Page 55 - Panama City Living Magazine

Moving from Louisiana to Panama City Beach with his family when he was 6 years old, he grew up with sand between his toes. He remembers tranquil summers on the beach with a sense of serene nature and intact environ- ment. It changed as he grew older. When 14-years old, he started working as a lifeguard. He became an exceptional swimmer. After graduation, he joined the Navy and be- came one of the two surface rescue swimmers on board the USS New York. But he does not quite t the ex-mili- tary image.David Bulger is 27 and teaches yoga in a studio on Pan- ama City Beach. He is soft spoken with kind, inquisitive eyes. And, according to his students of all ages and gen- ders, he listens as well as he teaches, with profound in- sight “for his age” and the ability to relate in depth to questions, re ecting on the mind and helping the body.What brought you to yoga?There is a saying, "No one comes to yoga when they're perfect." I was getting out of the Navy. We had a term in the military, "functional alcoholic." That was me at the time.The military places a lot of emphasis on medication and toughening up, but they're getting better. I hope active military personnel will be o ered better solutions to han- dle stress through e ective means like meditation or yoga. So, I think, what originally brought me to yoga, was the question of how can I heal myself outside of just pushing heavy weights in the gym? How can I heal myself–and the group is amazing, but–without having to go to some- thing like Alcoholics Anonymous, or without having to see a counselor. I think the nal driving force for me was, as I was putting on my shoes one day, I could not bend and reach my feet ... I had to sit down on the ground, bend my knees to get to my feet, and there was a constant pain in my neck. I realized, I felt like I was 70 years old. I was 24 at the time and getting out of the Navy with chron- ic neck pain. So, I started watching YouTube videos, and within two weeks of watching and copying what I saw, the neck pain dissipated. It was almost completely gone. So, that's when the physical aspects connected to something di erent for me.What do you think caused the pain?It could've been my personal transitions because I had gone from being a life guard on the beach who never wore shoes to having my feet cramped up in steel-toed boots. I was sleeping in a rack, literally. My cot was as big as a yoga mat, and it rocked back and forth on the ship. I was not getting any sleep, and I was over-ca einated... it's the same in business life as it is in the military; it keeps us drinking co ee... . So, it could've been that, it could've also been the years of pushing the body to lift heavy weights and train for special operations and try to be a real man.Your students say that you have great insight? Do you think it’s a talent or something you acquired?Perhaps a bit of both. Every individual is certainly inclined to have a unique talent or two, but almost any skill can be developed, to a certain degree, with consistency and time. I think that's something I took away from a lifetime of lifeguarding–being a professional people-watcher. And essentially, that's all I do as a yoga teacher in my class. I show poses, I give my students verbal cues and explanations, but I'm kind of holding space for their experience... I have this general “script,” an idea of what the class is supposed to look like. I get my students to move a certain way but I am always adjusting what I'm saying and what I'm doing based on their Biofeedback. I can hear across the room if someone is holding their breath. Or breathing too quickly. So ... that's all I do.How may male students do you have?You’d be pleasantly surprised with the number of Navy divers who come over from the base. Usually the younger guys who are in the spec ops programs take yoga classes at night. They see the bene t of achieving better range of motion, and functional mobility, being able to get o the ground when falling, being able to move in all directions. I think these guys are gravitating to nding solutions, but also, they are in high-stress environments all day long.www.PanamaCityLiving.com • March - April 2018 • 55