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LLANGLEY
Youthful
Outlook
Greatful
Attitude ™

LLANGLEY
Youthful
Outlook
Greatful
Attitude ™
Mission
Endevors to:
• To be useful to yoga students
• To reach potential yoga students about the benefits of practicing yoga
• To build community amoung yoga students and friends of yoga

published by Langley Enterprises

Move It or Lose It!

By Larry L. Langley,
LLangley Y-outhful O-utlook G-reatful A-ttitude (TM)

“Resolve to move everything you are able to move with regular persistence.”

Over the years I have noticed that people who are able to move without pain are generally happy and vibrant, while those that have a hard time moving, or experience pain when they move are generally unhappy and listless.  Hippocrates noticed this and gave us this basic truth that has endured for centuries:

 “That which is used develops and that which is not used wastes away.”

Yoga has withstood the test of time – it has been around for thousands of years and has been practiced by millions of people over the years.  It is a multifaceted jewel holding within it the brilliance of awareness, the beauty of balance and the energy of vitality. Yoga is not a religion.  It is a nonsectarian method for promoting a healthy and harmonious lifestyle.  Any person of any faith can practice yoga and find his or her religion enhanced as a result. [1]

“Yoga is a word that many people have heard of but do not understand.  The word “yoga” is derived from the ancient language of Sanskrit, and it means literally union.  Yoga is a practice, which strives to unite the body, mind and breath creating greater balance and harmony among all of the body systems.  A profound sense of strength, flexibility and overall wellness may be gained from a regular yoga practice.” [2]

Benefits of Yoga for People over 50:

v      the  body remains open and flexible – slows down and reverses the aging process
      ¨       prevents and corrects the most visible sign of aging -- rounding of the spine [3]
      ¨       superior form of weight bearing exercise for preventing osteoporosis [4]
      ¨       keeps the joints young
      ¨       counteracts the effects of gravity
      ¨       improves posture
      ¨       relieves stress
      ¨       revitalizes the feet adding stability to our “foundation”
      ¨       relieves swollen legs, ankles and varicose veins

v     improves balance helping to prevent falls
v     helps prevent height loss
v     can expand range of motion in persons with arthritis
v     can help women experience menopause as a positive event.
       ¨       relieve hot flashes, night sweats
       ¨       ease mood swings and depression
       ¨       balance hormonal changes
       ¨       alleviates fatigue

v     increases awareness and sensitivity awakening a new sense of aliveness

            The following comments about aging and yoga are those of 94 year-old Indra Devi, one of the most renowned and beloved yoga teachers of this century.  She studied with T. Krishnamacharya, a highly regarded yogi who also taught B.K.S. Iyengar, generally considered to be the teacher who has had the most influence bringing yoga to the west.

“People don’t have to wait to do yoga until they are aging.  But what can you do?  Usually that’s how people are.  Not until something happens to their body—then they start thinking about it.  People allow their body to become old, stiff, fat or whatever by doing everything wrong.  From exercising, to eating, to thinking.

     If you think yourself old, you will become old.  Youth comes from inside.  Of course, for people over 80 who are already aging, yoga can do a lot of things for reversing the aging process.  They can start with yoga exercises that everybody can do.  But just doing only the physical part of yoga is not enough.  You have to do things that affect your mind.  You must make the mind like an arrow when you want something, and not be distracted.

     Whatever is in the physical world can be translated into the spiritual world.  In the physical world if you want to be a musician, like a pianist, what do you have to do?  Hours and hours of practicing.  The same thing in the spiritual world.  You want to achieve something; you have to work, but a different kind of work.  The practice of yoga is invaluable.  Yoga affects all of our faculties, physical, mental and spiritual.

     . . . I practice yoga every day.  Some people say, “Oh, I don’t feel the need.”  What do they mean?  You breathe everyday, you eat everyday.  That’s why you should continue to practice yoga exercises.  You might not feel the need today, but three years later you will feel the need!  You should not practice yoga only when you are in pain or discomfort, then give it up because the pain is gone.” [5]

Most of us think we don’t have enough time to exercise.  What a distorted paradigm!  We don’t have time not to.  We’re talking about taking three to six hours a week or a minimum of 30 minutes a day, every other day.  That hardly seems like an inordinate amount of time considering the tremendous benefits in terms of the impact on the other 162-165 hours of the week. –Steven R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Yoga is a gift for older people.  One who studies yoga in the later years gains not only health and happiness, but also freshness of mind since yoga gives one a bright outlook on life.  One can look forward to a satisfying, more healthful future rather than looking back into the past.  With yoga, a new life begins, even if started later; Yoga is a rebirth, which teaches one to face the rest of one’s life happily, peacefully and courageously. ---Geeta S. Iyengar, Yoga, A Gem for Women