Posted on September 05 2019
Whether it’s Madonna and her chiseled arms, Patricia Walden and her beautiful alignment, or Ana Forrest and her awesome flexibility, people who practice yoga seem to defy time. Think about your fellow students and your teachers. How often have you done a double-take when one of them told you her or his age? It’s not just the rich and famous who are finding their personal fountain of youth on the mat. The optimism and energy of a youthful mind, body, and spirit are available to everyone who comes to the mat—or takes their YogaPaws to the park.
While you may not be planning on doing 88 drop-backs as a birthday celebration (like Sri. K. Pattahbi Jois), yoga makes it more likely you’ll have the choice when that birthday comes. A regular practice keeps your body strong and supple—obviously. But it does the same for your mind and spirit. As you move through challenging asanas, you begin to gain confidence. You become more open to trying new poses, even the ones that look impossible. Like a young child, all you see are the possibilities. That’s not just feel-good conjecture. There’s science to support yoga’s role in keeping you young. That glow you leave class with isn’t just sweat! As with any form of exercise, yoga raises your metabolism and helps keep your brain engaged. Every deep inhale sends a fresh flow of oxygen to your cells, while every long exhale rids your body of toxins.
Author Danna Demetre writes in her book, Change Your Habits, Change Your Life: A Proven Plan for Healthy Living, that deep-breathing increases your immunity and helps remove toxins from your body by stimulating your lymphatic system. Inversions boost blood flow to your face. Lilias Folan reminds students that every forward bend is a mini-facelift—and her youthful appearance offers more than adequate proof. Arm balances strengthen your core—and help define your abs. Twists engage the often-overlooked stabilizer muscles in the body, giving you better posture and a supple spine.
But, what makes your practice even more beneficial is the emphasis on mental serenity. Nothing ages you faster—inside or out—than stress. So what you can let go of on the mat might very well translate to fewer lines across your forehead, better hair or lower blood pressure. Yogi Sadie Nardini backs up that contention, citing a recent report that found regular yoga practitioners are biologically nine years younger than their non-exercising counterparts.
Whether you’re 20 and looking forward to 100 drop-backs at your own century mark or 99 and ready to do your first down dog, yoga can help keep you going and growing. Here are some starting points:
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Adho Mukha Marjarasana "Cat Pose" & Bitilasana "Cow Pose"Cat/Cow Benefits: Renowned yoga teacher Sadie Nardini likes to use this pose to regulate reproductive and stress hormones. How to do it: Begin in Sukhasana (Easy Pose). Come up to your hands and knees, with a flat back. With each inhale, arch your spine, drawing your shoulder blades. On an exhale, round your back, allowing your chin to drop toward your chest. Repeat for one minute or more.
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Parivrtta Anjaneyasana "Revolved Crescent Lunge Pose"Benefits: Nardini uses this twist version for its metabolic boost. How to do it: Begin in a lunge with your right leg front. Lift your left arm to your right knee. Slowly spin your right side up to clasp your hands in Namaste (Prayer Position). Gaze up at the ceiling. Lower your left knee if needed. Remain in the pose for five to 10 breaths and switch side.
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Halasana "Plow Pose"Benefits: This inversion brings added circulation to your head and face. How to do it: Begin on your back with your legs stretched out. Press your palms into the mat, arms at your side. On an inhale, bring your legs up using your center and roll them to or toward the floor behind your head. Focusing on keeping your core engaged and lengthening your neck. Remain in the pose for 15 to 30 seconds, then release.
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Adho Mukha Vrksasana "Handstand Pose"Benefits: This inversion stimulates blood flow to your head and strengthens your arms. How to do it: Start in Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose), with your fingertips an inch or two away from a wall. Firm your shoulder blades. Bend your right leg in, keeping your left leg straight. Push through your left heel to kick up toward the wall. That may be as deep as you can go into the pose right now. If you can move into the full pose, engage your core and exhale as you kick up to the wall. Stay in the pose for 10 to 15 seconds.
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Pasasana "Noose Pose"Benefits: This gentle twist massages your internal organs, stimulating digestion and the release of toxins. How to do it: Begin in Dandasana (Staff Pose). Bend your knees and drop them outward, cross both ankles under the opposite knee. Lengthen your back. Place your left hand on your right knee and your right hand on the floor behind you. Exhale and twist your spine. Hold for five to ten breaths, then release and repeat on the other side. |
As you practice these poses, let your mind become empty of stressful thoughts—while you are on the mat, you can’t also be getting groceries or answering your phone. Focus on the internal sensations of the poses. Feel your strength and flexibility.
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