Yoga: Giving Yourself The Gift Of Good Health During Midlife
Yesterday I returned to a yoga class after an absence of a year and a half. A frozen shoulder prevented me from attending the weekly class I love. I also missed Sheila, my gifted and compassionate instructor who arrived to class with a book of "Yoga for People with Multiple Sclerosis" and "Yoga For People Over 50" in hand. She didn't need the books, but having them endeared her to me even more.
Now that I'm back in the yoga saddle again, I thought I'd repost something I wrote in 2012. If you're looking for a way to sleep better, heal aches and pains, keep sickness at bay, improve flexibility, strengthen muscles, improve balance, help to prevent arthritis, keep your spinal discs supple, get your blood flowing, alleviate stress and worry, or lower blood sugar and LDL, yoga is perfect for you! Read on:
“The body is your temple. Keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in.” ~B.K.S. Iyengar, Yoga: The Path To Holistic Health
When I was first diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis I was 28 years old and in good physical shape. I worked in Manhattan and walked 16 blocks from the Port Authority Bus Terminal to my office – in rain, snow or sunshine.
At the time, I lived in Weehawken, New Jersey, a township located along the Hudson River overlooking Manhattan. Each day, after returning to my apartment, I'd slip into my workout clothes and pop my new Jane Fonda Workout video into my VCR (for those of you too young to know what a VCR is, it is a video cassette recorder).
The workout kept me in shape, feeling limber and balanced. But after my diagnosis, that all changed.
Yet life continued on. The following year I got married, and in 1992 we had a beautiful, healthy son. Working out during the day was not an option for me. When my son napped, I napped!
When he was entered middle school I decided to take a yoga class. I was beginning to feel like my body was one tight knot, and the pounds were slowly creeping up on me.
My yoga class was filled with other women who, like me, had young children in school and felt the need to learn the practice of yoga. It was an intermediate class (you know – handstands and all) but the yoga instructor, Sheila, assured me she could adapt the more difficult moves to my disability (by then my MS caused my right leg to be totally numb and weakened).
In the beginning, my version of the “Downward Dog” was standing parallel to the wall with my hands pressed against it, my feet a few feet behind me to feel the stretch in my calves and feet. My teacher had great patience with me, and weeks later I was able to do an authentic Downward Dog along with the rest of the class.
I began to feel more limber and balanced. But, somehow, life got busy and I stopped taking yoga. Months turned into years without any yoga classes. I went to a few Restorative Yoga classes at a different yoga studio now and then, but the class never felt as comfortable or rewarding.
Now that I am in my fifties, my muscles feel tight and achy all of the time. Getting out of bed in the morning is a daily treat because my legs won’t always work the way I want them to.
I finally – finally – thought to myself that enough is enough. I thought that If I feel like this now how will I feel in ten, twenty or thirty years? It was time to take care of my body again.
It was time to get back to yoga.
A few weeks ago I signed up for a Gentle Yoga class taught by another lovely woman, Claire, whose class I’d taken a few years ago at my local library. I nervously walked into the studio with my yoga mat and blanket and chose my place on the floor. I began my warm-up, and felt good about what I was doing.
After Claire began class we heard three yoga chimes slowly ring in the air until their sound faded. We were ready to begin. I followed instructions for each pose, paying attention to my breath and meditating with each pose. I stretched every part of my body and balanced myself through deeper breathing.
I felt spiritually renewed.
As we age we need to keep our bodies and our minds toned, limber and active. We need to consider the quality of life we want to try to have as we grow older.
Everyone reading this post has their own set of family genes or health issues to contend with, so we all need to think about what we can do right now to live a better quality of life.
You can consider intermediate, gentle or restorative yoga as I did, or perhaps you’d prefer t’ai chi, or another complementary therapy. I recommend taking a complimentary class to try it out, and always speak to the instructor about any special requirements. Please consult with your doctor before taking any class.
Remember, you are taking an important step in taking better care of yourself. This is a gift you are giving to yourself – the gift of good health. Namaste.
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