UPDATE: Due to an editing error, the incorrect start time of this class was initially included in the online version of this feature. It has since been corrected. The print version of this feature did not include the address of the yoga studio or the start time of the class — we apologize for the missing details.

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“That’s a pearl,” the instructor noted about a poignant statement he gleaned from his yoga knowledge.

Neal DeYoung would attest there is a lot to learn from yoga — many pearls to gather and apply. For instance, before walking into court when he was a practicing attorney, DeYoung liked to evoke his own unique breathing practice.

“I like to breathe up through one nostril and out the other,” he recalled.

DeYoung’s career as a court litigation lawyer spanned 30 years, first in New York, then in Connecticut after moving to Newtown with his family in 2003.

Recently, DeYoung made a full career switch by becoming a yoga instructor. He is debuting his four-week series “Yoga Mechanics for Men” at The Newtown Yoga Center, 78 South Main Street, at 6:30 pm Thursday, January 19.

What prompts a successful and experienced attorney to make such an unconventional career departure?

Fifteen years ago, before his yoga journey, DeYoung hurt his knee. His orthopedist ordered prompt surgery, but DeYoung was reluctant to take the advice.

His wife did yoga, and DeYoung wondered if he would benefit from trying it. After some practice, DeYoung’s knee improved without medical intervention, and meditative techniques made their way into his professional life.

DeYoung continued to practice with Aline Marie of The Newtown Yoga Center, who became persistent, he said, in encouraging him to take a teacher training course. She believed, DeYoung said, that he showed promise as a yoga instructor.

Similarly to the inception of his yoga practice, DeYoung was ready to try the class for the sake of experiment.

“It was more about the journey, to see where it went,” DeYoung said, later adding, “I was trying to be a better person, more calm, more present.”

When DeYoung finished, Marie suggested he introduce a men’s yoga series to Newtown, and he was all in.

‘Test The Waters’

This series reaches out to a group less inclined to roll out the mat.

“There’s not many men taking yoga classes,” DeYoung stated. He explained that many men are hesitant to “test the waters of yoga,” that there is “reluctance” despite the desire to begin a yoga practice and understand its benefits.

“Women tend to be more flexible,” said DeYoung, acknowledging the hesitation. He anticipates the series will help men “breathe through the tightness that they may be used to.”

“For men who have pains and aches as we all do, we will get more stretching in there, and a little more ability to meditate,” DeYoung said.

DeYoung assured prospective students the series is slow-paced and will begin with poses many are already familiar with such as tabletop, plank pose, and downward dog. Participants can expect to engage their core and breath, in an environment where they can, hopefully, “even for just a couple minutes, just stop and not think.”

He also acknowledged a presumption that someone may have to know about Buddhism or philosophy in order to integrate yoga into their life. DeYoung admitted, however, he is not much interested in philosophy himself.

“Yoga, even though it’s communal, it’s also very individualistic,” DeYoung stated. “Once you learn that it’s individualistic, you can make it what you want.”

“It all comes back to the benefits of managing breath, because breathing is meditation. It applies to everyday life — every time we’re challenged, we either hold or breathe,” DeYoung says. “We all need it, there’s not one person that doesn’t.”

Another Journey

There is yet another journey, in addition to leaving the courtroom, that DeYoung acknowledges comes with becoming a yoga instructor. He connects it to a sentiment accepted in martial arts suggesting that once a person gets their black belt, they are at a new beginning of understanding.

“When you become a teacher, you’re extending your practice to a next level. I’m just starting to learn,” he said.

He acknowledges most of all that yoga is a practice. Like playing an instrument, it is never finished, only worked on and refined.

DeYoung was presented with one more question by The Newtown Bee during the interview: Are there any unexpected connections between lawyering and yoga?

A ready pen’s expectations for the final proverbial pearl were humbled and satisfied at once.

“No,” he replied, breathing out with a smile.

"Yoga Mechanics for Men" will meet Wednesday evenings at 6:30 pm at The Newtown Yoga Center. Cost for the four-week series is $95. Registration and additional information is available at thenewtownyogacenter.com.

Reporter Noelle Veilette can be reached at noelle@thebee.com.