The Story of the PY108 Program

FULL TRANSCRIPT

[The following is the full transcript of this episode of “Dare to Awaken Podcast.”]

Many people are wasting their time and spinning their wheels when it comes to fulfilling their potential physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Before you know it, another week, another month, another year has come and gone and they are back to square one. In this podcast, I’m going to share details with you about my brand new program PY108, a 108-day power yoga program to empower you on all levels.

Welcome to episode number 19 of the Dare to Awaken podcast. PY108, my brand new yoga program. So in this podcast, I want to share details with you about my new program PY108, a 108-day power yoga program that is now streaming on Inner Dimension TV. The goal of this program, simply put, is to empower you. In fact, this is why we call it power yoga. Power yoga is a modality of yoga that’s meant to empower you so that you’re not dependent on anything outside of you. You see the problem is is that most people are a victim to their external environment. And when external environments are rocked with global challenges, it’s easy for people to fall into a sense of hopelessness and even despair.

But the world doesn’t need more victims. The world needs more warriors. It needs more empowered individuals. If you want to change the collective, you have to start by changing the individual. Many of us have good intentions and we want to make a positive impact in the world. We want to change the world. The most powerful, effective way that any of us can possibly do that is by changing ourselves. Awakening a spirit of compassion, of inner strength, of inner power, of generosity, of kindness, of unconditional love, and then that naturally begins to ripple out into everything that we do infused within our speech and our thoughts and our actions. And you can see how that spreads through our family circle, our friends circle, our community, and even potentially beyond that. So the world doesn’t need more victims. It doesn’t need more people that are a slave to the external environment especially when you have challenges like the pandemic and climate change. So different cultures, they have different variations and different manifestations of the warrior. You have the Japanese samurai, the Shaolin fighting monk, the Navy SEAL, the Spartans. And there’s that great spartan credo that says, “Sweat more in training, bleed less in war.” So the better you’re training, the more adept you are within the daily practical experiences that you are encountering within your life.

So PY108, this new 108-day power yoga program that I just released, is much more than your typical or your normal fitness program. PY108 is about a timeless theme. The theme of moving from division into unity, transforming your weaknesses into strengths, transforming fear through the fire of courage, and transforming darkness through the crucible of light. It’s about no longer being a victim to the things outside of you, but being empowered by the wisdom that exists inside of you. It’s about breaking through all limitations and reclaiming your limitless power. Because the truth is, is that we were all born with this. We were all born with this limitless power, but many of us have forgotten. The name of this podcast is Dare to Awaken, and it’s about waking up that you have this power inside of you and the only thing stopping you from unleashing it is yourself. And when you blame it on external factors, you’re not taking responsibility that you and only you have the greatest agency for change.

In 2003, I barely survived a near-drowning experience in Kauai. And then in 2004, I narrowly escaped the tsunami of 2004 in Thailand. These particular events shook me to my core. And it was then, especially after the tsunami, sitting on the highest point on the island after having seen these two massive waves come and destroy the resort that I was living at, it was then that I made a pledge to the universe which was to spread yoga and meditation to help people awaken. Eventually, I started making yoga DVDs which led to creating digital programs as DVD started to phase out. And eventually, this led to Inner Dimension TV which is a monthly streaming platform that I’ve founded with my wife Lauren. I know many of you listening or watching are already members and already subscribers, but we created Inner Dimension TV as a platform where we could share our teachings of yoga, meditation, daily wisdom. And, of course, it’s more than just myself and my wife Lauren, we also have many other amazing teachers as well. My mission of spreading yoga and meditation definitely has been fulfilled, and I’ve been able to change and transform lives all across the planet including all-star athletes, celebrities, some of the biggest musicians on the planet, and even people that are incarcerated inside of our prisons. And nothing makes me happier than hearing a story about somebody who’s done one of my programs, their lives have changed, and these stories become like the rocket fuel that keeps motivating me, inspiring me to keep creating these programs. These epic programs like PY108.

And PY108, I’m going to take you on an epic journey. I’m going to provide you a very clear roadmap of how to maximize your time. One of the greatest mistakes that many of us make, those of us that have good intentions, we want to transform, we want to invoke growth and progress, and yet we aren’t getting the traction that we want. It’s because we’re just dabbling here and we’re dabbling there, and maybe we do a video on YouTube here and a video on YouTube there, and we’re just not consistent or we’re not part of a program that is both comprehensive and cohesive. A program that’s been curated by a creator that has the experience and the history of guiding people through a process to really, really, really help them achieve their goals. The greatest goals, goals that are more than just physical goals, goals that are much more than that, and to be able to do it all from the comfort of your own home where you don’t have to go to a gym or even to a yoga studio. Although that’s great, it’s great to get out there, it’s great to be in community, but to just have the convenience to do it in your living room or wherever it is that you like to practice.

So the results include creating a body that’s strong and supple. Sometimes we go and we lift weights, we do certain forms of fitness, and we just increase our strength, but we lose our natural range of motion. Again, if you look at those great fighters like the Shaolin fighting monks, they’re incredibly strong, but they’re also incredibly flexible, incredibly supple. This is what we’re after. It’s that combination or that synergy between strength and suppleness. And also to go deeper, to go deeper than just the physical, but also the work and address the domain of the mind. So this program PY108 is also going to help you cultivate a mind that is calm, a mind that is clear. Calmness right now is priceless just because there’s so much stress and there’s so much chaos going on in the world. To be able to stay calm in the midst of uncertainty, in the midst of all that’s going on right now is such a gift. And it’s a gift that not only just benefits you, but it also benefits everybody around you.

And also another result, maybe my favorite result, is to really create a spirit that is alive and a spirit that is awakened. I firmly believe that the root of all of our desires, even when we’re looking at eating ice cream or drinking a beer or maybe even doing a drug, at the root of all of our desires is a longing on a spiritual level, at the very core and essence of who we are is to feel alive, to feel awake. But, of course, the problem is is that we search for that sensation, we search for that fulfillment in all the wrong places. It’s like the story that the Persian poet Rumi uses, the person walking around their house trying to find their diamond necklace. They go from room to room. And the whole entire time, the diamond necklace is right around their neck. So the happiness and the joy and that purpose and that deep meaning and fulfillment that we seek and that we long for, it exists within the very core and the very essence of who we have. And not just who we have, but who we are. And therefore, now we lead a life of greater meaning and purpose.

So let’s talk a little bit about how the PY108 program actually works. For 108 days straight, we’re going to meet every day, every single day, and we’re going to meet for about an hour. Now all content is pre-recorded which means you can start this program any time you want and you can also practice at your convenience. So whether that’s in the morning, the afternoon, the evening, whenever it floats your boat. It’s totally up to you. Also, if you happen to miss a day or two, no big deal. It’s all laid out. You just jump back into the program whenever you’re ready. The program includes 11 thematic yoga practices including power, Yin, and gentle yoga. So naturally, because it is 108 days, we repeat some of these classes. Many of these classes are repeated, and repetition when done with awareness is the mother of mastery. So in order to get really good at something, we have to repeat. There are certain styles of yoga like ashtanga yoga where you do a set sequence of movements over and over and you never deviate from that. But within power yoga which is inspired by ashtanga yoga, it’s a little more improvisational. So each one of the power yoga practices along with the gentle and the Yin is very thematic, such as working on strength or cardio or balance or flexibility, etc, etc.

The program also includes breathwork or pranayama and meditation. There’s also a bonus core routine, it’s a 15-minute sequence that’s one of the most effective ways of strengthening and toning your abdominal section, and then it also comes with a digital booklet and a digital calendar. So you’ll see within the digital calendar that the 108 days is broken down into three sections of 36 days. So 36 times 3 is what gets us to 108. And so as you’re doing the program, we have these big milestones. So the first big milestone is to get to day 36 because then you’re a third of the way through the program. And on day 36, we celebrate by doing 36 sun salutations. And then the next major milestone is day 72. And on that day, we also celebrate 72 sun salutations. And then the grand finale is to get to day 108 where we finish with an amazing, electrifying 108-day sun salutation practice.

So a typical week on the PY108 program kind of looks like this. So you start on a Monday. Monday, you do a strong power yoga practice. Tuesday, you do a different strong power yoga practice. Wednesday, you do a third strong power yoga practice. So you’ve done three hard days in a row. On day four, I’m going to give you a chill practice so you have time for recovery. So this may be where we do Yin yoga or gentle yoga. Those are very important. This program is all about balance, so balancing it out and also making sure that we can make it through the whole 108 days. And then after day four, day five, and day six, we go back to strong practices. And then on day seven, if you start on Monday, that would be on a Sunday, then we go back to a chill practice – something mellow, something gentle – and we also focus on the pranayama and the meditation as well. So all you’ll need for PY108 is your commitment, a yoga mat’s helpful, a subscription to Inner Dimension TV. So you can head over to innerdimensiontv.com to sign up. And we also have apps, so we have an Apple app and a Google app. You can use those as well. And it might be a good idea to also have a yoga block or two. If you have a strap, bolster, that can be a good thing, but not necessary.

And during the program, I’m also going to encourage you to eat clean. So you can be vegetarian, you can be vegan, you can be paleo, you can be whatever you want, but I highly recommend that you cut out all processed foods and you focus on eating whole foods, mostly plant-based diet. I always like the Blue Zones. The Blue Zones are those areas in Japan and I believe Italy, Greece, Loma Linda, Costa Rica. These areas where you have the greatest concentration of centenarians, and what they’ve seen is that the commonality shows that they’re all eating well. They’re not eating processed foods, and they’re exercising in a moderate way on a regular basis. They have community and social connection. They live with purpose and they live with meaning, like we were talking about at the beginning of the podcast. So that diet component is just going to enhance the effects of what you are going to be experiencing day after day for 108 days on your yoga mat.

Now let’s talk about how PY108 compares to some of the other 108-day programs that I’ve created. Some of you may be curious, Level Up 108, if you’re unfamiliar, is a program that I released a couple of years ago. Level up 108 was really created with the advanced student in mind, so we do more advanced variations of poses like handstands, more arm balances, inversions, sequences are really intense. PY108 is a level beneath Level Up 108. So it’s a level down. Not two levels or three levels, just one level down. So it’s still intense, still challenging, but it’s really geared towards more of an intermediate student. In fact, PY108 in intensity is very similar to the Ultimate Yogi which is another 108-day program that I’ve created. So it’s similar in the sense that it’s very similar sequences, but it’s been revamped. So in PY108, we have new locations, we have new teaching commentary, so new stories, new quotes, new practical insights and daily wisdom, new students, new music. So it’s a little bit like taking a classic and bringing it back in a fresh, modern way and also having these timeless sequences be available to our amazing community at Inner Dimension TV. If you’ve never done a 108-day program, I recommend that you start with PY108. And then after that, then you could progress to Level Up 108. So theoretically, it’s as if you’re doing 216 days of yoga back to back. But regardless, I think that you’ll find the production quality of PY108 to be nothing short of absolutely phenomenal-ness. If that’s a word, phenomenal-ness. You know what I mean, just incredible.

So after the concept of PY108 was fleshed out, it really involved me practicing these sequences over and over and over and over again, driving the sequences deep into my bones so that I would be ready to teach when it came time to film. But once I got the sequences down, then I want to go deeper. I really want to reflect upon thinking about the stories and the quotes, those practical insights that I could bring into the class. So the commentary that’s provided as you’re moving through the class. So as I say, it’s a workout, but it’s also a work-in. You’re sweating, but you’re also sweating with [soul?]. And you’re leaving the class, you’re leaving your yoga practice, and you’re getting to bring with you practical takeaways. So as the teacher and the creator of the program, that requires reflection and meditation and careful planning about bringing that into the class. In our teacher training, we call these the holistic elements.

After that, then the next stage of the process of creating the program is finding the location. So where is this world of PY108 going to take place? It’s almost like the location is its own important character in the plot. So after we search all over Los Angeles looking at various locations, we eventually settled on an old bus terminal located in Compton. And I’ve always loved this juxtaposition of taking yoga which is very graceful, has a lot of finesse to it, and putting it in an environment that is urban and edgy. A place that’s not your predictable location for a yoga program because, to me, that’s what makes it even more compelling. So the warehouse we chose had various sets, various stages, which is also important because then we can have variety within the program so you had these different looks as you’re moving through the 108 days.

For this project, we worked with our friends at KKO Productions. Kelby Joseph, who has produced a lot of our Inner Dimension TV content, he oversaw the production from start to finish and he really created the container for a very successful shoot. Fortunately, we were able to bring on Jason Reim to direct PY108. He also directed the Ultimate Yogi and Level Up 108. Jason and I, I refer to him as Jay or even Jaybird, we’ve been working together since college. And at this point, he can practically read my mind. So I don’t know where I’d be without him, but he was the captain of our PY108 ship. Our cinematographer was Konstantin Frolov who was also our cinematographer on Yoga Detox 30. Visually, him and his incredible crew of cameramen, gaffers, and grips were able to bring an incredible cinematic look to PY108. Almost, almost like a Marvel movie. There were times where they would show me a little clip here and there or a screenshot here and there, and I just couldn’t believe how stunning some of the visuals were.

And then after the shoot wrapped, we brought in composer Ryan Richko to create an original score for PY108. After Ryan would create the rough draft of the music, him and I would get together, we’d sit down and we would fine tune the music to very specific poses and sequences. In the movie business, this is called scoring to picture. So when the class builds in energy, when I start to ramp things up, the music also builds and swells and energy as well. And then when the class mellows out, starts to wind down, the music is also in sync with the sequence. So it’s almost like the music is this river that just helps to flow things along. And, again, that’s what they do in really big movies, but it’s rarely done in the fitness video world because it requires a lot of time, a lot of energy, and a lot of money. But to me, it’s worth it because the music provides an emotional and emotional component to support you, the hero that’s going on this journey of PY108. And, of course, there’s all the students that are in the videos. These are all real students who I cherish dearly. I invited each student to come be in the program. None of them are fitness models. They’re the real deal. And by the end of the program, by the end of the 108 days, usually what happens is you feel like they’re your best friends because you’ve seen them day after day after day after day. I also want to give a special shout-out to Netsuki for hair, makeup, wardrobe, and also to Glen who does our sound, and for everyone else on the team who made PY108 possible.

Now when it comes to a fitness program, we need to start addressing exercise with less vanity and more wisdom. True fitness doesn’t have to be superficial. We need to be fit physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. And when you’re fit in a dimensional way, you have a greater capacity to show up in the world and to have an impact. It’s a universal law for all things in the world including you, including me, to be changing. And either you’re changing for the better or you’re changing for the worse, and you can’t be doing both at the same time. Now given the world that we live in, if you don’t take charge of yourself, the default mode is to be changing for the worse. You’re giving your power up to the old programs of society and our culture. In order to invoke true lasting change, you need to have a solid plan. You need to have a map. PY108 is that map. I, Travis Eliot, am your guide. You’re the Luke Skywalker, I’m kind of like Yoda except not quite as cool. And you also need unwavering discipline like the Spartan or the samurai or the Shaolin monk or the Navy SEAL. The teacher can open the door, but you’re the one that has to walk through it. You’re the one that has to put in the reps. You can’t hire anybody else to do your pushups as Jim Rohn said. And as Jim Rohn also said, “Motivation will get you started, but it’s habit that keeps you going.”

Now if you could take a pill that would make you superhuman, would you do it? Well, it exists. It’s called yoga. Envision a body both strong and supple, and mind both clear and calm, a spirit both alive and awakened. Every day for 108 days straight, we are going to train every dimension of you. And there’s only two mistakes that you can make on this path, not getting started and not going all the way. Are you ready? If so, head over to innerdimensiontv.com to subscribe. Once you subscribe, click on the PY108 program, watch the intro video, and then we’re going to jump into the first practice. It won’t be easy, but it definitely will be worth it. See you on the mat. May we dare to awaken.

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