Real Men Do downward Dog

a book by Greg Cawley

LEARN TO BEND SO YOU DON’T BREAK

For many men their life path seems pretty straight forward:

Go to school, get a good job, find a loving partner, raise children together, work hard, be strong, support and survive

 But what do you do when, suddenly, in your mid years everything starts to unravel?

“Yoga” isn’t likely to be the first answer to jump into the mind of a middle-aged man in a crisis – but perhaps it should be

In Real Men Do Downward Dog, Greg Cawley demystifies yoga for men, challenges common fears and stereotypes men have about yoga, and demonstrates how yoga’s amazing benefits have changed his life - and how it can change yours, too.

A candid account of Greg’s journey from self-confessed “normal” bloke and serious businessman, to a man who faced losing everything, to dedicated yoga warrior at age 60

Real Men Do Downward Dog offers hope to men everywhere who want to learn to bend so they don’t break

About The book

Real Men Do Downward Dog is about men and yoga. Why they should, why they don’t and what will happen if they do.

Its also about the pressures men face as they reach their 40s and 50s with work, family and life to all juggle and balance.

Its about Greg Cawley’s life story and the highs and lows he has experienced in business and life. How he reached rock bottom and how he made his way out of potential physical, financial and emotional ruin to now become a leading advocate for yoga for men.

Even if you are not on the yoga path this book brings honest discussion to the pressures that men face in today’s world and hopefully help men to realise that “they are not alone” in their struggles, and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel even in the darkest of times.

Bio

Greg Cawley is the owner of BrikMan Yoga in Toowoomba, Australia.

By his own description, Greg Cawley is a pretty normal bloke – and an unlikely yoga teacher. Born and raised in New Zealand in the 1960s, Greg started his professional life as an audit accountant working in large corporations in the UK and Australasia. After settling into married life, he bought three construction-based manufacturing companies and grew them with great success over the next 23 years. However, when the Global Financial Crisis struck, Greg was soon faced with the near failure of his businesses, the failure of his marriage, and the depression and devastation that followed.

Not willing to be stuck in the wasteland of this ‘mid-life crisis’, at age 55, Greg quit his career in business, moved to Australia, and took the unusual step of training to become a yoga teacher… with a difference. Suffering from sporting injuries, physical restrictions, and a lack of flexibility (like most men his age), Greg realised that he could be a great example to other men that yoga really was for them. BrikMan Yoga was born – yoga for men who have all the flexibility of a brick! The slogan says it all: ‘No Sheilas. No Lycra. Just Blokes.’

Greg Cawley is on a mission to demystify yoga for men, based on his own personal experiences of the amazing benefits – both physical and mental – showing them that they can learn to bend so they don’t break. Greg wants to inspire men of all ages to develop an attitude of selfcare, for the collective benefit of all the sons and daughters who need gentle but powerful warriors in their lives.

REVIEWS

- Jack Revens - The Mens Movement

Greg Cawley - Real Men Do Downward Dog

 Working in what I refer to as the unhealthy health industry for four decades, I have seen many fads claim to help ones ‘self’ development. 

 Sadly, self-development requires the individuals to be ready, and in one’s haste for a ‘cure’ they perhaps find themselves on the wrong path and worse, chastising themselves for another failed* attempt.

 And although exercise is in no way a replacement for an anti-depressant, by not moving your body, it is like taking a depressant. 

 So will YOGA be the panacea you are searching for or is your hunt to discover the right path a distraction from what you know you have to do?  Enter GREG and his book, Real Men Do Downward Dog.

 Greg pours his soul into living through this and wants to help you avoid following him and thousands of guys just like you. I too have seen many clients fall down that man-hole, and I believe Real Men Do Downward Dog will help you move towards becoming a WHOLE-MAN.

 Interestingly, studies show that losing 10% of your body weight can reduce your knee pain by up to 50%...putting science aside, you will discover that Yoga for Blokes is not just for the physical, as Greg himself discovered helps rid him of the pain in the knees, it also aides the relief and absence of agony and anger.

 Greg’s practical approach and his spiritual awakenings mix with good old-fashioned lessons make his story enjoyable to read.  With Greg’s help you will discover that the Nike slogan is only half correct and just a beginning, Greg will “keep (you) doing it.”

How can this be achieved? With Greg as you guide, your journey becomes effortless as you begin to enjoy even the most uncomfortable of barriers.  Leaning in and becoming Curious maybe those frustrating terms you’ve heard from the HR consultants at work, but GREG helps you apply these in real life situations.  You will no longer ask yourself “Why?”…but challenge yourself to ‘Why not?”

You are teased to give yoga a go, and I’m sure you will find that with Greg’s help, if you have the courage to begin (even begin by purchasing his book) you will have the strength to succeed.  And not just in yoga, but whatever and wherever you may venture.

 This isn’t just a book about yoga, but about being more than a bloke, it’s about being a man.  As Greg recounts, the important thing is to show up….that is, to be there.   As a dad – show up. As a husband –show up. As a brother –show up. As a son –show up.  And above all, being there and showing up for you!

 As a client once advised me, “If you’re going to be a bear, be a grizzly”.  Greg’s approach epitomizes this….he truly is the Yogi-BEAR of yoga.

*It’s worth remembering that there is no such thing as failure, only a temporary non-success.

A.N - yoga client

Hey Greg I started reading yesterday at 5 pm and could not put it down. It is an excellent story and well written. I just finished it this morning and want to let you know its great and I for one am thrilled and pleased you wrote your story for other men. Well done and a great life achievement which will help other men grow and find help for themselves.

Tracey

Although this book is essentially written for men about men, I thoroughly enjoyed the insights, the honesty and the brave extention of possibly offered. And, maybe unintentionally, Greg's depictions of his struggles and his tips for coping with them, taught me something about myself and gave me mechanisms, simple physical strategies, I too can try.
Bravo Greg!
I hope many many men read your book, reflect, reset and as a result do yoga.

Una

As a woman in her 60s I found this book relatable as women my age and relatively new to yoga aren’t so flexible and bendy. I thoroughly enjoyed this well written book and how the author details his journey to yoga and the benefits and transformation that yoga can bring. I hope it encourages people to give yoga a go for both physical and mental health.