The Lucas Rockwood Show

We often think of mind and body as two separate systems, acting independently - but this is flawed thinking. Thoughts chains of amino acids, physical movements impact your neurotransmitters, and this distinction between mind and body quickly becomes irrelevant. The two are inextricably linked. On this week’s show, Susannah will share her story, her research into mental health, and how she took charge of her own health. 

What do you call a man who cannot perform, provide, and protect? Many people would call him a loser. It’s true that men have it easier in some areas with greater access to income and opportunities, but that often comes with the price tag of loneliness, isolation, and mental illness. 

“I know my body!” is something I hear from yoga students constantly. Sometimes they want to keep practicing and shouldn’t (due to injury or illness) maybe they want to stop practicing and shouldn’t (because the breakthrough is a few poses away). Quick check-in: do you know your resting heart rate right now? Do you know your respiratory rate? How about your blood glucose level? These can all be measured at home, and yet most of us don’t. We don’t know our bodies. 

Yoga breathing is one of the most powerful nervous system modulated practices available - and yet it continues to be misunderstood and neglected in most health circles. The benefits are immediate, and even a beginner can impact their nervous system dramatically in as little as 10 breaths. In today’s podcast, I’ll help demystify yoga breathing and share with you three simple practices you can use right now.

Greetings from Barcelona. We’re nearly 2 months into COVID-19 lockdown, and instead of our usual expert interviews, I thought I’d share my experiences so far during COVID-19 with the hopes that I can glean some insight, and maybe you too. Here’s what I’ll share: • How I lost my yoga studios • How crisis unveils both strengths and weakness of systems and people • How quickly we humans can adapt • Family/work / health - what really matters in life

“Sex without love is as hollow and ridiculous as love without sex.” - Hunter S. Thompson Most of us are highly-charged sexual beings doing our best to hide it all day long. Lost lust looking for a home. On this week’s podcast, we’ll explore the differences in men’s and women’s pleasure.

As I get older, I appreciate the struggles of my past almost as much as the successes, and here’s my question for you: What if your greatest weakness could be flipped and leveraged as your greatest strength? What if your biggest problems could be reframed as your best assets? The world of leaders and heros is filled with people who leveraged their rock-bottom experiences to create abundance and service in the present.

I ran out of laundry detergent last week and couldn’t motivate myself to walk 20 steps to the store to buy more. Why? I can lecture for hours, interview an author for the podcast, answer 70+ emails, and spend time with all three of my kids in one day, but the laundry detergent errand felt impossible.  I have periods of manic productivity with breakthroughs at every turn, but other times when the most mundane chores of life are overwhelming.

Once a month I have to tell a pregnant yoga student that she cannot practice in our studio, cannot hang upside down in the Yoga Trapeze, or practice long-hold, passive stretches in our Gravity Yoga classes.

When I feel frustrated with my place in the world, it’s often because I feel I’m not living up to my full potential. I have more to offer, more to give - and yet I’m not making it happen. Maslow defined this desire to become our best self as the need to self-actualize. But how do we do this? 

You’re stuck at home, your economic future is uncertain, and it’s difficult to plan more than one day at a time. To make things even more challenging, the people and activities that bring you the most joy might be unavailable. What do you do? How do you manage your emotional health during times of such unrest? 

I once had a yoga student with a prosthetic leg. I didn’t realize until I attempted to push her heel to the floor in Downward Dog. I assumed that she wanted to simply blend into class and that’s why she hadn’t told me (or anyone at reception) before joining class. I was right. She just wanted to practice, and she did great.

A close friend lost her husband tragically and suddenly, but she was back in the office just two weeks later. She shed a few tears that first month, but mostly, it was Beth as usual. She didn’t fall behind on any projects or ask for help. “Beth is so strong. I think she can handle just about anything,” they said. Except they were wrong, and so was I.

Do you have a talky coworker who never gives you space to share your ideas? Do you have a neighbor who does home repairs at 2 am? Or a spouse that never follows through with their shared housework? Welcome to everyday conflict.

My piano lessons were a dark, 45-minute drive from home. Mom and I left home at 6:30 am on Tuesday mornings to get there before school. “Luke is really good at this,” Ms. McGill said after my third lesson. I was eight, and that simple comment, deliberately made within earshot, gave me confidence with music that I carry even to this day (despite my obvious lack of skill as an adult). I never said thank you to Ms. McGill. I should have.