One of the biggest factors used to determine a person’s age is the way they move.
Hunched over and shuffling = old person.
A lot of people around age 50 hit the gym or start running, in an attempt to keep themselves young.
Errr…not going to work.
Pumping iron and running do nothing for the way you move. Let me explain...
I was first introduced to the concept of movement and ageing on my first visit to a spa in the Czech Republic.
In a place full of stiff, Ankylosing Spondylitis sufferers, one Dutch guy stood out. He moved free and easy. He looked young compared to the rest of us, even though we were all of the same vintage.
That’s when I started to notice postures.
Fast forward six years, and guaranteed anybody who tries to guess my age or finds out my age,
always assumes that I’m anywhere from 10 - 15 years younger.
Remember, I too was one of the shuffling dead at one point. So what has made me appear younger to everyone else…
yoga.
Yep, yoga has one goal:
To make your body move freely so that you can sit still and concentrate (meditate).
Talk about contradictory!
Yoga is good for:
#1. Concentration: You simply can’t stand in balancing postures if you can’t concentrate.
#2. Strength: I used to weigh 200 pounds (95kg) with a 300 pound bench press (140kg). I now weigh 154 pounds (70kg) and would say pound for pound, I’m stronger now than then. Sure, I can’t bench 225 pounds (the 154 pound equivalent of 300 pounds) but then I couldn’t press handstand either.
#3. Balance.
#4. Agility
Put all these qualities together, and you end up with a certain grace and freedom in movement, which is interpreted by others as being younger - much younger.
Namaste, J
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