Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Amos
Brian, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
From an early age I knew I was meant to see the world, to travel and connect with as many people as possible, to make sense of this life we have been given. My opportunity to travel came just after the catastrophe of 9/11, like so many brave young Americans, that gave me a sense of purpose, so I found myself in an Air Force recruiters office and saw he had pictures of himself at the pyramids in Cairo, with his family at Big Ben in London, an image of him at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, at a Buddhist Temple somewhere in rural Japan. Even though I faced tremendous danger, I knew I had the courage and the strength to serve my country for those who could not, or choose not to. After 10 years of military service, I spent 8 years abroad, deployed to dangerous locations, fought in war, got my share of experience, had a child in a foreign country, saw the sites and returned home with a completely new battle to win. One many veterans face, it’s called PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome). After years of not knowing how to process the trauma of war, I began reading about the mind, meditation techniques, yoga, Stoicism, psychology and psychedelics. I stumbled upon some videos of a yoga teacher in India named Sadhguru, he made sense of the most difficult to understand topics, from physics, to religion, our history as humans, the mechanics of the body, how to breathe properly and a breakdown of the mind. He called his program Inner Engineering, I began reading that book and became obsessed with yoga and Ayurveda. Before long I’m reading books and listening to spiritual teachers such as Ram Dass, Thich Nhat Hanh, Swami Rama and more. After doing research, I coupled yoga practices, talk therapy and psilocybin (microdose), almost immediately I could feel a return to the present, a processing of the past and my trauma from war. I discovered a deep connection with all life, this planet, the cosmos and ultimately I found a path to God. Now, I teach yoga and breathwork in the Orlando and Davenport area at various studios, I own my own private studio, I create content for YouTube and work with all people but I really love meeting fellow veterans and first responders, people with trauma, anxiety, panic disorder and PTSD. They are in good company and together we build a strong community of love, connection and kindness. Together, we walk the path of fire and light, to purify the body/mind and return to the limitless potentiality we first felt when we entered this life.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Being a business owner comes with many challenges, especially being a man in a female dominated practice here in the west. Yoga in western society is seen as an exercise, marketed as a luxury, with prices so high in major cities that most people just go to the gym and will occasionally go to a yoga class. For those who truly understand the practice know that it is a complete life science and not an exercise at all, they tend to adopt a daily practice of yoga, breathwork and meditation. Running a studio comes with overhead costs, marketing fees, insurance, time spent creating content for social media and paying teachers. Many yoga studios are struggling to stay open and find it difficult to stay afloat without offering the more trendy type classes such as hot yoga. For me personally, an obstacle has been social media engagement, I am growing my followers slowly but without engagement, people won’t see my content as much. Trying to understand what people need can be very frustrating.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Valhalla Yoga and Wellness?
Valhalla Yoga and Wellness stands for inclusivity, it’s yoga for all people, no matter if you’re super flexible already, or you are disabled. Yoga means union, it’s meant to connect us back to nature, with one another and to find commonality amongst each other, in a world where we constantly define ourselves with labels, indentifying factors, race, religion, sexuality, astrological sign, etc. What I offer is a path to personal freedom, optimal health and well-being by combining strength and conditioning, cardio, yoga and breathwork. I believe in observing all that we do and placing it all under a microscope, from what we consume, social media, television, friends and family, the food we eat, and making healthy changes, embracing constant change as we age, remember the last bit letting it be, discovering a sense of pride for all the hardships we have overcome, releasing limiting beliefs and coming into the majesty of the present moment, where we experience gratitude for this life, this body given to us by our ancestors, and finding a connection to our creation, whether it’s God or a higher power. I work with individuals to create a practice that works for them, we call this a daily sadhana (spiritual practice) where you understand the meaning of reality and of truth as perceived by you.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Patience, understanding and grace is required to be successful. It takes a lot of time for people to catch onto what you offer in this practice. Also and most importantly, you must be willing to create boundaries with people, you cannot offer services for free, you cannot spend your time, energy and attention on something that will not flower into something you cannot use for your business. Our teachings, the wisdom is what you are selling, if that doesn’t sit right with you, yoga is not the business for you.
Pricing:
- $60 for a 1:1 breathwork session that will last 60 minutes and focus on proper breath mechanics and techniques personalized for you to gain influence of your nervous system and ultimately your emotional states.
- $90 for a 1:1 private yoga/breathwork session online, in your home, in my private studio or corporate events. 90 minute class.
- $11 drop in for my Sunday 10am class at Inspirit Yoga Studio in Orlando.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.valhalla-yoga.com
- Instagram: https://Www.instagram.com/valhallayoga
- Facebook: https://Www.facebook.com/valhallayoga
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@valhallayoga?si=5ArFKh09wstdpXCz
