For this month’s wellness focus, I would like to advocate the benefits of yoga. Yoga for a better life. Yoga to make you stronger, more focused in your practice.
Yoga is beneficial for all ages. However, I direct my experience to the baby boomer generation. The generation born between 1946 to 1964, a demographic which still encompasses 33% of all active lawyers in the United States. National law journals have reported “boomers” are working longer and retiring later. Hence, this is a call to action to the “boomer” generation: adopt yoga!
As a fellow boomer (63), I fall into this category. Now, in my 37th year of the practice of Law, I am looking to prioritize my mental health, my mental wellness, and my mental acuity. While I am certainly no expert at any of these topics, I can share with you my experience with yoga.
As a competitive tennis player, and weekend golfer, I was continually having tightness in my lower back, hips, and hamstrings. On Father’s Day, 18 years ago, my wife, Sara, gave me a DVD of yoga by Rodney Yee, a master yoga instructor. The DVD was entitled, “Yoga for Athletes”. It had three levels, slow and gentle (HATHA) and flow (Vinyasa).
I started on the beginning level. I hated it. I was bad at it, it hurt, and I looked silly trying to get in the proper positions. I couldn’t touch my toes, my hips were locked, and my back was as tight as five-year-old’s shoelaces. I needed help.
With some assistance of Group classes (hot yoga – Bikram), and personal instruction, I grew to enjoy the benefits from yoga. The movements, and poses included Downward Facing Dog, Child’s pose, Bridge, Happy Baby, Mountain pose, and Warrier I & II. I credit yoga with keeping me fit for trial and competitive tennis to this date.
After three months of weekly yoga, I noted benefits which included: reverse of stiffness, released pain in the low back, hips, and hamstrings, and my flexibility improved. I had less stiffness after long drives, and my REM sleep improved.
Further benefits of yoga include the strengthening of the core, and building stabilizers. Balance and core strength cannot be understated. A strong core can prevent injuries, fix joint misalignment, and improve just about every aspect of your movement.
When done properly, yoga can improve your heart health, lower your blood pressure, increase your blood flow, and improve your focus and sleep.
As a younger man in my 20s and 30s, I enjoyed weight training, free weights, and heavy lifting. However, as my body has aged, it’s been more important for me to maintain flexibility, core strength, and leaner muscle mass. I’m not suggesting that you give up heavy cardio or weight training, just emphasizing the benefits of yoga.
Thanks to OAJ, the Wellness Committee, and Marcus Sidoti, you can sign up for yoga at the Winter OAJ Convention.
Yoga at Sunrise, at Winter Convention will be held on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 7:30 a.m. at the Hilton Cleveland Downtown (Fifth floor, Superior B) with Instructor Dawn Schroeder. All levels welcome. No experience necessary.
RSVP here: https://airtable.com/appcUK8uQzrPrraJJ/pagER1LY8v9SJyGZV/form
So, if I haven’t made the case for you to try yoga or come back to it, let me leave you with some relatable realities, “yoga is not about tightening your rear end, it’s about getting out of it”.
Hoping to see you all in Cleveland!
