Starting Your Yoga Journey Later in Life – Easy Steps to Begin

Often when people think about yoga, the first thing that comes to their mind is a bare chested Yogi standing in the Tree Pose in the background of the snowy Himalayas, or if we refer to contemporary times, a modern yoga practitioner with zero fat percentage in their body, perfectly happy in inversion poses like Shirshasana (head stand).

People generally have this misconception regarding yoga that one needs to be perfectly fit and absolutely young to start yoga in life. But contrary to popular belief, yoga is a way of life and a personalized journey that meets you exactly where you are, and transforms you in the way you want it to.

The most amazing thing about yoga is that whether you are a three year old, a 30 year old or a 60 year old, yoga does not distinguish you or bar you from practicing it. The beauty of yoga lies in its simplicity and adaptability. Therefore, someone who wants to start their yoga journey in life, but is doubtful if they are fit enough or young enough to start yoga journey later in life, here are some easy steps to begin with.

Why Age is just a Number When it comes to Yoga

1. Yoga Promotes Physical Wellness Regardless of Age

Like all things, the human body also depreciates and loses its efficiency with time and age. This is where yoga steps in as a transformative life life-altering process that promotes physical wellness regardless of age. Definitely, it is always better to start yoga early in life, nevertheless even if you start yoga late, Yoga for beginners is beneficial in the sense that yoga will boost your body’s flexibility, strength, and joint mobility. With regular practice it will build muscle strength and overall physical wellness.

2. It Improves Mental Clarity Needed at all Ages of Life

Yoga is a time tested wisdom which has been proven beneficial in improving mental clarity. Peace of mind is a subject required at all points of life and at all ages. When one is happy and healthy in their mind space, it reflects in their physical wellness and their day to day life. Often it is seen that any disease first comes to the mind then translates to the body. Yoga promotes mindfulness and fosters mental clarity.

3. Enhances Balance, Promotes Quality Sleep

Today, even modern science agrees that yoga not only helps one stay physically fit, but also promotes balance and fosters good quality sleep. The physical movements in yoga promote movement which help in relaxing stiff muscles and joints. In addition to this, gentle yoga and breath work techniques help in falling asleep and also having a good night’s sleep which is important to heal the body.

4. Improves Strength and Immunity

It is no surprise that yoga improves strength and immunity. When you dedicate time for your body and mind you not only take a step closer to good health, but also to strength building and gradual transformation with practice with a variety of yoga styles and variations, and effective breath work techniques like Pranayama yoga promotes good health and strengthens immunity to resist seasonal as well as lifestyle diseases.

Let’s bust Some Myths about Starting Yoga Later in Life

1. You are not Flexible Enough

One of the most common myths regarding starting yoga later in life, is that one is not flexible enough to begin yoga. It is important to understand that one need not be flexible first to start yoga. Yoga naturally builds flexibility with practice. It is definitely beneficial if one has a fit lifestyle and is in general active, but it is not a prerequisite to be flexible first to begin yoga.

2. You are not Young Enough

Another common myth regarding yoga is that one needs to start yoga early in life. The yoga postures definitely look challenging. Especially, twisted asanas and inversions look like a huge and unattainable milestone. But the beauty of yoga is that with practice it tends to shape and tone your body in a way that your muscles and bones gradually fall in the posture and you are not only able to correctly perform the asana but also reap therapeutic benefits out of it. So even though it is always best to start yoga as early as possible, but one need not be young enough in order to start practicing yoga.

3. It’s a Time-Consuming Process

Another misconception regarding yoga which also leads to procrastination in beginning the journey of yoga is that people think yoga is a time consuming process. Again, there are two aspects to this. First is that people think the session itself would be time consuming and the second is that, people think the results of yoga may take years to reflect. In reality, both assumptions are false.

Firstly, to start yoga, it is definitely beneficial to customize your yoga sessions as per your requirements and time availability. But even 15 minutes of yoga when done consistently can be rewarding in the long run. Secondly, it is true that yoga does not give results overnight. But then, no physical movement or workout does. So even though it takes gradual time to see progress in yoga, but that progress is ground breaking and cathartic on too many levels.

4. Yoga is Not Adaptable

Another very common myth about yoga is that people think yoga is not adaptable. One needs to be of a certain shape, size, form, or age to be able to perform a particular yoga posture. But, in reality, yoga is one of the most flexible workouts of all times and that is why it holds relevance despite being ancient.

Yoga meets you exactly where you are. It does not matter if you are a young child learning the importance of breath work or a senior citizen who wants to benefit from spine postures like Chakrasana. The journey of yoga is very personal for each one and therefore yoga is 100% adaptable.

How to begin yoga later in Life?

• Understand your priorities and health conditions.
• Pick the right style for practice.
• Start easy first.
• Be open to props and modifications.
• Inculcate breath work in your practice.
• Prioritise balance and correct alignment.
• Be patient with your progress.
• Stay consistent.
• Bring yoga into your lifestyle shift.

Conclusion

Starting yoga early in life is not only possible but also highly transformative and beneficial both internally and externally. Yoga not only teaches you to challenge yourself in a healthy manner, but it also teaches you to accept and appreciate yourself. It embraces all body types and welcomes people from all walks of life.

If you want to explore more about yoga, especially from the birthplace of yoga, you can enrol in Yoga courses in Goa offered by credible institutions like Adiyogam, based in Arambol in North Goa, run under the guidance of expert Indian Yoga masters like Bharat Ram ji.