‘My yoga guru mum is still bendy at 81 – here’s how you can be too’
More midlifers are discovering yoga's benefits, but can this ancient discipline help us to live longer and healthier lives?
Lysanne Currie27 December 2023 • 7:00am
Tight shoulders? Stiff neck? Yoga poses can provide a toolbox of solutions
Yoga teacher Barbara Currie taught her final lesson in December 2023, three months shy of her 82nd birthday. It marks the end of an era – 51 years of teaching yoga – but why is she hanging up her leotard now? The reason might surprise you. She and her 85-year-old husband are going travelling. “We’ve got more to do, more countries we want to see,” she explains, “while we’re both fit, mobile and energetic enough to do it.”
It’s pretty impressive stuff and evidence of both a youthful attitude and physicality that Barbara mostly puts down to a life of yoga, a practice she took up in Glasgow in 1971, long before most of us had ever heard of a downward dog.
“We’d just moved into the area, I had two children under the age of three, and I was lonely, low and out of shape. No one had heard of yoga back then, but I was so stiff, tired and stressed that I was happy to give a local class a go.
“I left an hour later walking on air. I knew immediately that yoga was for me. I started to practise regularly and became so pleased with my new yoga-toned shape, energy and positive attitude that I wanted to share the benefits – so I trained to be a teacher.”
The yoga attitude
Barbara is my mum. She took me along to one of those early classes when I was three and yoga has been part of my life ever since. Whereas she has religiously taught and practised daily (the six-pack and toned biceps are evidence), my relationship with yoga has been different. It’s always been there: we did the exercises as kids and, when I lived nearby, I’d go to her classes. But as well as being an exercise regime, yoga is a positive mindset that provides energy and resilience.
Once you know the yoga poses, they not only provide a great workout when done in sequence, but can also be used separately as a kind of “toolbox”. Tight shoulders? Chest expansion or cow. Stiff neck? Head and neck roll.
For me now – 55, menopausal, sole parent to a 10-year-old and running my own business – yoga has taken a different shape. Most of my practice is in snatched time at home: salute to the sun is my morning go-to and, as Barbara says, “the perfect sequence to work every organ in the body”. I do local yin yoga classes but also frequently dip into my yoga “toolbox” – the pigeon pose sorted out a bout of sciatica, and the mountain pose on tiptoes got rid of menopausal plantar fasciitis (extreme foot pain). It worked. It always does.
What are the benefits of practising yoga?
One of yoga’s most powerful gifts, especially in mid to late life, is understanding that the body not only tells you what it needs but provides solutions. Yoga gets rid of the “Oh I’m just getting old” mindset and refuses to accept that aches and pains are an inevitable part of ageing. Instead, through regular practice and the increased connection to one’s body, it offers positive solutions to body groans.
Diana O’Reilly, chair of the British Wheel of Yoga, explains: “Yoga is an attitude. It is all about self-regulation, it’s saying, ‘We can create this wonderful life, we can do it ourselves at any age. And this is how.’”
“Yoga connects everything,” adds Fiona Adamson, a yoga sports scientist, who works with professional athletes through her business Yoga Sports Specialist. “It works on all aspects of ourselves. Post-pandemic, people are more willing to explore their health and to pick up little techniques, such as a simple breathing technique that might help with anxiety or depression.”
“And, of course, one of the huge benefits is the effect on the spine. If you’re as old as your spine and your spine is completely flexible at 60 – you’re young!”
Barbara concurs: “Think about everything the spine does for us – it allows us to stand, sit, bend, pick up things and live our life smoothly. And that has an effect on our physical and mental health, so if we do become more sedentary, it’s not surprising that other health issues creep in. And of course a flexible spine brings a more youthful appearance.”
For midlifers who want to feel better, tackle aches and pains, stay flexible and toned, with improved mental health and cognition, yoga is a marvellous panacea.
Barbara taught her final yoga lesson just three months shy of her 82nd birthday
What type of yoga is best as we age?
There are so many different types of yoga but four that are great for older adults are:
Hatha
A series of slow-paced seated and standing poses with a focus on stretching and breathing. It has myriad benefits for midlifers including alleviating anxiety and depressive symptoms, improving balance and helping sleep.
Chair yoga
Fantastic if you have mobility or balance issues as it bypasses the need to get down onto the floor. Many yoga poses can be adapted to the chair, and those practising can still reap the benefits, including muscle tone improvement, increased flexibility and stress reduction – all of which can help you feel and look younger.
Kundalini
Perfect for those looking for something more spiritual as it combines postures and breathing exercises with meditation and chanting. Benefits range from stress relief to improved cognitive function and greater self-confidence (which can deplete as we age).
Yin yoga
This focuses on holding poses for longer periods of time (usually three to five minutes for more advanced practitioners). It works on stretching deep connective tissues and is very meditative. Anti-ageing benefits include joint lubrication, an increased sense of calm and greater mobility.
How to choose the right yoga class
There are many types of yoga so it’s worth trying some styles to find the right one for you. Some classes offer free trial lessons, or look online for a taster class. “Shop around,” says O’Reilly. “Every teacher is different but when you find a wonderful teacher and a wonderful style of yoga, you will feel it instinctively. You’ll enjoy it and then everything will open up to you.” However, she adds, “We’re not so much teachers as facilitators. We’re facilitating people to become their own teachers.”
What to expect as a yoga beginner
Some people can be scared off a yoga class because they think it will involve contortions and complicated positions from the word go. “Not at all,” says Barbara. “Yoga classes are so welcoming and all the poses we do have a stage for complete beginners. It’s important to just go at your own pace. There is no competition – you just listen to your body.”
'She took me to one of those early classes when I was three and yoga has been part of my life since' CREDIT: Rii Schroer
“We start with ‘centring’,” says Adamson. “Bringing awareness to where you are in that moment in time, which immediately begins to reduce cortisol levels.”
Medical conditions or injuries are always taken into account. “Before the class begins, I ask people to tell me if they have any medical conditions or injuries,” Barbara explains. “Some exercises may not be suitable, so when we come round to that one, I will give an alternative pose.”
And do you need any kit? Most classes that use blocks or straps will provide them, and as for clothes, don’t worry about splashing out on a new outfit. “Just wear something loose and comfortable,” advises Barbara. So what are the disciplines age-defying benefits?
Yoga alleviates stress and promotes mental wellbeing
“Yoga’s wonderful stretches release the chronic (and very ageing) tension that is held within the body,” explains Barbara. “By breathing deeply in every posture, you stimulate life-giving oxygen to every cell, as well as calming your mind and aiding deep relaxation. By concentrating on the balancing movements, you take your mind off its troubles, allowing you to feel peaceful.”
The body’s stress response, rooted in ancient survival instincts, involves the release of adrenaline to prepare for a fight-or-flight situation. In modern times, even though there are no imminent threats like sabre-toothed tigers, the body still reacts in the same way. And chronic exposure to stress without sufficient relaxation can lead to health issues such as high blood pressure, chronic fatigue, reduced disease resistance, headaches, cancer and heart attacks. Releasing this tension through yoga stretches improves blood flow, can alleviate symptoms and increases a brain chemical called GABA, linked to better mood and less anxiety.
Modern research, aided by data from MRIs and EEGs, is now helping us understand how yoga, meditation, and mindfulness practices impact different emotional and mental states. Findings indicate that regular yoga and meditation can lead to changes in brain structure, such as the shrinking of the amygdala, which is considered the brain’s threat centre.
Yoga can improve brain health and mental sharpness
Yoga can also improve cognition. As tension decreases, individuals may experience improved clarity and focus. Harvard Medical School reports that regular yoga practice can improve cognitive skills like learning and memory by creating new connections in the brain. Studies reviewed by the journal Brain Plasticity in 2019 show that yoga practitioners have a thicker cerebral cortex and hippocampus, the brain region crucial for processing information and learning.
Yoga can help neurological disorders
According to research in the World Journal of Psychiatry, yoga can also alleviate some symptoms of Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. “Yoga may enhance blood flow to areas of the brain that promote the symptoms of early dementia and delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease,” the report says. “Yoga can also improve the physical disability of [Alzheimer’s patients], such as walking, gait speed and balance.”
In people with multiple sclerosis, clinical trials suggested that those who practised yoga saw improvements in walking speed, fatigue, quality of life and symptoms of depression. And for sufferers of Parkinson’s disease, “yoga exercises can improve flexibility and balance… and promote muscle strength” as well as reducing symptoms like pain and anxiety.
Yoga can help with lung capacity
Yoga incorporates breathing exercises that enhance lung capacity and regulate respiration. “There’s thought to be no way back from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),” says Fiona Adamson. “But I’m working with people whose lung capacities have massively improved. Their breathing improves, they’re able to walk further and that in turn makes them feel a whole lot better.”
'Young me would never have believed that, due to yoga, I would still be bending at 81'
Research published in 2023 in the journal Annals of Medicine suggests that yoga, along with controlled breathing and aerobic training, can help lung function in people with asthma. It’s early days but, according to the research: “Breathing training, aerobic training, relaxation training, yoga training and breathing, combined with aerobic training, led to improvements in the levels of forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) levels and peak expiratory flow (PEF).”
And it’s great for your heart
Practising yoga regularly has been linked to improved immune function and reduced blood pressure. One study found significant advantages in those who had been practising yoga for five years or more. “Our results indicate that yoga reduces the age-related deterioration in cardiovascular functions,” the report says.
Yoga makes you look better
The “yoga glow” is real. Yoga-induced relaxation leads to reduced muscular tension, decreased adrenaline secretion, slower breathing and heart rate, and normalised blood pressure. This state of relaxation improves blood flow to the skin and hair follicles and reduces frown lines.
Finally it “reverses” the ageing process
“Regular yoga practice not only improves breathing but results in greater motor control, improved reaction times, balance, agility, stamina, fitness, endurance, functional strength and conditioning, mobility and stability – all anti-ageing benefits,” says Adamson.
“We know now that certain breathing techniques will light up different areas of the brain. We create different grooves in the brain that are more positive and then we learn how to shift into our parasympathetic nervous system – the part associated with ease and relaxation. At the same time, we’re creating the strength and flexibility to be mobile in life,” she continues. “From that, a different attitude towards ourselves emerges – an attitude of being able to care for ourselves and become optimistic about how we’re going to move forward and live.”
Barbara agrees: “The young, frazzled, depressed me in my late-20s would never have believed that, due to yoga, I would still be bending and stretching at 81 – and about to embark on an exciting new chapter. I am so grateful that yoga has given me the flexibility, strength and energy to not only keep teaching all these years, but to now start a new adventure in my 80s. And yes, I’ll still practise yoga on my travels – that’s another great thing about yoga, you can do it anywhere.”
Always consult your doctor before starting an exercise programme