Aging Gracefully With Yoga
By Janine Agoglia, Yoga Over 50 on Substack
Aging gracefully can mean different things to different people, I suppose. I am a big fan of the term, but I think it means something different to me than to others who rage against it.
To me, Aging gracefully means finding acceptance of yourself and the aging process. You are not filling your face with Botox or starving yourself for 6-pack abs. You don’t fight the aging process, you take it as it comes by embracing your age and who you are.
There is an element of ease that comes from embracing yourself and your age. You stop caring what other people think. You let go of needing to please others and you find a peaceful place within yourself to fully be yourself, exactly as you are.
I am 54. I am proud of my age, and how far I have come. My facial crinkles are from decades of smiling, crying, and living my life. The “wisdom sparkles” in my hair become more prominent every year. I told my son that when I go completely silver I will dye my hair purple. Because why not? Until then, I wear these sparkles with pride.
Aging Gracefully isn’t giving up, nor is it denying the fact that we’re all aging from the moment we’re born. It’s rallying against the pressure to be younger than you are. I accept my age, I always have. It might be from watching my mother and her mother lie about their ages. I never have and I never will. The older I get, the prouder I am to have made it this far. Not everyone has that privilege.
I want to remain strong, active, and healthy for as long as possible. I work hard to eat well, exercise regularly, sleep, and manage my stress. Yoga helps with a lot of that. It keeps me physically strong and mobile, it improves my balance, and helps me with the nonsense that sometimes happens between my ears. Yoga has been a consistent practice for me for more than 30 years.
It can be a messy process, and definitely non-linear. I don’t do everything perfectly every day. Sometimes getting out of bed is a challenge. Sometimes I am doing the bare minimum. I go through phases of doing all of the self care, then at times I do very little and just get by. But I accept myself and my journey. Through yoga, I have learned to show myself compassion when I am struggling, and appreciate the times when I’m not.
Finding the balance between movement and rest is definitely part of Aging Gracefully. As is getting sufficient sleep. If you don’t sleep enough, your body can’t heal and restore itself properly. I aim to get 8 hours each night, though my body seems to like 7. Yours might need 9. We’re all different. You want enough sleep where you feel rested in the morning and energized enough to do everything you want to do during your day without dragging.
I move my body to feel good, strong and mobile. It’s not about weight or how I look; it’s about how I feel. I feel comfortable in my skin most of the time, regardless of the size or shape of my body. It does not determine my self worth (I can finally write after years of therapy, journaling, and meditation…).
I have pretty extreme longevity in my family (my grandmother lived to be 106). I want to live those years as well as I can. I don’t want to be withering away, unable to care for myself. I want to practice yoga and swim for at least the next 4 decades or so, and that requires daily maintenance.
Aging gracefully is a mindset of self-love, self-compassion, and allowing yourself to do the best you can while not giving up. You surrender to the aging process without allowing it to age you faster than necessary.
Many of my yoga students in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s are perfect examples of this. They practice yoga to feel strong and to be able to move their bodies more easily. Yoga gives them peace inside their minds when life throws a curveball, as it so often does. It helps them feel better while walking, playing golf, hiking, or the other sports and activities that they do.
I believe in Aging Gracefully with Strength, Balance, Mobility, and Mindfulness. I see practicing yoga as cross-training for life and all that it brings you. Aging Gracefully is aging with grace for yourself.
Editor’s Note: You can find Janine’s Substack page here
Thanks for sharing, Chris!