Yoga Instructor Eszylfie Taylor Explains How Yoga Can Lead To Better Overall Wellness – Exclusive

Fitness and finance guru Eszylfie Taylor knows a thing or two about athletics. As he told Health Digest in an exclusive interview, he was a four-sport letterman in high school and collegiate basketball player with a hall-of-fame career, Taylor was used to the pounding punishment and competition of "traditional" sports. And his desire to compete did not leave him just because he graduated college. However, after taking up golf, Taylor began to notice small aches and pains cropping up.

For years, one of Taylor's friends encouraged him to try yoga, which he constantly rebuffed saying, "Yoga? I'm never doing yoga. I mean, look at me. I'm not yoga." But upon relenting and taking his first yoga class, his eyes were opening to a world that he once believed wasn't for him or his body type. After taking his first class, Taylor was hooked. He fell in love with the dedication to stretching, the emphasis on breathwork, and, from the sounds of it, the effects that these ancient practices were having on his physical and mental body. 

Eszylfie Taylor has felt the effects of yoga trickle into every aspect of his life. It influences his physicality, spirituality, and naturally, his mentality. He became a yoga teacher through Core Power Yoga and has enjoyed the non-physical challenge of guiding a class through a yoga practice. When asked about motivational mantras that are inspiring him right now, Taylor responded with a thoughtful lifestyle approach more than a mantra. He explained that through yoga and fitness, he is able to continually pride himself on staying ready. "If you stay ready," he said, "you don't have to get ready."

While Taylor is clearly an all-around athlete, his yogic mindset sets him apart from the crowd. He explained, "Because the only thing I control — and this is the crux of my life right now — the only thing I control is the process. I only control what I do." He continued, saying, "So I learned to focus solely on the process and detach myself from the outcome. ... People are going to do or not do whatever they want, in their own timing, for their own reasons. So the only thing I control is me and my psyche and my efforts." And truly, what else would you expect from someone who thrives while defying the odds?

To learn about Mind. Body. Money. with Eszylfie Taylor, visit MindBodyMoney.com or download the iPhone app.