This entry was posted on Nov 26, 2025 by Charlotte Bell.
Lately a former highschool classmate posted a meme that caught my eye. It went one thing like this: “At my age, after I drop one thing on the ground I’ve to resolve whether or not it’s definitely worth the hassle to bend over and choose it up.” Many different former classmates chimed in to commiserate. I used to be surprised. I by no means even assume twice about bending over to select one thing up off the ground. In that second, I felt such gratitude for yoga follow.
I began practising within the early Eighties, after I was in my 20s. On the time, I felt so lucky to have been born with a hypermobile physique that might do just about any pose. For years, I took full benefit of my pure bendiness to follow plenty of the “fancy” poses. I loved the reward of my lecturers and fellow college students. In fact, my flexibility wasn’t one thing I’d labored for; I used to be born with it. However regardless of, the reward felt good.
The whole lot Modifications, Even Yoga Apply
I’d all the time thought that I’d be doing poses like Hanumanasana (Monkey Pose) and Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (Full Pigeon Pose) for the remainder of my life. However my 50s introduced a impolite awakening. The cartilage in my shallow hip sockets (aka “hip dysplasia”) had worn right down to nothing. These hypermobile hip joints that had given me a lot ego satisfaction had reached their expiration date.
No quantity of yoga follow may save my hip joints. In 2015 and 2016, I had either side changed. Within the years previous the surgical procedures, I skilled a little bit of what my classmate wrote about. As time handed, I misplaced easy capabilities that I’d beforehand taken without any consideration. I had to make use of my arms to select my legs as much as get them right into a automobile. I couldn’t sleep on my left aspect. If I dared to alter positions in mattress, I skilled searing ache. Getting up off the ground was awkward.
Dwelling with Ease
After the surgical procedures, the return to regular operate was virtually quick. A long time of yoga follow had cultivated energy, agility and stability in my physique. I used to be strolling with out crutches 5 days put up surgical procedure. Inside per week, getting up off the ground—with out utilizing my arms—was simple once more. I may flip over in mattress with out ache. My speedy restoration impressed timeless gratitude for yoga follow.
I not purpose to maintain practising Monkey Pose or Full Pigeon if I make it to age 90. In reality, regardless that my physique can nonetheless simply kind these shapes, I’ve stopped practising them.
As a substitute, I’ve long-established my follow with the intention of residing my finest life on this physique going ahead. My yoga follow is now designed to permit me to dwell gracefully on this physique, so I can negotiate stairs, hike in nature and squat in my backyard. I by no means wish to need to assume twice about selecting one thing up off the ground. And naturally, there’s the mind-body aspect of follow that underlies all of it—that feeling of calm vitality that permits me to satisfy life’s challenges with extra grace.
Gratitude for Yoga Apply
Most of my yoga college students are in my age vary, lots of them a lot older. Each single one in every of them can bend over and choose issues up, and follow yoga on the ground with out concern that they won’t be capable of get again up. We’re all just about over the concept there’s any profit to wedging our ankles behind our heads. What’s vital is with the ability to take pleasure in residing in these our bodies, whilst they evolve with age.
Fancy poses might be enjoyable. However direct your focus to these easy standby poses that may permit your follow to evolve with you. And each infrequently, bear in mind to replicate in your gratitude for yoga follow and the dedication you’ve made to retaining your physique robust, agile and balanced.
About Charlotte Bell
Charlotte Bell found yoga in 1982 and started educating in 1986. Charlotte is the writer of Conscious Yoga, Conscious Life: A Information for On a regular basis Apply and Yoga for Meditators, each revealed by Rodmell Press. Her third e book is titled Hip-Wholesome Asana: The Yoga Practitioner’s Information to Defending the Hips and Avoiding SI Joint Ache (Shambhala Publications). She writes a month-to-month column for CATALYST Journal and serves as editor for Yoga U On-line. Charlotte is a founding board member for GreenTREE Yoga, a non-profit that brings yoga to underserved populations. A lifelong musician, Charlotte performs oboe and English horn within the Salt Lake Symphony and people sextet Purple Rock Rondo, whose DVD gained two Emmy awards.