How Yoga Saved Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts, Or the Yoga Mission of Diamond Dallas Page

by YD

in YD News

tags: Diamond Dallas Page, Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts, Scott ‘Razor Ramon’ Hall, wrestling, Yoga Dudes

jake-the-snake-yoga

The world watched former paratrooper Arthur Boorman transform from a Gulf War vet who could barely walk to a lean mean headstanding yoga machine. He did it with a hell of a lot of will power, better nutrition and DDP Yoga. That’s Diamond Dallas Page – former pro wrestler turned yogapreneur – Yoga. We talked to Arthur, and to Diamond Dallas Page about DDP Yoga, and though there are skeptics over whether or not it’s “real” yoga, one thing is for sure, it’s making a difference, inside and out.

Both former pro wrestling legends Scott ”Razor Ramon” Hall and Jake “The Snake” Roberts can attest to that, because DDP has made it his mission to reach out to his aging wrestling buddies, many of which are debilitated with injuries, ailments and/or addictions, and get them back on their feet again. Yep, with yoga.

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“My history will not be my destiny,” declared Jake “The Snake” Roberts who made news recently for his return to health after years of substance abuse and for rumors of his getting back in the ring for one more Royal Rumble at 58 years old.

“I don’t regret my mistakes,” Roberts told Yahoo!. “Got to accept those. I’m not ashamed of my life any more. Thank God for forgiveness. I’ve got a lot of people I’ve got to come back to, but today, I’m not not hiding from it. I’m not thinking about running.”

Roberts has been working with DDP, the man and his yoga, for the past nine months in his “accountability crib” – basically the boys (with Scott Hall a more recent addition) shacked up together in moral support. “The Snake” seems to have shed several layers of self-doubt, self-pity and even a few, nay, 70 pounds in the process. You could say he is a total yoga convert and is deeply grateful for his old pal.

He gives a world of credit to Page. “He’s got a great heart, no doubt,” Roberts says. “He loves to share. I just love the guy, that’s all I can say.”

And he’s all about spreading the good word.

“You want to share it because of how different you feel,” Roberts says. “You want to tell everybody. I’ll go to the Publix food store and I’ll see somebody who’s overweight or having trouble walking. I’ll go up to them, and they’ll say, ‘Holy [crap], you’re Jake the Snake!’ And I’ll say, ‘Yeah, but here’s what I want to talk to you about … ‘ “

Though DDP changes names of poses, employs his trademark “Diamond Cutter” and promotes his program in the key of off putting infomercials, one could argue the true essence of yoga underlines it all. Seriously, talking to DDP you immediately feel his passion for yoga and helping people. Once upon a time we might have discounted DDP Yoga as just another derivative ripoff, and in a sense, it sort of is, but when you see the people he’s reached feel better about their lives, not just about their bodies, you know there’s something deeper going on there.

“It’s not about, ‘Hey, look at my abs,’ ” Page says. “It’s about, ‘Hey, look at my life.’ ”

Here’s the duo on CBS local news from April:

And here’s an inspiring look at “The Resurrection of Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts.” It’s also rather dramatic, but hey, this is the world of pro wrestling we’re talking about here. It’s all about the story – the rises, the falls and the triumphs. Ah, and the yoga.