing. And the people that read it were fantastic on car and Rod Ha, they're like amazing people. And then I went to Manhattan to do my 500 with dharma. Amazing, that's a book is very spiritually steeped, you know, not so much like, you know, alignments and mechanics, but very kind of heartfelt, which is what I needed at the time. And it was fantastic. But I also, you know, fast forward a few years, I ran a teacher training with Ronnie he and I partnered on a training together, so I actually learned more i yangarra from him. So I have a little bit of this. I feel very fortunate that I have this kind of confluence of Yes, spiritual background, but then the mechanical background that I got taught, and so it's a good combination.

Todd McLaughlin: 16:03

Very cool. What was your thoughts? The first time having previously practiced Ashtanga going into a Shivananda class? And I'm sure everyone might structure things differently. But was the first Shivananda class you did the first pose headstand?

Christian Valeriani: 16:19

Yeah, so it was. Yeah, we did. We did. Pranayama. Right. So we did your intention. Pranayama. Sunset, Surya Namaskar. And then after Surya Namaskar, shavasana for like two minutes. And then head stands shoulder stand plywood fish. Right. So that's the the trilogy. So that was the first one. But you know, the head stands for five minutes. Yeah, correct. Right. Yeah. Yeah. So I was like, Alright, let's do this. So it's

Todd McLaughlin: 16:45

so interesting. I remember the first time I went to Shivananda class and they said, Alright, let's begin with headstand. And I was like, wow, okay, because I just had always been this thing in my head that headstand was like a finishing posture or a closing experience for Stanga. And I so I love that it just kind of flipped me on my head. And then my viewpoint right away right off the bat. Isn't isn't Dharma Mitra is guru. Also, under the Shiva, Nanda lineage.

Christian Valeriani: 17:14

Swami Gupta, I believe is his name.

Todd McLaughlin: 17:18

Is their association with Shiva Nanda, I was just,

Christian Valeriani: 17:21

it might be, okay. What's interesting about Shivananda, as well taught is that the final posts or the penultimate posts before shavasana is triggered. Asana is triangle extended triggered Asana. So the idea is that, you know, inversions considered complete poses, right? Would go near the end of the practice, which would prepare you to kind of drop your energy down for savasana. But it's interesting how she was on the schedule, hey, do this at the beginning of your practice to essentially ground yourself. Yeah. Right, and then start to move through the practice and then get into the lateral compression extension to neutralize the spine before Shabbat so by way of treatment Asana, so it's kind of like an interesting Yep. To very valuable and great practices. Yeah, different different, you know, different structure to it. But powerful nonetheless,

Todd McLaughlin: 18:09

yes. Yeah. I love that aspect that, you know, if we get initially initiated into a specific structure, that then to go and study another structure that's just as, quote, traditional or authentic. And for them to do it completely different. For me, that was such a great eye opening experience, because it made me think, well, what is normal? Like? What is the baseline for, you know, a good yoga practice or a real yoga practice? After your years of study and practice now? What do you gravitate toward in your own either personal practice, or when you lead a class, if you were just to kind of map out a simple outline of a structure that you tend to like to follow?

Christian Valeriani: 18:59

Yeah, it's a fantastic question. I could probably spend an hour talking about it, but

Todd McLaughlin: 19:04

simple outline, simple outline.

Christian Valeriani: 19:08

For me, what I think was the most, I think, one of the most profound roles that a yoga teacher can play inside of a, you know, kind of a general class open class setting is keeping the pace of the breath. Being in the metronome. Yeah. Right. But that I think that my style, which which comes Yeah, I'm also friends with Jason Crandall. He's done some like workshops at my studio to go ever cool. So I love the way that he teaches in that. And I I'm not gonna I'm not saying this in a negative light, but like, Jason is fantastic. You know, self deprecating humor. He's just a real person. But he also like knows what it's Students want, like, he knows that his students want serenity, but they also want to work out. Right. And I don't look at yoga as a workout. And I don't subscribe to it as a workout. Yes, it's an exercise for sure, there's effort and notes out. But I've tried to create this style whereby I can, I can have enough of a even even flow even paced practice that I can keep the breath count, but in between those breath counts within the cues for proper alignment. Nice, right, and also not breathing this circus, if you will have had, you know, going from like, you know, twisting one way to twisting the other way immediately, all about, like, come back to neutral for the shoulders and the pelvis, just like come back to the breath. And we have ourselves to the breath, to create that mindfulness. So I think there's a lot embedded inside of, you know, crafting a yoga practice that is valuable to everyone. But I think a really important role for yoga teachers that I think gets lost a little bit. I don't know why or where it gets lost, but like keeping the breath count for an hour or an hour, 15 minutes or an hour and a half. And it's so valuable to the students because it's they can be so easily untethered, right? One little noise, you know, their Apple Watch goes off, and it's like, and all of a sudden, they're out of their breath. But if you're sitting there and you're, you're keeping that breath count, and they're invested in that, that's where the magic is. Yeah. Because that base that base, our yoga practices of breathing, it's a breathing practice. It's a self. It's a self care practice. It is an exercise, but it's not necessarily a workout. It can be depending on your perspective, but it's really all about, and I can I consistently stay tethered to my breathing or yoga sutra. 1.2 Yoga, chitta vritti nirodha. How do I reduce the fluctuations of my mind? Right? So? Yes, right. And if you need to go to open class for a teacher to count out your breath count. Right. And that's, that's, I think, is really important. I'm not sure if that answers your question. It does.

Todd McLaughlin: 22:03

That was great. I'm curious in relation to because obviously, you love music. I guess I would like to ask, do you play music do you have experimented with with instrumentation or

Christian Valeriani: 22:15

I used to play music back in the day, but I first when I first started teaching yoga, and I didn't know any better. And that this is not a knock against anyone who teaches yoga with music. That's that's not the point. For my own practice. I didn't know any better. I was playing music. It was great. But I stopped playing music about 10 years ago. Yeah, yeah, there's no. And there's no music in my classes, because I feel that we have enough distractions. And as much as music can make the yoga practice fun, which I've totally had been in a yoga class, where I'm on the mat as as a student, and I've heard, you know, playlists and I'm like, Oh, I love that song. I can start rocking my head out to that song and like, start moving my body, which is cool. It's very uplifting and very positive. But I am completely distracted. Yeah, yeah. So I try to set up my classes where there's minimal distractions.

Todd McLaughlin: 23:13

I agree with you. I agree with you. Yeah, I stick to that same concept, as well. I remember being in India, and hearing the storyline that Madonna went to practice in Mysore with batavi, Joyce and Shirat. And she said, Where's the music? And I guess the answer Schrott gave her was, the breath is the music. And once I heard that, well, that makes perfect sense. You know, like, you got this even rhythm going with your breathing and that that's what music is that it has a rhythm to it. And so I like that. I'm happy to hear that because I know the trend. And again, I agree with you not to knock or say anything against this or that. But I do agree that it's a beautiful thing to have a quiet space, when practice the ability to hear that.

Christian Valeriani: 24:04

And to your point, like with the Ashtanga practice and the heavy je Yeah, I mean, you're really tuning in. And what happens is, and this is kind of interesting to me. A lot of people think that that UI breath is like a restriction. It's an opening. Yeah. In the back of the throat. Yeah. Is that like, you know, Darth Vader? Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Which is like so much. It's such a different personality. Right? Like, if I can totally go off on a tangent, you know, my default setting. Always, always has been I'm like an Aries. Like type A, you know, my default setting is to just ram my head through sheetrock. You know, to get it done to effort my way through everything. And so when I learned it was a breath, I was like, the whole room to hear Hear me breathe, you know, ego, whatever. But then I learned is actually it's actually a softening and opening. And the whole breath takes on a different personality. And when the breath takes on that different personality, the way that we engage and move takes on a different personality. So, you know, we have, you know, we have these thoughts in this heart that run on electricity, right, and the emotions connected to that heart and those thoughts. And so that one little shift in the sound of the breath, or the experience of the breath, can either can move you from sympathetic to parasympathetic, right? You can literally tell inside of a class, if you're holding plank for a long time, and people are like, Okay, the first couple of breaths, everything's cool. And all of a sudden around breath five

Todd McLaughlin: 25:48

will start to stress right? Yeah, yeah,

Christian Valeriani: 25:50

with those moments where we need to calm because that's where yoga meets the road. Yeah, right under duress. How does the yoga practice intervene? Right, and how does that intervention diffuse? The emotional reaction of the external stuff? Great. Especially Pratyahara. Classic, like, yes, removal or minimization of the senses, for the more internal senses to enlivened, right. Agreed.

Todd McLaughlin: 26:19

Yeah, you have been able to I saw you up in your studio in 2008. Is that correct? Yeah, 2000 2000 2006 I started teaching since 2008. Yeah. And so that's a long time to hold down a studio. Can Can? And I'm sure I Yes. And I'm sure you have felt and seen lots of ups and downs, lots of moments where classes are boomin. Economy is awesome. Things couldn't be better. And another times where it's the opposite. I could be wrong. Maybe it's only been highs for you. Can you? Can you give us a little bit of insight like maybe those of you somewhere in someone's listening right now going, I wonder what it's like to own a yoga studio. I want to own a yoga studio, I want to run a yoga studio. Could you give a couple of insights into yoga studio ownership to just make it real? And you know, honest about what what the experience is like for people?

Christian Valeriani: 27:29

Yeah, I love that question. Thank you for bringing that up. And if I could start off with another story,

Todd McLaughlin: 27:36

please. Stories are the best way to tell stories.

Christian Valeriani: 27:39

For before I opened up a yoga studio, I was at a Yoga Journal conference in New York City. And Yoga Journal conferences were very popular back in like the early 2000s. So I it's one of those things where you have a Yoga Journal conference, you have all these amazing teachers that you normally wouldn't practice with, because they're coming from California and Colorado or whatever. So you basically stack your days, like Friday, Saturday or Sunday. It's like, six classes, whatever. This one particular day, I signed up for to Stanga practice with barrel Bender Burch. Okay, now, my Ashtanga teacher from back home, my local Ashtanga teacher, amazing teacher, really tough, really rigid, which I loved. Actually, I needed this structure back then. But I went and took a class barrel Bender, Birch, and she must have been like, 65. At the time, I'm not sure how old she is now. And it was the most gracious Ashtanga practice I had ever done. It was like somebody was taking, you know, the action of Ashtanga, which is a pretty tough practice. And giving that that action of the practice with like, some oat milk and cookies. Like it was like your grandmother delivering the practice, right? So after this point, I was like, wow, this is because I only knew Ashtanga one way. So then after class, I went up to her and thanked her for class. I said, you know, as a budding yoga teacher, and someone who maybe wants to open up a studio, can I and I asked, what the best way is to create a following. But I really was asking her Is there a shortcut? And she, she graciously said, yeah, she goes, this is the way you want to do it. She goes, pick a time slot. Let's call it Monday night, seven o'clock, whether it's your studio or someone in the studio, she's like, pick a time slot, and dedicate your life to teaching at that time slot every week, for the next 30 years. And that's how you're gonna build your following. And I said, you know, I was thankful but at the same time, I was like, I was looking for the shortcut. You know, but she was right, because that's, that's embedded right in the Bhagavad Gita, right? It's one of the central themes of the Bhagavad Gita, which is just to suit up and show up and then don't worry about the results. And so that really changed my perspective. I have a business background.

Todd McLaughlin: 29:51

Great story.

Christian Valeriani: 29:52

Yeah, I'm kind of like, you know, I'm doing all the machinations of you know, business planning, p&l Profit Loss also But I can tell the listeners out there who might be thinking about maybe opening up a yoga studio. It's hard. And it's it is difficult simply because of the supply and demand. When I first opened up my yoga studio 2008, there were like three yoga studios in my area. And I have like, it's a pretty populated area, we're, you know, we're suburban New York. There were like three yoga studios. And then within like, three or four years, there were like 30 yoga studios. So at that juncture, you know, it's like the old Yogi Berra phrase, like, you know, if you come to a fork in the road, take it. You know, what you get this juncture where you say to yourself, do I have to reinvent what I'm doing? Do I have to make what I'm doing FlashAir to get more market share? Or do I just stick?

Todd McLaughlin: 30:51

Great point, great point,

Christian Valeriani: 30:52

stick to my guns, the ups and downs, and whether the ups and downs, because there's plenty of ups and downs fact, for 17 years, I know that August is a very light month for me, it's been that way for 17 years. August is just a light shitty month. You know what, every August, I get nervous about August. And I know that September and October, crush it. So I'm good. But it doesn't, it doesn't necessarily remove some of the stress, what I would say, Thank you, when I would say to the people out there that are looking to maybe like open a studio or whatever it is. You just you have to find what the meaning of your craft is. And then just stay true to that. For that longer period of time. When you without sounding egocentric or narcissistic, I like to think that it is from my heart. And I do my best to do that. And, you know, teaching from your heart includes like, you know, not bad mouthing any other studios. Right? Not trying to reinvent the wheel every year, because you're trying to keep up with like, Oh, hot yoga, is the new the new thing. Yes. Or like whatever, right state staying true to that, like, you know, not sleeping with your students? Like, that's really important. Yes. Like, like basic things that are really important. Yeah. You know, like, where we have the unique, you and I and the people out there their own studios, we're in a unique position where we're in a business, but it's also spiritual. And so I think a lot of people have issue with, you know, can spirituality and profitability coexist. And a lot of people will say, Well, you know, you shouldn't be charging for yoga, which I can understand why it was somebody will say that, at the same time, you know, I found yoga, something that I love, and something that allows me to serve people, and it is my time. It is my expertise, it is the educational costs that goes into it, and I should be compensated for that. Not in some, you know, exorbitant way you'll fare with all things. But I think what's really, really cool too, and I'll kind of end with this is that, you know, through the your the vein of having a yoga studio, you can be profitable and make a living, it takes hard work every day. But you also bounce that out by really giving back a lot. Great authorities Angela, for an example. There was a young girl that was coming to my studio about six, seven years ago, high school kid, 16 years old. anxiety, stress, like off the charts. So started coming to the studio. About a month after, you know, she started, she started at the studio. She comes in with her mother and a mother takes me aside and says Yoga does wonders, you know, for my child, but you know, we can't afford the $20 drop in is too expensive for us. Can we work out a deal? Yeah, that was like, We sure can. Yeah, yeah. And here's the deal. Just let your kid come? Yeah. 16 Yeah, yeah. Struggle. Yes. Yeah. No, she's she's hurting. Like, just let her come. I don't care. I don't care. But the 20 bucks. Yeah. You know, like, if I need that$20 Every week, I'm doing something wrong.

Todd McLaughlin: 34:22

Yeah. You know, I'm like, I'm gonna

Christian Valeriani: 34:27

let her come and then you fast forward like a year later, two years later, whatever. She was like, in college, and she wrote me this letter. This gratitude letter. Yeah. And I was like, This is why I do this. Yes. You know, like, I get I get excited at the end of the month, and we're like, oh, we're having a good month. Alright, cool. And now I can like pay my bills. But I get letters like that. That brings me to tears. I know I'm doing the good work. Yes. And that's important, and that's important to me.

Todd McLaughlin: 34:54

Oh man, you touched on so many great facets of of what it's like to run a studio. So I think you hit some excellent nails on the head with that. I love that. It's very encouraging. I'm really thankful for this opportunity to speak with you. One thing I love about podcasting is that it's like, a form of like therapy for me, because sometimes I feel like I'm stuck over here in my own little corner and, and to hear other teachers and studio owners and practitioners in your stories is really encouraging. So oh, man, I'm really thankful for this opportunity. Cristian? That was great,

Christian Valeriani: 35:34

too, because because your questions are like, spot on. It's

Todd McLaughlin: 35:36

great. Oh, well, thank you.

Christian Valeriani: 35:38

That's real fit.

Todd McLaughlin: 35:39

You know, what is the hardest on? How can you how can you stack? Hard harder hardest? Easier, easy, easiest. But what is one of the hardest challenges you've come up with? As a studio owner? If you just could pick one of the big speed bumps? She might have hit along the way? Or maybe, you know, maybe you haven't? Maybe it's been? You know, not that hard. But have you have you? Have you had a big bump in the road?

Christian Valeriani: 36:10

I have.

Todd McLaughlin: 36:12

Okay, the longer the pause, the better the answer is gonna be.

Christian Valeriani: 36:18

Most likely, the biggest, the biggest challenge that I have faced as a yoga studio owner, and as a person is me.

Todd McLaughlin: 36:30

Oh, good answer. Um, the biggest, great answer,

Christian Valeriani: 36:36

um, the biggest challenge. As a yoga studio owner, you're dealing with the general public. Okay, you have 20 people in the room 20 people coming from different experiences, and they're all going through different things, and you try to create this class and this energy that kind of brings them to par. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But, you know, really, it's my own shortcomings that at times, restrict me from not judging the general public and being unfair in my own head, not overtly. Because I think that Yoga should be a particular way. That's been my biggest challenge. But it's also been my biggest gift. So it's it, you know, like Yoga itself, it coexist. In that science of opposing energies, my biggest challenge is me. And my biggest gift is me. That you're being able to learn from that experience and say, like, okay, stepping back, what, what can I glean from these experiences? How do I shift? And then does that shift work is the trial and error of that, figuring it all out? Does that work and one of the biggest things that I've I've, that I've learned is you're kind of as a natural without getting overly, you know, intimate being like a natural, you know, traumatized child, egocentric, whatever, I want to please everyone. You know, I want all 20 people in that class to walk away on that was the greatest yoga class in my life. And that's not reality, that doesn't necessarily happen. So in that process of dealing with the public, and understanding that I'm the biggest impediment to my own happiness, I was able to take a step back and say, I'm not going to be able to satisfy everyone. So I need to be able to deliver a practice that is, is accessible to the greatest number of people. And, and hopefully that works out. Yeah. And if it doesn't work out, that's okay. Because I'm gonna have certain people that gravitate toward me. And some people that will not and that's okay. Like when I when I stopped playing music many years ago, there are people that just fell off and never saw them again. Okay, this is work. That was my practice. So I'll have the people that follow that. Yeah. Cool. Except this that is

Todd McLaughlin: 39:00

hard. Yeah. Man, I just so the listeners know, I did not prep you with any questions, because that was, that was a good answer. That was a good answer. I was expecting some external situation and the fact that you put it internal or brought the attention back to your own perspective and experience that that is, that is really cool. I like that.

Christian Valeriani: 39:22

Well, then what I'll do is I'll give you the external. All right. I'll give you a story with the external. And I remember one time, I had a student in class, I had known this woman for many years, really it like hedge fund manager, left that to become a chiropractor's brilliant woman hadn't seen her in a year, she came back to my class, and I noticed during shavasana she was she was whispering and I was like, Oh, that's cool. Maybe she has a mantra or she's praying or whatever. But as she kept coming back to classes, I noticed that during every time she came to class, she'd be talking to herself, and it started becoming a little bit distracting for the other students. So I At that, at that point, I realized that this is kind of a big topic these days, I realized there was mental health issues there. So at the end of practice, one day, I took her to the side and said, Listen, I said, I'm not sure if this is like a mantra or prayer or whatever. But you're, you're a little bit distracting with the people around you, if you don't mind, like, you know, just keeping it to yourself. It'd be really helpful. I'm not judging it. Like, I just want to have a real candid conversation around it. And she said, Okay, I understand. I was like, Alright, cool. And then she leaned in. And she whispered in my ear. They're all watching us. And my heart

Todd McLaughlin: 40:36

sank. That's that made my heart sing just hearing heart

Christian Valeriani: 40:40

sank. And I'm like, Oh, yeah. Okay. Yeah. So yeah, that was a tough decision to be able to let her go. But all I wanted to do in that moment was help her Yeah. So there's no third challenge. That's that I think is, you know, can be very delicate.

Todd McLaughlin: 41:00

Wow. Yeah. Good. One. Good one that made me think of a couple of different experiences. Myself, too. Yeah. Great. That's powerful. Let's see. So Well, on that note, when you brought up the element of realization of traumatic childhood, the desire to please others, with the hopes that that will then kind of nullify that feeling that comes with trauma. Have you read I'm currently reading a book called The Body Keeps the Score? Have you come across that one yet? I haven't. Alright, fair enough. I will. I will. Now, man, powerful this morning, I was driving in the studio, and I'm listening to an audio book. And well, so I'll just let you read it. We'll do another podcast discussion about your thoughts on it. But it's all about trauma. And it's just one of the best books I've ever read in that field. And I'm just floored by it. And then for those of you listening, maybe also, if you can get a copy of it and read it, and then we'll come up with a way to forum a discussion around it. And because there's so much there, there's so much there, maybe we'll have to save that for a special topic.

Christian Valeriani: 42:19

Yeah. And if I could just like add one thing to that, please. One of the reasons why I fell in love with the first time I did yoga, like literally, I get out of shavasana for the first time I've ever done yoga, and I'm like, Ooh, there's something to this is powerful. Now stand, I had a little bit of time in AAA, under my belt. So I was doing like this internal work stuff that was really intense. But one thing that he doesn't necessarily address is the physical. Yeah, and I'm a physical person. I'm like an athlete. You know, I'm an athlete. I'm a, you know, basketball soccer guy who played rugby in college, like, I need to be in my body. But that's where I stored the trauma was in my body. And when I was in that first practice, now, I was able to kind of release some of the tension in those tissues. Man, that was a ball in that first of all, I go, I feel like a whole person for the first time since I've been like, nine, you know? And it was like, I'm just gonna, like, every good addict, I'm like, I'm gonna do this, like all the time. Today, like I never had like a therapy, really like a therapeutic kind of getting dressed.

Todd McLaughlin: 43:31

That's cool. I can't wait to read that book. It's cool. I know. We'll talk about it when you do. And I'm not done yet. So that's why I wanted to wait till I finish it till I start theorizing about things. Can you tell me about your website wise men dot health? Yeah, and what you're doing with your, with that project?

Christian Valeriani: 43:49

Yeah, thank you for asking that and bring that up. I appreciate it. So, you know, the yoga business great stuff and and you meet a lot of different people. And so this one gentleman started coming to my class a few years back with a background in martial arts, you know, 34 years of martial arts background, you know, he has been doing it since he's been like, eight years old. Break guy, great guy. And, you know, we started like, the so one day around, like, you know, the similarities between like yoga and martial arts and like, you know, he's a chi gong guy. So we're, we're sitting there, and he's, like, you know, don't see on. And I'm like, yeah, man, like, that's where it's all about working from the core. And we started just like talking, and then I bumped into him at the gym one day. And I'm like, What's up, man? And we started just like talking about stuff. And I said, you know, man, I said, a lot of men are in trouble. A lot of men are in trouble, stress, anxiety, you know, all the different things that go on. And he's like, I agree with you. 1,000%. So we started you know, sharing our own stuff. And I said, we should we should really combine forces we should we should combine heads and put together some kind of like, movements therapeutic like men's business or something and he's like, ah, Yeah, cool. And it's like, I know that a guy in New York, Jared, and Jared, you know, runs these businesses. And this guy's rich, which is awesome. So we got on a conference call, and we're like, Hey, listen, I think we need to figure out a way to pull men out of their normal lives. To get them on a retreat, where they can experience Yoga, Pranayama Chi Gong meditation, we can teach them about the importance of the rest. The importance of nutrition, neuro chemistry, how all these factors play into how you hold your body in space, emotionally, physically, whatever. And he's like, Yeah, that sounds like a really good idea. So you know, what took us about a year, of the three of us working after hours, you know, nine o'clock at night, getting on a call working until midnight, putting you know, putting together a marketing deck and everything. And it's now we run men's wellness retreats, and they're there, they're successful, they're fantastic. The work that gets done there is profound. You know, instead of like going on a golf weekend with your buddies and getting hammered all weekend, like you get to go and hit reset, and you get to recharge your battery. It's, I think it's fantastic. I think it's fantastic. Not because I'm one of the CO owners, but like, I feel I feel better. After those weekends, I come back reset, even though I'm running it, and CO facilitating it. Like I I feel good about it. And we and we import some different speakers that are like the experts in nutrition. Transformational breathwork, which is like so profound. So it's really, really cool. We have our we have a local event coming up September 24, which is going to be actually co Ed, we were working with this other group of women who are going to take care of the women who will take care of the men. But then we're we're right now in the midst of finding a date for a fall for Fall Retreat in the Catskills in New York. So men only cold plunges, you know, we go into the river when it's like 48 degrees. It's amazing.

Todd McLaughlin: 47:04

Oh my gosh, I want to go. I want to go. I want to go. That sounds cool. I love Well, can you can you paint a little picture about the Catskill retreat? How many days?

Christian Valeriani: 47:16

Sure. Sure. So the website is wise men dot health. And what we do is we get up there on a Thursday, and we just have basically check in dinner firepit topic, intention for the weekend, we talk to one another, we get to know one another. And then Friday morning, you know, we're up. We do 7am cold plunge in like 5052 degree water stream, we're just in in New York State 48 degrees even better. So we do the cold plunge. Breakfast, yoga, or yoga breakfast, either one. And then we'll do like team building stuff, which is really kind of cool. We go for a hike, lunch, chi gong breathwork usually like a lecture on nutrition or like subject, like, you know, nutrition, abundance, all these different topics. And they do like an afternoon session of either chi gong or yoga. Or do you know, dinner and then another firepit. So basically, we have that whole week I'm doing that. It's a pretty packed schedule. You know, there's also room to rest. So we give like rest periods as well, because we don't want to like overwhelm people to feel like they have to do everything. Because the first day people they might be like, Listen, man, I need to take the week the I need to take the afternoon off. Yeah. Yeah. Because I've been working my ass off at work 70 hours a week. So that's, there's room for that. But yeah, we suggest everybody does everything that we do. It's a pretty well oiled machine. Not to be like unemotional about it. But it's very structured. Yeah, we can really get the maximum and optimal benefit of what we're doing. Yeah. So it's really, really cool stuff. And, you know, I'm so grateful for the men that have joined us because they really get to open up. Yeah. And once that person opens up, everyone starts to share, and we're like, Hey, man, we're in this together, like, all right, yeah. Like, I feel like women do this kind of stuff. But like, men don't do this

Todd McLaughlin: 49:19

kind of stuff. Why do you think that is?

Christian Valeriani: 49:22

I don't know. I think it's just I don't know, I really think like men, I think men like to go out. Yeah, and not interesting. I live this life back in the day. I think men like to go out and like, you know, go golfing and get hammered or like go to a concert and like, get high and like whatever. And I think women are there to kind of like, maybe, classically and this might be not so politically correct. But I think classically, women are more emotionally connected. So I think they understand how they have to support other women emotionally, whereas men are kind of like, you know, we bust chops, you know, sarcastic we kind of read each other or whatever. But we did that work. Good points. We're emotional beings too.

Todd McLaughlin: 49:57

Yeah. That's cool that you're doing That sounds absolutely amazing in relation to that specific retreat. So it starts on a Thursday ends on a Sunday. Sunday. It's a weekend long or a long weekend. And how do people go? Like if I was traveling from Florida? I would fly into where travel how far from that airport to get there?

Christian Valeriani: 50:18

Yeah. So you were flying to New York. So, like, from Boca, you're like a two and a half hour flight. Maybe two hour flight from Boca or what? Yeah. flying to New York. I'll pick you up in my car.

Todd McLaughlin: 50:31

Okay, deal.

Christian Valeriani: 50:33

Drivers for the retreat, because on the way is literally on the way. So it's like,

Todd McLaughlin: 50:37

an hour away. I'm so on. Geographically educated about the Northeast?

Christian Valeriani: 50:44

Yeah, yeah. So North airport is probably two hours from the from the Camry. Got it? Got it. Yeah. So for me, I'm like 45 minutes south of Newark Airport. So I got up on the road. Go to New York and just continue north.

Todd McLaughlin: 50:59

Okay, cool. Yeah, I just wanted to kind of get my get my get the understanding of Time, time and space.

Christian Valeriani: 51:07

They came up my buddy Mark, who, like moved to Florida, like six months ago. He's down in Florida. And he was like, Hey, where's the next retreat? I'm like, hey, it's coming up, man, you know, coming up in May. He was like, Alright, I'm there. And he like, flew up. It was great. Yeah, we're starting to kind of spread our wings a little bit.

Todd McLaughlin: 51:22

That's so cool. Congratulations, I know, you know, to have the bright idea, then to follow through with the logistics to carry it off. And then to do it again. There's, that's a big process, how many of these retreats Have you co led thus far?

Christian Valeriani: 51:40

So so far, we've done three off site retreats. We're doing one local in September, and another one in the fall. So we've had three, which is nice. And we've had, you know, feather in our cap, you know, we've had 100% growth rate since the first retreat, which is fantastic. You know, so it's catching up. But there's, there's a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to kind of to cast the net. Oh, heck, yeah. To get all those touches, because, you know, I am not like a social media guy. I need to be for the proliferation of my businesses. But, you know, there's a part of my it's a mental tic with social media, but like, I have to do it, but there's a lot of work, man.

Todd McLaughlin: 52:24

It's a lot of work. And, you know, things change,

Christian Valeriani: 52:27

because you're like, Hey, should I do the hashtag Oh, the algorithm has changed now is no longer hashtags. Now, it's about like, the word inside. Like you have it down,

Todd McLaughlin: 52:36

it's like, I'm gonna help you out with that with this podcast. We're gonna, when I release this, well, thank you. The part of my, what I enjoy so much about this is that, like, one of the things I found really challenging with social media is I felt like I was always pointing the camera at me. And I'm like, why I feel like I'm being narcissistic, by just look at me, look at me, look at me. And now to for me to be able to kind of point the camera at you and say, check out what this guy is doing. Check out what she's doing. Look what other people are doing. I'm having so much more fun now trying to like lift other people. And and so I don't know, personally, that's been something I've found that's that's helped me to feel like my languaging from like, Can I really suck at this to like, I'm loving doing this. And honestly, you are on social media. So you are a social media guy. But I know what you mean. I totally know what you mean, where you're like to this is so much work. And I have so many other things I want to do on hanging out with my daughter hanging out with my family. I want to actually look at my daughter in the eyes and not stare at my phone for three hours at night to cultivate a one minute video. I mean, the priority. You know, I know I'm so thankful for this time I get a chance to have with you and I for you listening out for who for you listening, please indulge me here with I've got to ask you, Christian about your love for music. Because I know we have favorite we have shared favorites. And so I know it's a little off the yoga subject, but I promise I'll keep it along a yoga line. But um, when I learned that you're a deadhead. And I got a chance to see the Grateful Dead when I was in high school up in Atlanta and Orlando back in 1990. And, and then out in Oregon, and I saw the Jerry Garcia band in the warfield in San Fran and

Christian Valeriani: 54:20

man used to go to the Omni in Atlanta. Oh,

Todd McLaughlin: 54:23

yep, yep. I remember when Yes. And the for me it was as a as a dad aged 16 1718. I just was blown away by the scene. I mean, I never imagined going to a concert where the parking lot festival was more fun than the actual show and then the show was so incredible. And the amount of energy at these shows were just I mean, I remember the first time I saw the grateful diamond I just started crying right when they came on stage. I'm like, why am I so emotional? What is that and I'm mean the energy was just, I don't know how to. So I want to ask you, so maybe it'll help. Because I know some people are like, ah, you know, they don't like the dead or don't like jazz music, you know, just they're like, oh, great, please, I'll start talking about the dead. But maybe you will help clear up the bring a little light to why is that scene or was that scene? So amazing and fun for you?

Christian Valeriani: 55:23

I'll answer that in a couple of different ways. Bill Graham, the music producer. And venue owner once said, you know, people like the people that like the Grateful Dead or like people that like licorice, people that like licorice, really like licorice. So that might give a little bit of like, a little bit of an entree. But here's the thing. I think what I gravitated to most. The music is fantastic. It's the craftsmanship is very high level. But there's also community. Yeah, right. Yes. Community, like you talked about the parking lot. See, and that's like the community man, like these people come together. Like I would go to shows and see people and be like, Oh, I met you like your three weeks ago at the Boston Garden, like, oh, whatever, you know, great community, by also think was very interesting. And this whole this rings true for my personality, is that, you know, I've been to some really, really, really bad, Grateful Dead shows. And there's a part of my heart that actually feels guilty saying that, but near the end when Jerry was just really out of it. Yeah, it was tough to watch sometimes. But I've got some really, really, really great debt shows. And I think what's really cool about the deadheads, is that, you know, we look for like that one moment in time, where everything is synchronized. And we go, Oh, that was awesome. It's one note, or one lyric, or one inflection of lyric, right? And we go and it hits us somewhere like right about here, and we go, that's special. And then you want to you want to get that again. So that's when you go on tour, right? Because you're like, Oh, I got this this like, am I gonna get the same thing the next night or the next night or the next night? So you keep going to shows to seeking and searching for that next great moment. Yeah. So I think there's like the internal component, which is there's something very special. You know, Bill, Krystian, once said, you know, we don't play music, or maybe it was Mickey Hart, the drummer, he said, we're not here to play music, we're in the transportation business. We want to transport your soul to some, like, you know, higher level. And I've experienced that both sober and not so sober. Right. But we're searching for something. I think the deadheads are searching for something and we get a little bit of that way of music.

Todd McLaughlin: 57:44

Good answer. And then we can share. That's amazing in you. I've never gotten a chance to see Pearl Jam live. But you said you've seen over 30 Pearl Jam shows now.

Christian Valeriani: 57:56

Completely different energy for the same camaraderie. Yeah. And then I can tell I can tell you I've never seen a bad program show.

Todd McLaughlin: 58:03

Yeah, I've never seen a bad one. It was guys are always on. These guys aren't losing it backstage and coming out. irresponsibility.

Christian Valeriani: 58:10

You're the consummate professionals. They know how to show up.

Todd McLaughlin: 58:13

Yeah. Cool. Yeah. My wife says, Eddie's her first boyfriend. And her second boyfriend is Rick Springfield. Yeah, so So I think Bon Jovi is in there too. He might be number three. So that's cool. She's a huge, huge Eddie Vetter fan. That's cool, man. Well, what?

Christian Valeriani: 58:36

We operate on music. Yeah. You know, like the beating of our heart. We operate on sound you know, so there's a reason why people gravitate toward music because we have like this own internal music going on. That's like you said before with the breath being the music like yeah, that's

Todd McLaughlin: 58:50

totally. Yeah, yeah. Can you have you listened anything recently that you think I should listen to? Has anything caught you off guard lately that you're like, You got to hear this?

Christian Valeriani: 58:59

Yes. Yay. So glad you asked that question. Because I'm gonna go see these guys. July 4, weekend, whatever. July 3, July 4. It's a band called goose goose. Have you listened to goose? No, I've

Todd McLaughlin: 59:13

never heard a goose Alright, it's

Christian Valeriani: 59:16

because I can tell you like it order of like importance of my life. In terms of music and Grateful Dead is number one. Believe it or not. Pearl Jam was number three. Was the Allman Brothers Band. Huge Allman Brothers, man.

Todd McLaughlin: 59:32

But check out this man. All right,

Christian Valeriani: 59:35

man. Good. I can't wait. I haven't seen them yet. I'm gonna go see them in Asbury Park in July and I just can't wait. Just anybody out there. Just YouTube goose live at Red Rocks. All right. Well listen to the first two songs and you're gonna go these guys are legit.

Todd McLaughlin: 59:53

You know, doesn't I've never been to Red Rocks. I haven't had a chance to stay in Colorado before but what is it about that? Have you been there? I'm thinking of course. So then what I mean just looking at the video imagery and then hearing people tell me about their experiences of going to Red Rocks. And can you can you give a audio visual take on Red Rocks? Wise Red Rocks bad to the bone? can't? You can't?

Christian Valeriani: 1:00:22

It's so it's so it's so amazing. My words will never do it justice. Just understand that the energy of the space is just awesome. You're just you're you're you're surrounded. You're You're cocooned by this, like warm, like red rock light. The sound is great.

Todd McLaughlin: 1:00:41

It's cool. That's amazing. I had a bucket list dream come true this year, and I got a chance to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in Orlando. On this tour. I've always wanted to see him. What is your experience with being a local near Asbury Park? And Bruce?

Christian Valeriani: 1:01:02

Everyone's gonna hate me.

Todd McLaughlin: 1:01:04

I think. Yeah,

Christian Valeriani: 1:01:06

I think I think Bruce is you know, he doesn't he does a really great by his community. I'm not a huge Bruce fan. Like I love like classics. Like I love like Thunder Road. I even like Philadelphia, that's, uh, you know, moves me. But like, I'm like a Bob Dylan guy. And I feel like Bob Dylan was like, is like the storyteller. And I'm not saying that Bruce is not a good. It's not a good storyteller. But like, I just prefer Dylan. So I never got into Bruce so much. But he's a really good guy. He's a really good guy. He does a lot in the community and putting music aside. You know, we all we all love some favorites and some classics or whatever. And it's amazing that he's still doing it. And one of the interesting, isn't it? I was watching a YouTube clip of Bruce on The Howard Stern Show. Not long ago, maybe like last year? Yes. And

Todd McLaughlin: 1:01:57

it was good. That was really good, wasn't it?

Christian Valeriani: 1:02:00

It was really good. And one of the greatest parts of that whole thing. That whole interview is I felt like this never happens to Howard. I felt like he was starstruck. Like he couldn't even like us. Versus here like, hey, Bruce, like he was like a little kid.

Todd McLaughlin: 1:02:17

He really wasn't.

Christian Valeriani: 1:02:18

I said so much about Bruce

Todd McLaughlin: 1:02:20

did. And I thought was really cool, because I didn't know the backstory behind the storyline when Howard I guess Bruce took a little dig or Howard said something about if I could get your wife to come on the show and versus like, she's like an old Italian woman that you know, holds grudges like, and I was like, well wonder what that's about and then our, our communal friend, John Coleman, I John's like Do Do you know what that's about? And I said no, and he's like, Well, you know, there was something that Howard did that really kind of embarrassed vs wife a long time ago about, you know, pointing out what her voice sounded like and a particular track and, but I love the way that they both just kind of let bygones be bygones water under the bridge. And they're both kind of chill and cool with each other. I thought that was nice. Yeah, right, right. Yeah. I was just listening to Annie Lennox the other day, and her diva album. And two lyrics from that. I got to read them really quick. They're really short. Dying is easy. It's living that scares me to death. I could be so content, hearing the sound of your breath. Wow, there. She hit me with that one. I was like, I had to go in. What are the lyrics to that song? Oh my gosh, that was amazing. And then I never had the next one down the road. It was cold is the color of crystal of a snow light that falls from the heavenly skies. Catch me and let me dive under for I want to swim in the pools of your eyes. Ooh. Something about lyrics like Right. I mean, for me, that's like a yoga experience right there like a good artists being able to bring yoga into words and music. It's incredible.

Christian Valeriani: 1:04:01

It is incredible to be able to articulate that she's so great. It's amazing.

Todd McLaughlin: 1:04:05

Now in terms of yoga music, you got chance to mention Krishna Das, we talked. Are there any other yoga artists that you've gotten a chance to? Because it sounds like you got a chance to see a lot going to like this different chant festivals and what other Have you had any experiences in that department that have moved you?

Christian Valeriani: 1:04:22

Yeah, I mean, Jay Utah is absolutely entrancing. He's amazing. Are you familiar with snatam Kaur Khalsa Yes. Back like 20 years, and I go I get tickets to go see her up in Connecticut and at the small little venue. And so we're hanging out with my girlfriend at the time we're hanging out and, and snatam comes on stage and if nobody has ever seen her she's like this beautiful, angelic gorgeous woman. Yes. And she gets on stage and it's like she's floating across this stage to get to her microphone. She has a really delicate voice. She's like, Hi. Thanks everyone for being here. And then she sings in. It's like, oh eautiful voice, but it carries so much weight. It just like, it's so invasive. It's so it just penetrates. Right? Yes. Well, she's doing God's work, man. Wow.

Todd McLaughlin: 1:05:26

You know, you just feel like there's at bat,

Christian Valeriani: 1:05:29

you want to hear a cool story top 10 friends out there who by Yogi Tea at the grocery store. That's right. You started by Yogi Bhajan. Yeah, head of the Kundalini is back in the day. So Saddam. You know, she's like, you know, she's like this white chick from California. But then she took on her yoga name, her mother lived on like a yoga Kundalini commune. And when Sinatra was born, Yogi Bhajan, went up to her, and went up to her mother and said, One day, she's gonna be the voice of our people. Wow. Now she is,

Todd McLaughlin: 1:06:05

I started. That's amazing. I saw her for it's funny, because we were bringing up the Yoga Journal conferences. I saw her at one down in Fort Lauderdale. And she did not sing at all. She just taught the Kundalini yoga class. And that's so cool to think that she would have that skill tucked under in there, and she just doesn't even have to pull it out when she's in public. Yeah, just like, Okay, I'll just teach yoga. You know that that is a sign of some some humility, humility.

Christian Valeriani: 1:06:35

Amazing. Just seems like an angel.

Todd McLaughlin: 1:06:37

That's, that's cool. Christian. Now well, I mean, this has been fun. I really, I really appreciate this opportunity. Thank you for niching out some time out of your day. I know you're busy family life, studio life. And you've shared a lot of great stories. I love that you brought one of the biggest challenges just jumping over our own the hurdle of ourselves. That's amazing. I'd love it. Is there? Is there any other thing that can pop to mind that you'd like to share with us before? Or as a, like a closing ceremony? You can take your time in sometimes it takes a little time for something to pop in there. But

Christian Valeriani: 1:07:20

yeah, you know, I think we're all fighting some type of battle, whatever that is. And sometimes those battles are really difficult. And sometimes they're minut. But if we can just keep in mind that everybody's fighting something, going through something. So when we want to react, and we want to judge and we want to point the finger behind, you never know what somebody's going through, you know, if you're driving down the road, and some lady in front of you is doing a 25 and a 50 mile an hour zone, you're getting all pissed off, because you're like, I'm trying to get to my yoga class, or whatever. You know, maybe, maybe she just got a phone call that her child got sick. Right? Maybe she just lost her husband, maybe she just lost her job. So just when we're like, really, you know, hell bent on reacting and like being self righteous. People are going through a lot. Be compassionate. Be kind.

Todd McLaughlin: 1:08:06

Nice. Yeah. Great message. Christian. I really appreciate it.

Christian Valeriani: 1:08:12

I would do this with you. Every day if you wanted me to.

Todd McLaughlin: 1:08:17

Yeah, you know, the idea I had, maybe, I guess I'll share this in public. Sometimes I think should I edit my ideas before I blurt them out. Um, an idea I had is, like I, maybe if I could come to the men's retreat, and like, do like a little journalism, like, I don't know, interview some people or somehow chronicle what you're doing. So I don't know. Who knows. But I just thought, oh, man, I wanna I want to interview some of the people that are going dead or leading the retreat with you. And because you threw off a couple of different ideas like breath work, and then neuroscience, and so maybe I'd be great. I would greatly appreciate if you can introduce me to anybody else that you think would would also like to join us. So any any of those avenues I really appreciate and introduce

Christian Valeriani: 1:09:10

you to my Buddy Rich. Who's my who's my, my business partner. Yeah. This dude's been in like the healthcare field for like, 30 years. Oh, wow. The smartest guy you've

Todd McLaughlin: 1:09:20

ever met. Cool. Smart guy.

Christian Valeriani: 1:09:23

Yes. So smart. He can talk to you about neuroscience. Nice. Anyone? And that's really what this is all about.

Todd McLaughlin: 1:09:29

Yeah. Yeah. And maybe we could do like, for a little challenge for both of us where we do like, an hour a day, seven days straight, or I don't know, like, maybe we could just come up with a theme. And we'll we'll bust something out. Oh, yeah. That's cool. Well, thank you, Christian. I feel excited about this. I can't wait to meet you in person. And this has been a great opportunity and I look forward for future yoga practices together. It was saying, Well, you're the best. Thank you. That's great. Shall I have great day? Native yoga Todd cast is produced by myself. The theme music is dreamed up by Bryce Allen. If you liked this show, let me know if there's room for improvement. I want to hear that too. We are curious to know what you think and what you want more of what I can improve. And if you have ideas for future guests or topics, please send us your thoughts to info at Native yoga center, you can find is that native yoga center.com. And hey, if you did like this episode, share it with your friends, rate it and review and join us next time