When you clicked on this post, I'm sure you asked yourself this question or thought, "Yes, I'm too old." Well, keep reading because I'm here to tell you that you're never too old to start practicing yoga.
But why listen to me?
Then, when I was 20, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, which changed me from a healthy young woman to a woman living in an old woman's body. All I could think was, if I feel like this now, how on earth will I be feeling when I reach 30, 40 or 50 years old?
I was living with severely reduced mobility, swelling of my joints, chronic pain and fatigue. I had to give up work for about a year and half until my Doctor was able to get the correct medication for me. Once the medication was sorted my symptoms reduced to about half and I was able to get back to a bit of normality.
I still felt pretty rubbish most of the time and I wasn’t in a very good headspace. I definitely needed something other than medication, but to me any type of exercise was out of the question.
One day I read an article in a magazine about Hatha Yoga and how it was a gentle practice that was not only great for the body but also great for the mind. The picture in the magazine showed a group of senior ladies doing a seated twist, all of them with a contented look on their faces. This picture was worth a thousand words to me, as I think if I had not seen this picture I would have dismissed the idea of yoga altogether. But I really wanted to improve my headspace more than anything.
Fast forward 18 years and what started as gentle practice and something to help calm my mind, has evolved in to my arthritis going into remission.
Yes, that's right. I have full mobility, flare-ups maybe twice a year (they were 4 -5 times a week at my worst and I don’t suffer with fatigue anymore.
The great thing about yoga is that there is a style to suit all abilities and all ages and it is completely adaptable too. In the beginning I had to use modified versions of poses to suit my mobility, and over time and being patient with myself I am now able to perform full poses.
A yoga practice teaches you how to listen to your body. You learn your body's limits and what feels good and what doesn't. And over time, you may notice improved mobility, increased energy, and a clearer mind.
I went from a really gentle practice, of once a week at the age of 21 to a 7 day a week practice and becoming a Hatha and Yin yoga teacher at the age of 40!
Yoga has completely changed my life and my body has never felt better!
So, you are never too old to start practicing yoga!
Take control of your body, whatever age it is or feels like.
Listen to it, nurture it… You only get the one.
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