NEWSLETTERS
Satyananda Yoga

THE YOGA CONNECTION

 

Benefits of Yoga in the Later Years: One Student's Experience

Yoga Connection recently interviewed Emily Parkman, an Atma Center member for the past three years, asking her to talk about aging and yoga. The following is a summary of the conversation.

Emily Parkman does half-moon pose

Intermediate B student Emily Parkman began yoga in her mid-70’s - - living proof that “It’s never too late!”

Almost 80.  Emily thinks she may be the oldest student in Atma Center’s classes.  Asked how she’ll celebrate turning 80 next February, she replies, “I don’t want a big celebration, just to be with my children.  I’m irritated that I’m going to be 80. I'm not old enough to be 80! When people say, ‘You’re still playing tennis?’  I really get irritated.”  She wishes the time wouldn’t pass by so quickly, but she’s not the least bit discouraged or concerned about her age.  Not conforming to society’s stereotype of an octogenarian, Emily stands tall, is physically fit, and enjoys a variety of  active  pastimes  such as  walking her dog twice daily, gardening, attending  two or three yoga classes a week, and playing tennis every Friday.  She rarely “sits around” and says she was raised to stay active, keep busy, and use her time well.  She likes the feeling of accomplishing something and admits, “Now that I’ve been taking yoga classes here for three years, I can see it hasn't been a waste of time!” 

Why yoga.  Emily first came to Atma Center three years ago to accompany a friend whose doctor recommended yoga  to aid recovery from  surgery.   “He left after about three weeks and I’ve been here ever since!”  Yoga was new to Emily, who had never tried it in the past thinking it might be just a bit “too far out there.”  But yoga at Atma Center, she discovered, was just another great way to keep moving her body.  This, along with “regular daily exercise,” emerges as the central theme of Emily’s overall strategy for maintaining health and well-being.  

Yoga’s best features.  Mentioned several times during the course of the interview, Atma Center teachers are the main reason Emily has kept coming to classes.  “I’ve been so impressed with how  knowledgeable  they  are and that they are willing to share so much, like, why a pose helps, the physical and mental benefits, and how to work with any problems we’re having. They give us so much attention and they all have a great sense of humor.”  Not surprisingly, Emily specifically mentions Atmarupa’s teaching:  “She is extraordinary!”

Self-awareness.  Emily values the self-awareness she has developed, especially as it relates to knowing and accepting limitations.  Exhibiting her own sense of humor, she admits she used to “cheat” in classes – “You know, like bending forward in triangle pose to reach further to the ground, thinking no one would notice.”  Then she discovered it didn’t matter how far she could reach.  She wasn’t competing with anyone. “I was the one who noticed.  I noticed how stupid that was! Now, I only compete with myself doing the best I can with what I have.” 

Accepting limitations.  Emily’s experience demonstrates perhaps the greatest benefit of all. “It took me a year to listen to ‘Honor your limitations.’  I learned that even I have some limitations - - and it doesn’t matter!  Yoga gives you such a positive attitude toward yourself.”  Emily shares the example of her tennis playing.  She says she can live with the fact that her game probably won’t improve at this point in life.  “Just my attitude improves.  Yoga helps me maintain my skills and my attitude.  It helps me keep limber and noticing things about my body.  Besides, it’s fun!”

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SATYANANDA YOGA®: The Perfect Accompaniment to Aging

By Mary Baird

 

Funny how nervous laughter often accompanies the mention of "getting old." That sense of dread is effectively reinforced  by main-stream culture with its incessant stay-young, anti-aging, and over-the-hill messages.  At 65, I feel blessed to finally be getting older. I am anticipating the advent of all that age-related wisdom which, I am hoping, is NOT a myth!  I'm grateful to be working in a supportive cultural milieu of yoga teachers, students and staff where aging is celebrated and respected, if not altogether ignored.  Satyananda Yoga, after all, is age blind.  Being a wholistic system of practices, it enhances the health and well-being of all ages.

 

For example, in a Prologue to Dr. Swami Karmananda's  Yogic Management of Common Diseases, Swami Satyananda writes:

. . .We stand hypnotized by the belief [underline added] that disease and illness are our fate and destiny, rather than health and bliss, which are truly our birthright and heritage.  In order to emerge from our mass hypnosis [including our assimilated false beliefs about the "devastating effects" of aging] . . . , we must make a systematic application of yoga in our daily lives.

 

Growing old with steadiness and ease comes naturally when one applies the  basics of yoga.  This ancient science as adapted by Swami Satyananda for today’s world can be harnessed to optimize the quality of life over 50, and in many cases, reverse the biochemical “markers” associated with aging. Once thought to be inevitable, these include declining bone density, muscle mass and strength; lower metabolism, aerobic capacity and blood sugar tolerance; rising blood pressure; and a decreased capacity to regulate the body’s temperature.

 

Just the simple principle of increased activity with regular asana practice promotes the health and wellbeing of the aging practitioner. In particular, Satyananda Yoga’s Pawan-muktasana series is an ideal fitness program to improve flexibility and strength as well as tone all the glands and organs, thus improving circulation, energy flow and the functioning of all of the body’s systems.   Holding  weight-bearing asanas like eka  pada pranamasana (tree pose) for several breaths not only improves balance, but places stress on leg bones, lowering the risk of bone density loss. 

Just slowing the breath and movement can lower blood pressure, as can tranquilizing or cooling pranayama practices.  Meditation techniques can also relieve  hyper-tension, calm the mind and reduce the impact of stress in our lives.  These practices can also help retain or re-train mental focus and concentration.

 

The level of awareness we develop is the key to self-regulation on many levels -- body, breath,  thoughts, emotions, energy.  This in turn develops that sense of empowerment so important as one faces the challenges  of  aging.

Witnessing the body’s condition soon transfers to witnessing thoughts that pervade our self-consciousness about grey hair, wrinkles, or taking longer to do some things.  This allows us to step back and recognize these thoughts as cultural implants -- unnecessary mental baggage that simply can be tossed overboard! Self-acceptance is the treasured side-effect.  The art of relaxation that comes with Satynanda Yoga Nidra™ is also supportive to healthy aging.  Reprogramming our neural pathways with this practice can ease long-held rigid patterns and free us to adopt new ways of thinking and acting, creating for ourselves a kinder, gentler journey into old age.

 

Yogic Theory on Aging

 

Lifelong aging process: Four stages. In Yoga Darshan, Swami Niranjananda presents a theoretical famework for viewing the aging process.  Taken from ancient Vedic tradition, each stage of life implies a different set of tasks:

  

BRAMACHARYA ASHRAMA [youth] From youth through 25, the focus is on knowledge & career, and fulfilling ones material needs.

GRIHASTHA ASHRAMA [householder] From 25 – 50 the task is to maintain family and social structure and fulfill ones emotional needs.

VANAPRASHTA [retirement] From 50 – 75 the idea is to let go of family as they pursue their own lives,  encourage the positive growth of others, fulfill ones social obligations and begin the quest for liberation.

SANNYASA ASHRAMA [renunciation] From 75 – 100, the task is to maintain a balanced view of life, inner harmony, trust, faith, perfect awareness and openness; and practice the Yoga of Devotion.  [p.15]

 

Regulating Prana.  Yoga Darshan presents a pranic perspective easily applied to an understanding of the aging process.   Pranic imbalance [unbalanced energy flow in the body and mind] is seen as the root cause of most physical, mental, and emotional problems at any stage of life.  This unbalanced state is experienced as energy depletion or deficit, energy blockages, or uncontrolled excessive fluctuations [p.237].  An example is the body's temperature variation, often more difficult to regulate in older bodies. Yoga attributes the root cause to imbalance in energy flows.  The Pranayama practice of Nadi Shadhona (alternate nostril breathing) would be a likely antidote.

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Atma Center FAQ:  When Do I Move Up to the Next Level?

By Atmadarshan

 

This is part II of an article reprinted from Spring, 2005 Yoga Connection.


Students often ask me, “How do I know if I’m ready to move to the next level of yoga classes?”   I generally advise them to consider several factors:  their current physical abilities, their health, their belief system, their knowledge of yoga, and what they are looking for in a yoga practice.  But it often seems that what influences students’ desires to progress has more to do with the competitive nature of our culture.  Some students feel that there must be something wrong with them if they are not quickly and continually moving to the next level.  Others find themselves bored or feel that difficult, complicated poses will be more challenging and rewarding.  But just as you might find it frustrating to try to tackle War and Peace  if you had only just started to read, in the long run you will likely find advanced levels to be frustrating (and sometimes injurious) without a firm grounding in the basics.

 

Actually, each foundation course is designed with the expectation that most students will remain there for 6 to 18 months.  The course guide for each level contains over a hundred techniques and their variations.  It’s impossible for a student to become competent or familiar with all of these in a mere 6 weeks.  Plus, each teacher and each session is different in terms of theme, course structure and practices selected.

 

General guidelines.

 

Foundation A is structured to open the joints of the whole body, to develop strength and to increase the ability of the body to do energetic practices.  It also helps relieve and prevent degenerative diseases and conditions like arthritis, high blood pressure, and back problems.

 

You are ready to move on to Foundation B when you:

Foundation B includes more classical asana (poses), more subtle practices, and theory.  Its purpose is to further develop hip flexibility, core strength, and upper body strength, thus preparing students for the rigors of Foundation C.  It includes chanting of the mantra OM to begin and end the class.

 

You are ready to move on to Foundation C when you:

 

 

Atmadarshan, Satyananda Yoga instructor, does a challenging pose

 NOTE:  You know you are ready to write articles for the newsletter when you can do this!

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Fresh Faces Around the Atma Center

By Adwaita

 

Jignasu AdwaitaGayatri and Adwaita have joined the Atma Center team.  Both are returning from several years abroad. They completed the four- month Certificate Course in Munger, India, and Yogic Studies 2aGayatri and 2b in Australia, as well as lengthy stays in ashrams around the world, including Anahata in N.Z.  They are now enrolled in Teacher Training 1 at the AC and are “interning” to learn the ins and outs of running a yoga center.  They are already involved in everything from teaching Yogic Studies to cleaning toilets with Adwaita’s fuzzy head.  When asked how they ended up in Cleveland after years traveling around the world, they replied, "We want to support Satyananda Yoga in the U.S. and this is the starting point."

 

Sannyasi Agnimudra from AustraliaAgnimudra will be joining us again from Australia.  She has completed the full teacher training accreditation process through the Satyananda Yoga Academy in Australia.  She is a social worker who lives in Newcastle, NSW, Australia.  She will be assisting with several Yogic Studies and Teacher Training courses from July into September, along with doing karma yoga at the center.  She is considering opening her own yoga center in Australia and hopes that her time here will not only teach her what’s involved, but help her decide if this is a path to pursue.

 

For the month of May, we have had two enthusiastic seniors from Shaker Heights High completing their Senior Projects at the Atma Center.  Becca and Kali are both interested in the holistic health field and are getting a head start by volunteering their time and energy at

the Atma Center this month.  They've helped with many aspects of our work, including distributing flyers, cleaning, working in the store and library.  They are also sampling as many yoga classes as they can fit into their busy schedule. 

 

Dr. Swami Shankardev, travelling Acharya for Satyananda Yoga

 

 

Dr. Swami Shankardev has announced a tour in the U.S. and will be visiting us for a week in October.  We are looking forward to welcoming him back!

 

 

 

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ATMA CENTER EVENTS

 

 

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Swami Niranjananda Says. . .

What is truth?  It is like a jigsaw puzzle that can't be put together.  We each hold a piece and think we know what it is.  But few will ever experience anything beyond the conditions of the limited mind with its expectations and limited knowledge.  We need to identify with our egos rather than sympathize with others.  In order to live a happy life, yoga teaches not to identify with the ego and negativity.  We must develop positivity.  Then we may be able to hold two or three pieces of the puzzle. And then we may be able to see a small picture or part of the puzzle.            [notes from lectures in Columbia, 2005]

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This newsletter is provided to you by the Atma Center, 2319 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights, Ohio. [216-371-9760 www.atmacenter.com] The Atma Center is one of three places authorized worldwide to offer advanced training in Satyananda Yoga through Yogic Studies and Teacher Training courses.