Unplug and Recharge:How To Age Gracefully

The simple act of moving your spine regularly can dramatically shift your experience of being alive. All too often we hold a rigid, upright posture, without allowing our spines to dance and undulate in the ways that they crave and are designed to.

One of my yoga teachers says that the key to aging gracefully (meaning, feeling vibrant from within no matter what age you are) is to maintain a flexible and fluid spine. This exercise stands as of the best, and simplest, ways that I know how to do this.

1. Get down on your hands and knees. Place your hands under your shoulders and spread your fingers wide apart.

2. Place your knees under your hips. If your knees are sensitive, place a blanket under your shins and knees.

3. Inhale and drop your navel, ribs, and chest toward the floor. Move your shoulder blades together and look upwards between your eyebrows at the end of the inhale.

4. As you exhale, release your chin to your chest, draw up and round through your back ribs, draw your belly to your spine, and point your tailbone down towards the floor.

5. Repeat this for five to ten minutes.

Comments

[obamabiden2008]

Thanks for the reminder. You are so right.

[StopGlobalWarmingBeVegan]

Drinking fresh organic fruit smoothie, also helps us age gracefully. :)

[Chameli Ardagh]

Wonderful thank you Sarah, I always enjoy reading your blog posts. You show Yoga in a way so that I feel i can do it!
The body can be such a friend if we only take care of it (as we would want to be kind to a good friend)

[Sara Avant Stover - Huffpost Blogger]

Yes, the woman in the picture is young, but as the saying goods, "the proof is in the pudding." Age has nothing to do with this. No matter what your age, give it a try and see how it makes you feel.
In the 13 years that I have been practicing yoga, I feel better in my body now than I ever have before. Moving your spine builds a sense of inner vibrancy that is, from my experience, ageless.

[bergina33]

Sara,
I agree with you on everything but the saying.
The correct phrasing is "the proof of the pudding is in the eating"...­.FYI :o)

[LHoney]

How old is the woman in the picture? About 24 I'd say, and I rest my case....

[timezone]

I agree. I also believe that aging gracefully means "workin'" what ya got! It's important to stay in shape, put on that sunscreen (at any age), but having one's face stretched til it means in a point on the top of the head, doesn't seem "graceful". We won't stop being such an age-obsessed society til we all stop being, well, so age-obsessed.

[Clairvaux]

The real question is -- how NOT to age, gracefully.

[thelipstickfemme]

I suggest along with Yoga, do some light weight training to build muscle mass as one gets older. The loss of muscle is a key in accelerating the aging process.

here here...get­ting old is hard. It is a lot of maintenance and dealing with changing hormones that need adjusting when they start decreasing due to menapause and anapause. Without help (hormone replacement etc) aging can be a pain. I don't like it at all, and there is nothing graceful about sagging skin, thinning hair, hair on your chin and other places that were not there before. It sucks for sure.

[Clairvaux]

On target.

A little weight training is especially important for men, but I would guess that women would benefit as well.

Also, older faces have their own kind of beauty.

And older souls sometimes age like fine wine.

[111]

what's wrong with aging? given the alternative, dropping dead, I'll take growing old.

It is unfortunate that 20 year olds were used for the pictures to illustrate an aging body but getting beyond the image presented the idea of keeping the spine flexible as a key to good health is true.

[Clairvaux]

Good point.

[AgathaX]

That was welcome. I know its not the whole answer. But its a small sensible piece of the puzzle with simple affirmative steps that one can take and feel immediate benefit. Thanks.

[Tena]

Boo, I'm far more interested in how to age as DISGRACEFULLY as possible.

Way more interesting.

[clearthinker2008]

How do you know? lol

[whoknew---]

Let us know when your memoirs come out....

LOL---