Unlocking the Power of Yoga: Breath, Balance, and Inner Strength with Christopher Wilkes
This month, I sat down with my friend and yoga instructor, Christopher Wilkes (aka The Yoga Doctor) at his studio, The Art of Yoga, in Columbus, Georgia. We talked about something most athletes (and surgeons) overlook: stillness.
Who Is The Yoga Doctor?
Christopher’s journey started in martial arts and Qigong before evolving into a full-time yoga teacher and studio owner. What makes his story powerful is how he bridges movement, mindset, and medicine… using yoga as a tool for both physical recovery and emotional healing.
What Is Yoga?
We explored how yoga isn’t just about touching your toes. It’s about learning to breathe under pressure, staying calm in chaos, and building strength from the inside out. Whether you’re recovering from injury, competing, or managing stress from work or deployment… yoga is one of the most underrated performance tools out there.
Key Points
Yoga is more than poses… it’s movement, breath work, meditation, and mindset training. Hot yoga adds the sauna component too!
Just 10 minutes of focused breathing can lower stress, regulate your nervous system, and sharpen your focus.
For athletes, yoga can improve recovery, mobility, and longevity on the mats.
For military members, yoga can build resilience by teaching the body to stay calm under stress.
Shavasana isn’t “just lying there”... it’s learning to let go.
Final Thoughts
I added yoga to my own training a few years ago, and it changed everything. From how I move and recover, to how I show up for my patients, fiancé, and jiu jitsu students. If you’ve ever wondered where to start, this episode gives you practical tools you can use today and tips for how to find a great yoga studio.
Listen now:
🎧 YouTube: The Doctor Jiu Jitsu Show – Episode 6
Guest: Christopher Wilkes, The Yoga Doctor
Follow: @theyogadoctor | @artofyogacolumbusga
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Dr. Megan Lisset Jimenez
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