New Year ... New You?

New Year … New You?

“Where did all these cars come from?” I asked myself as I drove through the local shopping center parking lot. Then I remembered what month it was - January. The largest tenant of the shopping center is a gym which was full of people working on their New Year’s Resolutions. How many people will continue exercising at the gym consistently, for the rest of their lives?

The same thing happens in yoga studios during January, they are packed. In fact, that is how my yoga practice began over a decade ago - in January - in a packed yoga studio. At the end of my first class, I asked the woman next to me, “Is it always this crowded?”

“Don’t worry, half of these people will disappear by Valentine’s Day.” she answered.

“Maybe they will do yoga at home.” I said.

“I doubt it,” she responded. “They’ll probably just quit.”

Is it possible, regardless of your age, to begin practicing yoga as a New Year’s Resolution and then develop a lifelong practice? Yes, it all depends on how you approach yoga.

The Approach

Many young people approach yoga as a “workout.” That is okay but it isn’t the only approach to yoga, nor is it the best one for the 50+ crowd. For people aged 50 and older, a realistic approach is more appropriate. Talking with your doctor before you begin a yoga practice is the first step in approaching your practice realistically.

You may need to reconsider some yoga poses if you have a chronic condition that makes a particular pose inaccessible to you. I have high blood pressure which precludes me from doing headstands. Or you may have an old or new injury that needs to be considered. My broken wrist healed but no longer bends to accommodate arm balances, Chaturanga or any pose that requires my wrist to bend 90 degrees. Rather than giving up yoga, I approach it with my reality and accommodate by substituting, adapting, or avoiding poses.

Do NOT approach yoga as a competition! Some older people compete to see if they can do whatever the “young” people are doing with no thought of what is appropriate for their body. You can attempt poses but you must be able to tell the difference between movement that causes pain and possibly injury (OUCH!) and movement that is challenging (Ohh, that feels spicy!). 

The best approach to yoga, for all ages, is one that focuses on moving your body in a way that fosters compassion and connection with the changes that are occurring over time in your body. This means you may change from one style of yoga to another to over time. New poses may come while others go. Regardless of the poses or style, approaching your practice with steadiness and comfort is key to a lifelong practice.

Steadiness and Comfort

The Yoga Sutras are a collection of texts written by the sage, Patanjali, around 400 C.E. The collection contains what is thought to be much of the basis of classical yoga philosophy and is made up of 196 sutras (aphorisms or sayings) which offer guidelines for living a meaningful and purposeful life. It doesn’t have much to say about yoga poses. Only 3 of the sutras (2.46 – 2.48) explain asana, the physical aspect of yoga.

Sutra 2.46 tells us simply that yoga poses should be steady and comfortable. Knowing that this is the only instruction for yoga poses frees us from feeling like our yoga practice has to look a certain way. You can do a headstand, or not; an arm balance, or not: a balance pose, or not.

Your practice is your practice. Whether you are standing, seated on a mat, or in a chair, find steadiness and comfort in your poses.   Do what works for you and the current state of your body. Seize the opportunity to foster a better connection with the changes that are occurring over time in your body. With this approach you will be a "new you" everyday - for the rest of your life.

I highly recommend this book for both beginners and long-time yogis!