This is a lovely quote. Too often I see students sacrificing form for function. There is a very close relationship between aging and yoga. A balanced yogatherapy practice is unique in its capacity to both prevent and reverse the most visible sign of ageing: the shortening and rounding of the spine! WOW! Posture affects all the systems of our bodies, so lengthening the spine to create space between the vertebrae is vital to our health. Remember that nerves connected to the structures of the body -including the internal organs- branch out from the spinal cord.
The things we do most often: sit, drive, hunch over a computer, and some of the movement patterns we repeat in our jobs, or workouts, can create more discomfort than comfort and range of motion, forward hunched shoulders, hip pain, neck pain and so on.
There is no time like the present to maintain the health and integrity of your spine, and this is the central theme of yoga poses – develop strength, agility, flexibility, and suppleness that help prevent degenerative disc injury and perhaps reverse some of the degenerative changes – like dowager’s hump. As always, I am available for a private yoga class which is an investment in long-term health.
Rana Waxman is a registered yoga therapist ERYT-500, with 20 years of teaching experience. Rana is a freelance writer and social media expert in addition to leading yoga workshops internationally and teaching alignment focused private and group Yoga Lessons in Hoboken and Jersey City NJ.
