Thank you, thank you, thank YOU! If you’ve ever watched one of my videos on YouTube, thank you for helping me reach 100,000 subscribers on the Man Flow Yoga YouTube Channel.
This is a major milestone to me – for so many reasons – but mainly because without the YouTube channel, Man Flow Yoga would likely not exist. Without the ability to get in front of somebody new, to walk them through a yoga posture or routine, to teach you something new that you haven’t done before, and to actually get you to try it out and feel the results for yourself in a straightforward, casual style, Man Flow Yoga would [most likely] not have lasted, and it certainly wouldn’t have reached the level of success that it’s had so far.
The Members’ Area, my book, Yoga Fitness for Men, the Body By Yoga DVDs, our yoga mats, and all the other awesome products that we’ve created, would not have been nearly as popular as they are now; would not have come close to the level they’ve reached without the Man Flow Yoga YouTube channel.
YouTube provides the opportunity to teach at my best
Video is my favorite medium. This is where I get the chance to share something useful, to simultaneously walk you and teach you something about yoga, exercise, wellness, motivation, or any of the other topics I’ve covered. More than that though, it means SO much to me that you actually stuck around and watched the video. With the infinite amount of options out there, I’m honored that you cared about what I had to say, and for that I humbly thank you.
You’ve sent me so many helpful messages, comments, and emails as a result of those YouTube videos. Over the years, I’ve heard from the people who have helped to shape Man Flow Yoga into what it is today. Without your feedback – even if it was just a “thumbs-up” or a view – I wouldn’t know what content you were finding useful.
Over and over, the feedback guided me toward this:
- Focusing on the proper technique; utilizing proper anatomical terms
- Getting straight to the point in a down-to-earth style; explained in plain English
- Creating yoga workouts & programs more appropriate for men
- Completely focusing on the fitness; not spiritual or religious
I decided to include you in the content creation process early on. More than just understanding your demographic information, I wanted to understand you on a personal level. More than knowing your age or where you lived, I wanted to go beyond data and analytics and have a conversation with you. Instead of just looking at short response and multiple choice question survey results, I wanted to understand what you were going through.
What was Man Flow Yoga helping you to accomplish? How did it make you feel? In addition to being effective and easy to follow, were the workouts manageable? Was I creating programs in a way that gave you the motivation to be consistent and do this for months (or years) in a row? Did the workouts make you think, “Hey, I CAN do this!”?
With your help, I think I’ve done a pretty good job.
I learned more about your personal struggles, the problems you really wanted to address, and WHO you were. When I started Man Flow Yoga, none of my assumptions about any of these things were correct. I thought this would be a way for people to get ripped, using yoga. And I quickly realized the mission was so much more important than that.
You wanted to be able to play with your kids and enjoy being a father. You wanted to get rid of pain that was preventing you from doing things you loved. You wanted to be more confident in the way you presented yourself, so you could be more successful in your personal and professional life.
And what it really came down to was this: Being physically capable of doing what you wanted to do.
Moving without pain. Feeling comfortable in your body on a day-to-day basis. Being able to do a workout that built up your confidence, instead of making you feel lost or inadequate. And without your feedback, I wouldn’t have known that. So again, I thank you!
More than just learning about you, it was also how other creators learned about me. The YouTube channel was led to so many opportunities which I would consider a great success.
I’ve made 6 different DVDs! So far
Best-selling author on Amazon!
Stemming from the success of the YouTube channel, I was inspired to start creating products of my own. Sure, I could publish a free video on YouTube for views, but would people actually get their credit cards out and pay for them?
Looking For A Program?
If you’re interested in starting a program with Man Flow Yoga but don’t know where to start, we got you covered!. Give our FREE 7-Day Trial a try. Sign-up below!
Signup for the FREE 7-Day Challenge
Despite my fears, my anxiety, and the fear of failure, you proved me wrong.
I was so scared that I would receive a flood of messages and comments complaining that my content was no longer free, that it wasn’t worth being paid for, and that you would be taking your eyeballs elsewhere. But you didn’t.
Most of the people I have conversations with – I would estimate 75% – are people who have actually purchased one of my products. And if you’re reading this and thinking “Well I haven’t bought anything yet” – don’t worry. It’s thanks to your views, your likes, and your subscription to the Man Flow Yoga YouTube channel that those products and those customers exist in the first place.
It was your attention on YouTube that gave me the confidence to create products, to move into those uncertain waters of realizing my self-worth, and being able to ask people to actually compensate me for my time and expertise.
It was your views and comments that allowed me to get in front of somebody who was looking for a training resource EXACTLY like Man Flow Yoga.
Of course, I have to give a special thank you to those people who have been able and willing to purchase Man Flow Yoga training resources – I wouldn’t be able to create content without your support!
So thank you, whoever you are. Whether you’ve been part of the Members’ Area for 3+ years, purchased a copy of my book, watched some videos on my YouTube channel, or this is your first time ever seeing me – thank you.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to teach you something new, to give you a fun workout to follow along to, and for inspiring you to want to take care of yourself.
Most of all, thank you for valuing what I have to say. Personally, it’s the most rewarding feeling in the world to know that what I have to say is worth your time and your attention – especially considering the infinite amount of content you could be watching instead.
Additional Resources
You might be interested in some tips on starting off your yoga practice, so read on! 3 blogs covering some basics.
About the author, Dean Pohlman, Founder & CEO of Man Flow Yoga, Author of Yoga Fitness for Men, Expert on Yoga Fitness for Men.
Looking for non-spiritual, yoga for men workouts?
Learn More About Man Flow Yoga and how it can help you with your fitness goals:
Join Today for Instant Access!
Your post is articulate and your humility and gratitude are worth emulating especially in this day and age. But more so thanks to you for helping all of us achieve our goals. You produce a fine product for which you should be proud. Keep up the hard work
First heard you on the Order of Man podcast and I was hooked! Yoga is now my restorative workout every week. I’m more flexible, more agile, less prone to injury, and over all more physically fit because of yoga as an exercise practice. I remember buying the Yoga Fitness for Men book and slowly building my own sequence of stretches/exercises that I could do at work and it was so empowering! Thank you for making Yoga something for Men, led by a man!
Jacob – thank you so much for being part of it. 🙂 I appreciate you being here!
Thank you Dean for helping me overcome chronic crippling pain that had affected my life for more than 14+ years. You’ve helped me where most modern medicine hasn’t been able to. You listened when most doctors wouldn’t. Because of you for the past 2 years I’ve been “physically capable of doing what [I] wanted to do.”. That’s playing with my daughters without fear of pain, enjoying hobbies and physical exercise some of which I haven’t done in over 20 years! You’ve restored my self-confidence and given me hope that I can overcome anything and because of that, my family life, career, personal relationships, and health have all flourished and have been brought back to life. Honestly, I could go on for pages but I’ll wrap this up with the same message you started with as it seems appropriate “Thank you, thank you, thank YOU!”.
Firas – you put in the work yourself, congrats!! It was inspirational hearing about your transformation, and seeing you living life to the fullest now. Well done. 🙂
Congratulations Dean! You’ve created a great program that is challenging, but doable. I appreciate your personal touch (the emails, the welcome video, etc.) and the feedback that you seek from your members. It’s evident that you want to make this a great experience for us. I just started in January, but I’m hooked! Continued success…
Jim – thank you so much! Glad the effort is apparent on your end. 🙂