Tao Porchon-Lynch is such an inspiration to me. She’s a 97-year-old yogini, and credits yoga with helping her to
love life into her 90s. Though I haven't {yet!} shared a class with any 90 year olds, introducing gentle yoga to people in their 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s
and 80s is such an honor, because this is the time in life when students might finally be ready to choose a form of exercise (or body
movement, as I prefer to call it) that is not punitive or punishing.
If you’re over 40, here are a few reasons why gentle yoga will
fit right in to your life:
1)
You’re done doing
things with your body because you think you should. Remember step aerobics?
Running? While they may have felt nourishing in our younger days, and maybe
still do, many of us only chose to move in those ways to fit in or lose weight.
I have sustained a few injuries from aerobics and have taught more than a few students 50 and beyond who “blew out” a part of their body in some earlier regime.
2)
You’re
ready to dedicate your valuable time to a form of movement that feels
good in your body and doesn’t hurt. While you still might feel a little sore
the next day after gentle yoga, it’s delicious to feel longer, more open and
stronger, instead of feeling like you need an ice pack.
3)
You’re
driven by comfort, not ego. You
can choose child’s pose or a seated meditation if the pose being taught doesn’t
feel right, or grab several props to bring the floor closer to you. Comfort now
is über-important.
4)
You admire, but don’t
covet, the lithe, bendy 28-year-old beside you or on the cover of a yoga
magazine. You bless them, but don’t wish to have the 28-year-old life that goes
along with that look.
5) You yearn for quiet, not loud dance playlists. You like your own company and you’d rather listen to your breath than a rap song.
I've also seen students 40 and over master yoga poses that they couldn't in their youth, and experience a new level of comfort, ease, flexibility and grace that was not available before.They've lived long enough to really know the "why" behind physical movement. It's an empowering time and yoga is a great fit.
