The Wisdom of Aging

How do we celebrate our aging and become wisdom holders for our communities in a youth-obsessed culture? As we ripen into the late summer and autumn of our lives, how can we let go of what no longer serves and enjoy the abundance of each precious moment?

As part of our spiritual awakening, we have the opportunity to fully inhabit the eight limbs of yoga and broaden our daily embodiment of freedom and joy. The experience of living through many years affords the ability to see life through the lens of compassionate presence. In this workshop, we will celebrate this perspective and create space in our bodies for joy and curiosity about the future.

During this time together, we will:

• Build the foundations of a consistent, sustainable, injury-free asana (yoga postures) practice.
• Explore the profound influence of breath on the autonomic nervous system and the relationship between breath and the quality of mind.
• Open to the subtleties of the energy body, thus recognizing ourselves and all things as manifestations of prana (life force).
• Develop healthy routines for a daily meditation sitting practice and learn to consider meditation as intimacy with the self.
• Embrace a full sense of gratitude for the ongoing miracle of living in a human body.
• Savor poetry from the wisdom traditions as nourishment from the Divine.
• Play with silence, sound, and laughter as gifts of the spirit.

Students aged 50 and older are welcome. Basic mobility is required; otherwise, please come with someone who can assist you. You must be able to lie on the floor and put your legs up the wall for five minutes and accept your physical limitations without judgment.  Three months of a semi-consistent yoga practice is recommended. Please come with a beginner’s mind, even if you’re not a beginner.

Recommended Reading : “Breath”  by James Nestor