This morning as I sat down with my first cup of coffee, I opened my laptop to Google News, quickly glancing over the usual plethora of eye-catching headlines about fires, guns and violence. Yet something more hopeful and relevant to me immediately caught my eye. It was a blog posted in The New York Times about practicing yoga after the age of 50. Bingo.
I've written about the importance of yoga as we age before (See Yoga: Giving Yourself the Gift of Good Health and How Invictus Teaches Us to Learn From Life's Lessons). Yet since the mission of An Empowered Spirit is to educate and enlighten you about living a healthy and vibrant life after 50, I thought I'd write about it again.
I've been practicing yoga on and off for 10 years. This past year I got more serious in my practice; gentle yoga was my class of choice due to my physical limitations. Yet I was forced to take a sabbatical due to bursitis and an impinged nerve in my shoulder.
I feel the difference in my body since taking this break, and I am not a happy camper.
Yoga has given me greater flexibility when I walk, and better balance despite a numb right leg. The constant MS fatigue that disrupts my day was helped by frequent bursts of energy that I hadn't felt in years. I felt more spiritually grounded through our class meditations, and made social connections that I enjoyed with like-minded classmates.
As Dr. Loren Fishman, a Manhattan back pain specialist who uses yoga as rehabilitation in his practice points out, " I suspect that yoga was at times an old person’s sport, and that it has prolonged the life and liveliness of people over the millennia. Designed appropriately and taken in proper dose, it is certainly safe."
I've heard many stories from people who say yoga has given them a better quality of life despite the physical setbacks they've experienced. People who've had hip or knee surgery, troubles with their back and shoulder and even people battling cancer have all been in my class at one time or another. They credit yoga with giving them a fuller life by feeling and looking better.
As Carrie Owerko, a New York based teacher who has practiced for years said, "Yoga can be practiced fully and deeply at any age,” she said, with an added caution that “the practice has to change as the body changes.”
As we age and our body changes, mobility and range of motion may become impaired. The practice of yoga should be personalized to fit the needs of the student, sometimes requiring the use of a chair for better balance, or other necessary modifications. The student should be aware of any physical limitations, skipping any poses that may cause a problem.
I always begin my yoga practice with a ten minute warmup session, stretching my tight muscles to avoid injury.
Roger Cole, a yoga teacher and San Francisco psychologist emphasized, "a regular yoga practice can help the body maintain a high level of flexibility into midlife and beyond. If a student continues the same practice as much as possible without interruption through the 50s and beyond, he or she will see a gradual decline in certain abilities, but not necessarily a decline in flexibility."
Reading this New York Times blog has made me realize how much I want to finish up my physical therapy sessions and get back to the yoga practice I miss.
What do you do to maintain flexibility and balance as you age?
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DISCLAIMER: Comments from An Empowered Spirit are brought to your attention on topics that could benefit you and should be discussed with your doctor or other medical professional. I am not medically trained and my posts are of a journalistic nature and not in lieu of medical advice. An Empowered Spirit and its author will not be held liable for any damages incurred from the use of this blog or any data or links provided.
I read the same article and was so happy to see that attention is being paid to this very important topic. I love yoga but had to give it up after two neck surgeries. Perhaps there's a way to get back to it.
By the way, I plan on doing a post about this topic next week, when I'll be interviewing a yoga professional to get her input.
Cathy,
This makes me want to try yoga again even though I am about as flexible as a baseball bat. Love the new look of your blog. Bravo!
Cathy, I couldn't agree with you more. Yoga and Pilates have helped my flexibility tremendously; however, like you, I took a break and now I'm experiencing the consequences. Getting back into the routine is at the top of list of priorities. Thanks for writing this informative post.
Yoga is one of those things that I *know* I should do, but have never even tried it. Although yesterday, when the weather was too cold for my walk, I scrolled through the fitness programs available on Xfinity, and settled for a few short ones, ending with a Pilates one. I have done Pilates before... and a position in the program had me looking like the graphic above (not the one of the angry woman). 😀 So maybe Pilates is the same as yoga?
Regardless, I admit I don't do enough to keep my body in shape and balanced. And it sounds like the MS may affect us both similarly, for mine is a relatively numb right leg, too. Great minds think, er, limp alike, right? 😀
Currently, I am doing nothing. You make yoga sound appealing. Do you take a class or do it at home?
Cathy, I'm a proponent of yoga, too, especially because it can be personalized as you write in the post. I also extol the benefits of meditation: http://www.shmirshky.com/menopause-blog/2013/04/29/menopause-meditation/
Great article, Cathy! I do Hatha yoga with my daughter, and would like to make this a more regular part of my overall fitness practice. This is a good inspiration for me to get on that.
Hi Cathy,
I am over fifthy and have MS. I have heard of the many benefits of doing yoga however, MS does not offer a class near me. I am not sure where you live, I would love to start a yoga class for us with MS. I hope you feel better soon and get back to "normal"
I've wanted to try yoga for years, but with some lingering pain issues since a car accident, have been afraid to try anything on my own. Thoughts? Videos to recommend? (No wiggle room in my schedule to get to a class.)
I stretch every day, Cathy, but don't have an actual yoga practice. I'd like to -- stretching and sweating for an hour is qualitatively different than doing a few stretches to keep limber. And as I get older, I'm realizing that 60 minutes a day is a minimum! Love your site and your mission here.
I LOVE my yoga class. I started doing yoga about three years ago via a TV program. I joined a gym this year and yoga was the first class I signed up for. What a difference it has made having a teacher in person!!! She corrects my poses, encourages me, and gives my feet a massage during the resting pose at the end of class. I have to get up super early (the class is at 5:15 a.m.) but it is so worth it. The perfect therapy for this 50-something gal.
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