Tao Porchon-Lynch who continued to teach yoga until she was 100, said, “I don’t believe in age. I believe in energy. Don’t let age dictate what you can and cannot do.”
Vanda Scaravelli, a renowned yoga teacher who didn’t even begin to practice until her late 40s, said “There is no age to yoga. You can start at 70, 80…”
As a “woman-of-a-certain-age”, myself, I hate to be underestimated. One of the things I so appreciate about my always-inspiring trainer, Tuan Nguyen, is that he never underestimates me. He continually challenges me to expand my own vision of who I am and what I’m capable of. For that, I am eternally grateful. Not just because his encouragement helps me to hold plank pose for 5 more seconds, but because his encouragement stretches my imagination of myself in all kinds of ways.
I love yoga for this same reason. It encourages me to expand my vision of who and what I am. American culture tends to dismiss older people—women, in particular. The world of advertising media would have us believe that we shouldn’t even be seen in public without the aid of surgical “interventions.” And yet, an increasing number of us are defying cultural boundaries—making unconventional life choices, changing careers later in life (or numerous times), choosing to stay single, to retire early, or not at all.
Yoga helps us to defy the conventional boxes that the world would have us inhabit. Yoga is not just for young people, or fit people, or flexible people. It’s for anyone who wants to see themselves more fully, more clearly, with a fresh perspective. It expands us—physically, mentally and emotionally.
No matter who you are or what boxes you’re trying to break out of, join me and our wonderful online community to expand your imagination of yourself and what you’re capable of. And remember—it’s never too late.