The features of this yoga
YOGA for 50’s is a yoga practice that uses yoga philosophy to create a sustainable journey into body, mind and soul.
You start with asana (postures) practice which is the physical aspect of yoga, and then continue to circle through the whole yogic system for health and longevity.
As you age, the priorities for your health and well-being change.
You want to find things that are good for you, that address any old injuries or restrictions that by the time you reach 50 or more, most people have. Yoga as a whole body/mind system can help you in many ways to re-balance, rejuvenate and restore.
Are you a beginner? If you have never done yoga before, try to erase any images you may have to what a yoga practice looks like and when you try the practice place your focus on what it FEELS like.
Are you experienced? Even if you have done yoga before, try to let go of prior experience and start with beginner's mind, that keeps you curious and open and always learning.
The yoga you will find here is full of paradox. It is incredibly gentle but also strengthening. It is very focused but also spacious and free. It includes breathing, meditation and relaxation techniques.
Below is an image of Vanda Scaravelli. She first tried yoga at the age of 49 and despite a scoliosis of the spine, she became a internationally known teacher and went on to write a wonderful book called "Awakening the Spine" when she was (still teaching) in her 80’s.
Let me share a few basic principles to keep in mind as you practice.
1. LESS IS MORE - do not go too far into the postures. When you reach the VERY FIRST area of sensation, tightness, tension or pain stop there, breath, relax and know that the benefit of the posture is most deeply experienced in the first layer.
2. MEET YOURSELF WHERE YOU ARE. If you have injuries, tightness or tension, you are not going to avoid them, but neither are you going to be aggressive towards them. Meeting yourself where you are today.
3. PUSH HARD = MORE RIDGIDITY. Pushing, forcing, being aggressive against yourself, that lack of kindness will create more rigidity in your body. You may feel strong sensations but do not struggle.
4. STAY PRESENT TO ALL SENSATIONS. Your new yoga practice is all about cultivating consciousness and awareness. Mindfulness. Stay with what you feel. The holds are deliberately long to cultivate present awareness now.
The Dance of Shiva
This image is popular in India – the home of yoga.
It is symbolic of the dance of creation and destruction. Your yoga practice is this dance.
Create harmony, beauty and an inner calm.
Be willing to destroy and let go of your tightness, rigidity and any inflexibility you may discover, in body and mind.
The 8 limbs of Yoga
Within the system of yoga, which is a system for health, longevity and spiritual awakening, there are 8 limbs of yoga.
Each limb contains a whole system itself, the most common limb that most of us in the western world are familiar with, is Asana or Physical (posture) practice.
The other limbs of yoga include Pranayama (which translates as BREATH. or energy work), the ethics, and mindfulness (concentration, meditation, focus and oneness).
Starting where you are today - meeting yourself with a gentle smile and a deep breath is a way to begin or continue your yoga journey. Knowing the exploration can last a lifetime.
How to start your practice
Each body is unique. Everybody is special. Everyone has their own story.
Yoga is a practice that encourages you to stay within yourself. Honour your uniqueness.
Your energy, attention and focus goes into your body, your unique experience of being alive. In yoga you can feel every sensation, be aware of every experience you have in the moment it happens. And then release it. Move on to the next moment.
Yoga means union. Connection. Joining. Bringing all the parts of you together in a whole. Into oneness. Into presence.
If you would like to try this practice for free and have not yet signed up to get your free gifts click the link at the top of the page.
COPYRIGHT KATHYWHITEYOGA 2020