“Cheryl brings so much knowledge and experience to the classes. I always feel as though the class was tailored just for me.“
As we get older, it is inevitable that our bodies shift and change. I am not going to sell eternal youth. I believe, for myself and my clients, that aging vibrantly is possible. We want to stay strong, keep a healthy weight, sleep deeply and remain vital to our families and communities. Vibrant living with specialized yoga for women over 50 is all here.
But we need to be smart about this. I’m not a fan of hot yoga for older women nor do I believe in “challenges” or aggressive practices that promise quick fixes. You know the kind I mean… “Buy my program and lose 10 pounds by happy hour”.
Here are five key areas in which yoga helps menopause symptoms and helps women over 50 age vibrantly.
It is essential that we keep exercising.
When the inevitable aches and pains arise, the instinct can be to stop moving in case you make it worse. Universally, research reveals that movement is your medicine. From keeping your brain sharp, to sleeping better, to maintaining bone mass… you were made to move.
My specialized yoga and mindfulness classes provide the support and knowledge that you need to keep moving safely. Vibrant living with specialized yoga for women over 50 is possible.
For a deeper discussion of how movement, particularly yoga type movement, can maintain strength, balance and flexibility, read about a Secret Exercise Plan for Pain Relief.
Hip and knee replacements are extremely common.
This photo is my mom and I, rehabbing after her first hip replacement surgery. I have helped hundreds of patients with pre-habilitation and re-habilitation.
You are not alone in needing hip and/or knee surgery. Yoga poses can be easily adapted at almost all stages. And mindfulness meditation is a primary tool for pain management as well as reintegrating any new hardware.
My first recommendation is to try my Yoga Therapy for Hip/Knee Rehab series. This is a sequential program of videos you can do at home. Each practice is less than 15 minutes. Each video is meant to be utilized for about a week or so and then you move onto the next stage. All material is evidence based and recommended by orthopedic surgeons. And it’s all FREE.
In the newsletter, there is always an at home video that shows the adaptation for sore knees and hips.
All my in person, specialized yoga and meditation classes for older women feature modifications and information for sore hips and knees.
Did you know there is a hidden muscle that deeply affects movement in your hips? The psoas (a hip flexor) attaches your spine to your leg bone. This article explains how.
“After the first class, I knew I was on to something. My breathing was easier. I felt, for the first time in a long while, that I knew what to do.”
Shoulder Injuries are more Common for Women
After rehabbing my own shoulder injuries (rotator cuff tear) and working with hundreds of women like us, my firm belief is that the shoulder isn’t where the real issue lies.
And maybe that’s why shoulder tension, pain and injury is so hard to eradicate. Treatment usually centers on the joint.
The yoga therapy approach is always to look at the person holistically. As the photo above demonstrates, the spine sits on the foundation of the pelvis. If the basement is crooked, that strain is felt on the top floors.
Here is a multi-part video series that you can do at home to help rehab your shoulder. Again, each practice is less than 15 minutes and you pace yourself. It will take time to heal. It’s FREE.
“I had never considered that my shoulder pain might have something to do with my dad’s illness. Cheryl helped me connect the dots and prioritize my own self care.”
This article details the connection to breath with the shoulders. This article encourages mindfulness and relaxation to reduce stress in the shoulders.
Women are prone to low back weakness due to our anatomy.
Especially if you have been pregnant, the lumbar curve and its relationship to the sacrum is a highly mobile area. As women who strive to do it all, we tend to ignore the warning signs. Ninety percent of us develop degenerative disc disease as we age. It’s a scary diagnosis but you can absolutely reduce pain and strengthen this area.
Yoga can be amazing for spinal health. My specialized yoga and mindfulness programming is highly informed by in depth anatomy research and the latest movement science.
If your back has
- “gone out”,
- has gone into spasm
- a herniated disc
The at home video series for back health can help. It’s FREE. This article gives you permission to not “do it all”.
“My goal was to complete a hiking trip in England. It became possible as I worked through the classes. Thanks, Cheryl, for amazing memories!”
Doctors deliver diagnoses of osteoporosis, arthritis and metabolic diseases and this is darned scary.
When you hear those dreaded words, it seems as though time stops. Can you imagine the state of your nervous system? I’ve been there. I know first hand about the sweaty palms, the racing heart, the rushing in my ears and feeling faint.
This is why we need yoga and mindfulness! This is a primary intervention for managing stress, especially the stress around chronic conditions and illness.
I am a professionally trained yoga therapist. I have received hundreds of hours of training in anatomy and physiology. This ensures I can keep you safe in my specialized classes for older women.
To keep mobile, I recommend the Joint Freeing Series. This is a safe protocol for all the above mentioned conditions. You can utilize the short videos as a stand alone practice or as a warm up for further activity.
“The Joint Freeing Series has become a daily habit. I often repeat it at bedtime to relax too.”
To help balance your nervous system after these shocks further, please review this video series that helps you learn to relax on purpose.
I’d love to chat further with you about these topics. My decades of experience with real people has brought me to the place where I am passionate about sharing these teachings. My prayer for you is that you take this information, feel encouraged and just start with one small change.
You are an amazing, intelligent, accomplished woman who has given so much. It’s your turn to receive benefit from that bravery, loyalty and talent. Vibrant living with specialized yoga for women over 50 is your birthright!