“It doesn’t get easier as you get older, but that’s your choice.  Move your body or the alternative is, you’ll probably end up in a wheelchair.”   Words of wisdom from my beloved 72 year old yoga teacher who was still teaching until a month before her death of cancer.  If you’ve come to the same decision in your life and you’ve chosen to begin or continue working out, walking, dancing etc., then chances are you’ll still be able to push through most of what aging puts us through and continue living a life of quality.

I’ve done many of the disciplines of body movement in my life, tree climbing as a kid, ocean swimming, Taekwondo, weightlifting, dance and yoga are only a few.  As I age, I find that for me it’s important to practice yoga everyday, and swim when I can find a pool or a fresh body of water.

Which brings me to yoga.  Yoga can be practiced in any space, no matter the area; in you’re in bed, or in the smallest of studio’s apartments. Rotating the head, carefully, in neck rolls while sitting at your desk can release much of that tension that is held in the shoulders and neck areas.  Removing your shoes to point and flex your feet will keep your Achilles tendon from hardening.  Abdominal breathing oxygenates your blood quickly when all breathing is done through the nose.  Learning this is simple.  You lay on your back, place a book on your stomach, breathe through your nose and direct it to you diaphragm.  When you see that book moving up and down as you inhale and exhale, then you’ll be able to practice it while sitting at your desk or waiting for a light to change in traffic.

Lately my model for perfect flexibility is a baby, specifically toddlers.   Watch a baby struggle to stand; they use their hands as much as their legs.  Look how they play with their toes, swing their arms forward and backward etc…  You’ll never get younger, but if you can learn a few moves from a toddler and you practice them, like they do, your body will respond, and you’ll never again lose that sense of gratitude when you incorporate movement into your daily life.

John Shinavier, MA , RYT, Life Coach

Go to <a href=”http://www.thumbtack.com/Kali-Natha-Yoga-the-yoga-of-developing-the-Mystic-within-you-Los-Angeles-CA/service/1062451″>Kali Natha Yoga, the yoga of developing the Mystic within you.</a>