Over this past year we have all had to pivot in some way shape or form. One of the ways I have kept myself busy is by welcoming opportunities that I may not have been introduced to otherwise. A few years ago while teaching a seminar in Greenwich, I met local yoga instructor Nicolas de Alejo. Little did we know we would one day be working together on a virtual project that we hope will introduce a whole new kind of health and consciousness to men’s fitness routines and regiments.
Men Care Now
Having lived in the high-octane world of finance in New York and coming into contact with many diverse types of men living in what some would call a stressful city, de Alejo decided to formulate tools and programs for helping men grow, heal, cope, develop and excel. I was honored to be asked to join the team as the biomechanics lead, along with top health and wellness experts Mike Okech, Loren Fishman, M.D., Aaron Powell, Ernesto Lira De La Rosa and others. Together, we bring our diverse knowledge, energy and passion working with men to help Nic create an approach to needed behavioral and physical change. Men Care Now is a platform for mind and body, helping men achieve physical and mental fitness for a healthy state of being. Since things affect men differently than women, and men experience and are exposed to different pressures and difficulties, the Men Care Now platform focuses strictly on men’s physical and mental fitness.
The men’s physical and mental training programs span multiple modalities, understanding all men are not created the same nor do all men have the same experiences and perspectives.
The primary virtual training offerings include:
• Well-Being Fundamentals
• Yoga Basics Intensive
• Yoga Teacher Training
Virtual teacher training
In the fall of 2020, MCN launched its first 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification done completely virtually with participants all around the country. I had the pleasure of working with the students on a bimonthly basis, specifically discussing the biomechanics of how certain joint structures and systems play a role in the MCN curriculum. The training explores the traditional components of a Yoga Teacher Training program as outlined by the Yoga Alliance. The course covers yoga teacher training live, video study and partner work, and also includes additional opportunities to learn through books, journaling and homework. The assignments are embedded throughout the training and both Google Classroom and Zoom are used.
This program embodies the traditional aspects of yoga and allows many perspectives to drive the ancient wisdom of the practice of yoga. By exploring the practice from many perspectives, students are able to create a deeper connection to the practice while also understanding more about other experiences and how they might be unique or similar to their own.
Regardless of how it compares, the focus of this training is love and compassion for ourselves, for our community and for our planet. And isn’t that something we can all appreciate and get behind?
Wishing everyone health and safety as we continue to navigate through another year filled with unknowns and uncertainty.
Interested in learning more about the Men Care Now program? Feel free to shoot me a message at Gio@GiovanniRoselli.com and I’ll be happy to answer any questions as well as make the necessary introductions.
