For an ageless glow…do yoga!

One of the lures of doing Bikram Yoga for me (and probably many others) was the claim that some of the poses could help reverse the signs of aging. Particularly, the practice’s focus on upper and lower back flexibility improves posture, which can help prevent osteoporosis and the “hump back” associated with aging. Also, many practitioners claim improvement of memory and mental strength, which may just help prevent Alzheimer’s or dementia.

But what about being able to simply look into the eyes of a yogi and not be able to come close to guessing his or her age? That’s the kind of anti-aging benefits I would like; wouldn’t you?

I often look at the yoga instructors at the Bikram Yoga Rockville studio and try to guess their ages. I am probably wrong, but I think most of them are under 30. I base this on their glowing skin, their toned bodies, their shiny hair, their bright smiles, and the smoothness and gentle tone of their voices. They simply exude youth and vitality. And it’s infectious! (At least I hope it is.) Today, my hopes took a giant leap toward becoming a reality.

Every Wednesday, I volunteer in my son’s classroom for an hour helping 1st graders with math. Before we got down to business, the teacher asked me to walk a group of kids to the restroom. One of the little girls walked next to me asking all kinds of questions:

Where are you from? Where do you live? When you had your baby, did you hope it was a boy or a girl? Were you happy it was a boy?

Then came the question I often dread answering (honestly)…

Little Girl: How old are you Mrs. C.?
Me [truthfully]: I am 40.
Little Girl [shocked]: How are you 40?!?! You look so young. You look like… I don’t know…about 20.
Me [to myself]: THANK YOU, YOGA!!!

I don’t really care that she was only 7; it still made my day! 🙂

Category:

Bikram Yoga, Health, Self Improvement, Spirituality, Yoga

Tags:

anti-aging, youth

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