It just occurred to me that I have been spending the past 12-months fighting my body, unsuccessfully trying to get it to behave the same way it did a decade ago. I have gained a “few” pounds, lost a little bit of muscle mass and have noticed that I’m just not able to work quite as hard as I used to.
After my workouts the muscle recovery is slower and more painful. I notice my knees, shoulders and lower back in ways that I never did before. As someone that has worked out consistently for over a decade, it is difficult to accept these new limitations.
This morning I attended a spin class and this afternoon I am completely exhausted; to the point that I needed a nap! Granted, I taught a power yoga class at 6 AM, and attended the spin class a few hours later, but this was a routine my body could handle just fine two years ago.
Recently I took a prana flow workshop with Shiva Rea and asked her a question about how to stay motivated in ones yoga practice as we age. She suggested that perhaps my body needed a more lunar practice these days and that I may do better to accept that. This wasn’t exactly what I wanted to hear, I was hoping for some guru type of motivation that would help turn my practice around…but no, she basically told me to try slowing down for a bit! The good news was that she didn’t suggest doing a lunar practice for a long period of time because we need to keep the body strong. I was grateful for those words as I do not feel ready to concede to gentle, restorative practice in my 40’s!
In any event, my body has changed, my attitude has changed, and my experience in the world has changed. I know that I am aging fairly well and will work to accept these subtle changes more gracefully.
As a yoga teacher, this knowledge will help me to be able to help my students as their bodies change so that we can all continue with our practices, pain and injury free.
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