20 Sep Yoga keeps you young
The years clock up crazy fast. I am so sure that Hong Kong time clicks by double time. How can it be September already? And how can I be so old already? Age is, at best, a random number in my life that doesn’t seem to bear any real relation to how old I feel. And I attribute my inner, and some say outer, youth to a number of things, but yoga is key.
Here are four ways yoga keeps you young – and I’m sure there are many many more…
Yoga keeps you physically fit
I love the strength, flexibility and overall feeling of wellbeing I feel. At forty-something I am in the best shape of my life, and with the perspective of all these years, I appreciate my fitness so much more than I did when I was young. Whether it’s a more yin, stretching class, an all-round Hatha, a powerful flowing Vinyasa or a super challenging Ashtanga, yoga is the most incredibly versatile workout, and I love it.
Yoga helps you avoid back pain
How many people do I know who suffer from back pain? Believe me, it’s many. For the most part, I have managed to avoid back pain (touch wood!). With a childhood walking more on my hands than my feet, and taking incredibly strong abs for granted, I now work hard to keep my abs strong, as they are the stabilizers for my back.
Yoga shores up your emotional stability
I have had mentally and emotionally challenging shivasanas. You know, when the asanas stop and the thoughts crowd in again if you’re not careful. But usually I finish a class with overwhelmingly positive thoughts, a calm mind, a soothed mind. I feel good about what I’ve just done for myself, I feel good about the world at large, and I feel physically but also mentally and emotionally energized. And this feeling usually lasts long after the class. I absolutely believe that being stressed and unhappy is detrimental to my health, as well as aging in many different ways. I’ve had enough low points to know how overwhelming they can be. So now I make sure to overwhelm my mind and mood with the feel-good that yoga brings on a regular basis.
Yoga gives you a spiritual connection
I’m still struggling with this one, but I absolutely believe in it and its power to make life better. Sometimes a shivasana has me floating away like a 2D, weightless version of myself that feels like it is not subject to usual place and time constraints. Sometimes I feel that yoga builds my intuition and life just seems to flow better afterwards. Sometimes I feel connected with a whole other dimension of life, to something innately all-encompassing, good and kind.
Taking classes at Flex could keep you young! Check out the schedule here and see which kinds of yoga will contribute to your anti-aging regime!
