Inwards & Upwards Mike Mierz & Grant Ifflander

Dive into today's episode to learn more about one of our co-hosts, Grant Ifflander. The conversation is essentially an interview of Grant as he answers questions about his life's purpose, why he became so interested in the topics he is passionate about, and some of the things that he is passionate about.

Listen to the talk if you are curious about why Grant teaches yoga, what yoga means to him, and how he applies his efforts in his teaching and lifestyle to invite everyone to the big party he is throwing.

30:00 - the duality of nature (centripetal and centrifugal forces, yin and yang, masculine feminine)
45:00 - the why of teaching
53:00 - why are we doing the things that are uncomfortable?
54:30 - the journey into yoga from strength training
56:45 - "Nature is here giving me life... nature is here giving you life... Let's explore that together."
57:50 - Grant's first day of junior year of high school
1:02:50 - *Neighbor's leaf blower* "There is no such thing as discipline"
1:05:15 - How Grant initially got into strength coaching
1:10:25 - Adrenal fatigue onset and recovery
1:17:20 - Stopping weightlifting

Nature has evolved us to be in perfect alignment with nature. What does this look like in our modern age? Despite the fact that things may appear as 'unnatural' in our environment, we still have a very deeply embedded nature essence within us that allows us to remain connected to what is truly 'natural'. All we have to do is check in often to remind ourselves of this.

Our conversation today ranges over several topics with the intention of exploring what the body's natural expressions look like. We talk about stretching, the nervous system, the spine, fascia/ connective tissue and the natural structure of the human body.

One of the key takeaways in this episode is the spring like force that is present within the entire integrated musculo-fascial-skeletal system that when aligned properly, the force of gravity acts as an equal and opposite reaction upward away from the entire pull of Earth. We quite literally have the power of Earth acting within us to push us away from the surface of our planet. As evident with a plant, a propelling force is pushing us upward so that we can literally rise up up and away from our planet. To harness this incredible power, we have to get out of our own way to take advantage of the biomechanical structures in our body that allow for this free flow of abundant energy to occur.

Mike and Grant discuss the ways our body might get inhibited through our daily lives and some of the ways we connect back to the natural force that is within us, that creates us.