Episode Details

To the millions of people who use his platform, Do Yoga With Me, David Procyshyn is a calm, grounded guide. But for decades, he lived with debilitating chronic anxiety; a constant, humming tension that he tried to escape through travel, extreme meditation retreats, and sheer force of will.

In this episode, David joins Corissa to discuss the epidemic of high-functioning anxiety and the path to true nervous system regulation. He shares the story of his solo journey to South Africa at age 22, where he discovered that you can change your geography, but you can't outrun your mind. He also recounts his experience in 10-day silent retreats, meditating 11 hours a day to learn the simple, terrifying art of sitting with discomfort.

Corissa and David dive into practical tools for the busy professional. They discuss why rapid breathing might be more effective than meditation for the anxious mind, and how doing nothing can reset your baseline stress levels.

In this episode, we cover:

• The Thinking Trap: How successful people mask chronic anxiety with busyness, and the physical toll of living in a state of constant overthinking.
• The Silent Retreat Experience: What happens when you remove all distractions for 10 days, and why boredom is actually a gateway to healing.
• Rapid Breathing vs. Meditation: Why traditional meditation fails for many anxious people, and how rapid breathing (pranayama) acts as a physiological shortcut to presence.
• The Do Nothing Challenge: A simple yet excruciating exercise: sitting still for 10 minutes without meditating, reading, or planning.
• Befriending the Anxiety: Shifting from "How do I get rid of this?" to "Why are you here, and what do you need?"

Notable Quotes:

• "I asked my anxiety why it was there... It sounds ridiculously simple, but I had never done it." — David Procyshyn
• "The things that we're most resistant to are the things that are most powerfully potent for us." — David Procyshyn
• "Just by observing their breath, the quality of their breath got better." — David Procyshyn

Resources & Links:

• Connect with David: https://davidprocyshyn.com/
• Do Yoga With Me: https://www.doyogawithme.com/

Connect with Corissa:

• Explore the Advisory. https://corissasaintlaurent.com/advisory
• Inquire for Keynotes. https://corissasaintlaurent.com/speaking

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Thanks for tuning in!