OMG! Posse! This is just the most ridiculous Winter EVAH! We are in the midst of Polar Vortex 2.0, which follows yet another blizzard. I. Hate. Winter. And for those who think I get to stay inside, eating Mallomars and drinking tea….remember those chickens? Yep! 5:45a, shoveling a path to the coop. We got 4″ of snow last night. It’s persackly 29 solid steps from our back door to the coop gate…and in Polar Vortex those are the longest 29 steps………. But I sprayed a bit of Tom Ford Noir de Noir to keep me company in the pitch dark morning, with the wind howling…the swoony rose and vanilla bloomed beautifully as I worked up a nice head (and other places) of steam, sweeping 4″ of snow out of the run…. and, yes, I trickled the water. Fool me once, bay-bee…
….but I don’t want to talk about perfumes or chickens today…. I wanna talk about Body & Mind. You all know of my travails with my back, my knee, my hip, my shoulder, sciatica, my anxiety, my garden-variety, all-around middle-aged Crazy. Hey, I’m not proud of it but it is what it is. These past 5 years have not been especially easy on me, with business and personal travails, longterm injuries from everything from the ‘exotic’ (an unexpected motorcycle ‘get-off’ @ 60mph) to the mundane (tripping on ONE PIECE of gravel!)….they all have taken their toll. And to be honest, the toll is more psychological than physical. I’ve become timid about everything from getting down from the bed of a pickup to simply walking down the street! It was freaking me out! I’m not 90yrs old and frankly, even if I were, I don’t want to be afraid to walk down the damn street! And I’ve noticed that a lot of you have commented with similar (or WORSE!) ailments! Let’s face it, none of us is Benjamin Button so it’s only going to get weirder, as we progress. So I decided to do something about it. I have no problem growing old (as my pop used to say ‘you get old or you get dead’) but I want to do it with as much grace and health as possible. Wonky joints and fearful movement is aging & demoralizing. And I ain’t havin’ it. So I turned to one of Our Own, Nina Zolotow. She, along with her yoga partner, Dr. Baxter Bell, run Yoga for Healthy Aging. It’s not Yoga for Old People – it’s actually persackly what they say it is – Healthy Aging. Since all of us want to age, why not do it in health, if we can? This came about via one of the many Six Degrees wonders of Mark Zuckerberg’s little Social Media platform. Nina is an avowed perfumista and one thing led to another…..I started poking around on her blog but didn’t really pay close attention until THIS article! I’ve flirted with yoga in the past, from classes to DVDs (Rodney Yee, you’re HAWT! but too fast for a gal) …..but nothing really addressed what is going on with me – that sudden lack of confidence in my body, born of injury and inaction. Nina and Baxter put together a series of exercises which she is chronicling on their blog (I think it starts HERE) Those of you who are used to my ways will recognize my yammeration in that post – I have no problem identifying myself here – yeah, it’s me. Scared to death, stiff as a board, shakin’ like a leaf and feeling like I’m 1000 years old. And now it’s winter? And the idea of walking beyond the front door makes my stomach clench? Gotta stop. What’s cool about YFHA is, Nina, Shari and Baxter recognize that there are underlying issues – the lack of confidence is one that has to be addressed as well as – well, actually it has to be addressed as we go along. I’m not just interested in more mobility; I don’t want to be scared to move anymore.
So! What does this have to do with perfume? Not much – but in a way, a whole lot. See, the diminution of my confidence has impacted every aspect of my life. I feel old. Crunchycrackly. Blech. I was losing joy in nearly everything.
At least I was. Now, with Nina, Shari and Baxter to help, I’m feeling a WHOLE LOT BETTER! and it’s just starting. The poses for sciatic? Yeah, baby!!! I even took the boyz out yesterday, on the slick street (there are no sidewalks right now, you can fuggedaboutthat) and while I wasn’t Gene Kelly I wasn’t Gladys, either. 
Just that little achievement – walking on a slickery street without my heart in my mouth – in December! In a blizzard! with my knees bent and my hips a little bit loose!!! – that was HUGE!!!! (okay – I lied when I said my heart wasn’t in my mouth. But it was just barely there – more like on the tip of my tongue (or should that be the reverse? Hanging at the back of my throat? Yuck. I’m a little fuzzy, combining axioms and physiology ain’t mah thang). And it made me feel less like a dinosaur. So! for allayouse who are illin’ a little bit or a lot – get over to Yoga for Healthy Aging and see what they have going on. You can follow my journey or take one of your own. I’m not going to out ‘my girls’ here – it’s not my place – but you know who you are (and there may be some guys, too!). I had no idea yoga could address so many things! El O working m Very Last Nerve? They’ve got a pose for that (my hand to Floyd, these past 5 days I have been in that pose EIGHT TIMES! It really is cool! I’m hoping to find a post on “Yoga for Crappy Sinuses”!!
btw – there is no affiliation here other than what I was already doing with them – I just thought it might be a interesting connection for some of you! We’ll get back to perfume next week!!!
UPDATE: for some reason the links aren’t working so….www.baxterbell.com and yogaforhealthyaging.blogspot.com
The “Winter Ice, Fear of Falling and Yoga” post is up now. Baxter has some great recommendations about how to use yoga to acquire the strength, flexibility and agility you need to handle icy conditions. See: http://yogaforhealthyaging.blogspot.com/2014/01/winter-ice-fear-of-falling-and-yoga.html
Whoa! Thanks for the recommendation! I recently bough a couple pair of boots, which, while being nice looking and providing the necessary traction, are kind of a pain in the neck to get on and off. These cleats seem like an easier alternative!
they are stellar, G. You will love them.
xoxoxoA
I love mallomars! I have also been meaning to start yoga for the past few months, but even going outside these days seems like too much to ask 🙁 I am very happy to hear how well it is working for you, and maybe that will help me get over the hurdle of getting into the habit myself.
You don’t need to leave the house to do yoga. You can practice from a video (there are some good free ones on youtube but there are also some videos you can stream for payment) or you can practice from a book or card deck. And if you know any poses at all, you can simply do the poses you know. My home practice started when I took a year off from work and wanted to do a lot of yoga without spending money. Rodney Yee taught me that unless what you are doing is causing pain, there is no wrong way to practice yoga.
Another great post, dear Musette! I can really relate to the ooching and oww-ing (I am 60). And I was just thinking the other day that I ought to get back to doing some Yoga. I find it works well for not only physical ailments (or deficits), but also the mind and the mind-body connection I sometimes neglect, as if my body is just an unruly thing that drags my thinking parts around. So happy you have found a path to Yoga! I think it really boosts confidence and relieves anxiety, at least for me, and I hope for you too.
XOX
I hope we can motivate you to come back to yoga, Queen Cupcake! And it is good for relieving anxiety (which can be triggered by stress) as well as improving physical health.
Musette, I could so identify with your post. I feel like as we get older we draw in and unfortunately fear makes us withdraw somewhat from life (unless we are very lucky). Yoga, however, helps not just our bodies but our feelings of being connected to life and to others. It makes us more at ease in our own bodies and helps with so many aches and pains. I have done yoga for many years, ever since a serious car wreck in college, and it has helped greatly. Last year, I started studying to get my teaching certification. Unfortunately health issues got in the way, but I hope to continue at some point. I know the yoga classes will help you with more than your aching back. Hang in there. It’s well worth the journey!
Well said, Kandice. I hope you’ll be able to return to teacher training soon. The yoga world needs people with your approach!
Thanks Nina 🙂
I’m learning so much from reading your comments! Fear of falling on the ice is such a common concern that I’ve asked Baxter to write something for the blog about it. He said he would do it, and it will be up on Friday!
Nina, everybody above the Mason-Dixon line will be on the site, reading that one! 😀
xoxoxoA
It’s funny that I’m only 31 and I’m starting to feel some of that. The fact that my left knee pops when I go up the stairs and crunches when I go down the stairs. Don’t get me started on when my neck starts popping. It’s madness I tell you. Since it’s been really cold, I’ve spent a lot of time with Netflix and window shopping. I’m still trying to recover (financially) from Christmas and my stupid oral surgery in November.
31 don’t mean a thang, baby! C’mon over and let’s get to stoppin’ on that poppin! 😀
xoxoxoA
Everyone can benefit from working on strength, flexibility, balance and agility, so if you’re motivated to start yoga, look around for free resources. We have sequences on our blog and you can find lots of yoga books with sequences for practicing at home, but there is also a lot of good stuff on youtube, believe it or not. See: http://yogaforhealthyaging.blogspot.com/2013/12/regaining-stabilityfor-free.html
I will definitely be checking this out as an extension of the PT exercises I’m doing (it’s become impossible to be on the couch without stretching and bending.) A sweet nurse at my ortho’s office had a partial knee replacement the day before I had my full replacement. At week five, she slipped on ice and fell – now she has to have the surgery redone. That experience has put the Fear in me! I’m through with PT but they have a great program where I can go use the equipment & my therapist has made a plan for me to follow. The problem is getting there! I have 5 steep steps and a 120′ sidewalk between the house and garage, then there’s the ice & snow to drive through, plus wearing snow boots with no support …. I move at a snails pace down that dang sidewalk even though my husband keeps it shoveled & salted; when it’s windy, it drifts shut. Slogging to get groceries, the icy parking lot and wet floors, yep, I’m Fearful. The knee has had an infection in the incision since the day after surgery, so I’ve been in a haze of antibiotics, pain killers and Ambre Russe for weeks. Calgon, take me away! Thanks for letting me whine, Posse, and thanks for the links, Musette, those ice cleats look awesome 🙂 May will be here eventually, right?
A, baby – I wear those cleats EVERYWHERE. I wear them to take those 29 terrifying steps to the coop. I wear them the 34 ooching steps to my car (driveway)….I’ll probably wear them until that Mythical May of which you speak……
I had an extra neoprene tablet case…once it stopped stankin’ up the jernt it became the perfect holder for those cleats. Off the boots, they’re less than 1/2″ thick, so they’ll fit into almost anything. I use the case so I don’t have to worry about melting ice/snow. And once you get them stretched onto a boot they settle down and become super-easy to take on and off – I switch them out between my stompin’ snow boots and my Mucks.
xoxoxoA
ps. CRAP on the infection! (not crap IN the infection) SO sorry to hear that! I know that haze well, honey.
It sounds like you’ve been through a lot! And it makes sense to me for you to be careful for now. But maybe you can do some PT and yoga exercises from your home. There may even be a video somewhere you can follow (ask your PT). I actually find lots of good stuff on youtube, but even if you have to spend the money, working on your knee this winter from home will be worth it! And winter will end one day, and you can use both PT and yoga to help return to normal. See: http://yogaforhealthyaging.blogspot.com/2012/12/knee-replacements-and-yoga.html?q=what+you+love
Thanks Nina 🙂 never thought of YouTube
No complaining about the winter here, as I´m reading your blog from the lobby of an open-aired hostel sala in Tulum, Mexico! Yaay!!! Funny though, M, as I was thinking about going to the ¨nice & easy¨ yoga class that I went to 15 years ago when I was pregnant with precious darling drunkard daughter (spent Sunday morning in ambulance/ER/children´s hospital with her, she´s fine now but grounded ad infinitum). Cuz I don´t think it is normal for 40 sumthin to be so sore all the time, right? I should be able to ride a mountain bike 15 km and swim in the ocean without feeling like a cripple all night.
XOXOX
Oh, honeypie! YIKES! on the darling daughter and SO glad to hear she’s going to be okay!!! I hope this is one of those ‘what on earth were you THINKING??’ situations. If so, here’s a funny ‘early drunk’ tale:
I remember the first time I got drunk – I was about 11 yrs old, fascinated with the idea of drinking and my mom decided to let me just get it over with – my bridge-playing family were big alkies (wasn’t everybody, back in the 50s/60s?)…..and my Tia Estella drank screwdrivers. (my mom drank straight Scotch and I was NOT going there)…anyhoo, I thought I would be ‘cool’ and sneak my Tia’s cocktail. I did. Then I sneaked 2 more. And honey – Tia E was HEAVY on the gin! We drove home that night with me in the backseat, head in my mom’s lap, the world spinning ’round, and my papi having to stop every couple of blocks so I could throw up! LOL! Nearly 50 years later, I still get queasy, thinking about that.
But back to you! Come over to their blog, see if there’s something useful for you – there’s Yoga for Blood Pressure, which sounds like something you could use right now! http://yogaforhealthyaging.blogspot.com/2014/01/lowering-your-blood-pressure.html
xoxoxoxoA
Sorry to hear about your daughter! Yes, a nice and easy yoga class will help you get back into shape, and maybe even help with the stress of raising a teenager (I know all about that). Our blog has lots of info about stress management ;).
I’ve been to several yoga classes over the years and have discovered that some of the teachers really aren’t all that attentive. It is possible to get hurt if you’re 55 (like me) and try to follow a super flexible 25 year old teacher in class. So, I started going privately to a teacher who is my age and teaches something called Gentle Yoga. This is more expensive than a large group class so I don’t go weekly, but it is worth it because my balance has improved, my confidence is back!, my tendonitis is no longer a daily occurrence, and I just feel better overall. Aging is certainly a humbling experience, but it doesn’t have to be dangerous. There’s another type I’ve done called Restorative Yoga and it is like cuddling up in your favorite fuzzy blanket. It is all about calming down, chilling out, call it what you will, it is a wonderful way to relax AND get a good, safe stretch. Thank you, Musette and Nina for calling attention to these annoying issues of middle-age, and the ways that we can help ourselves.
Ooh! Martha! Good for you!!!!!
That’s one of the programs they put together for me, the Restorative Yoga, and I LOVE IT! My ‘life’ has conspired to drive me batshit crazy these past 5 or so years…but I don’t have to continue to let that be my reality. The RY really helps center my crazy-assed self and get me to a place where I can stop spinning around! And it feels good, too!
and I’m with you on the Age Factor. Try as they may, young people cannot begin to comprehend what a stiff, older (well, older than them) body is going through. YFHA takes all that into account – they are not expecting us to be limber – they want us to come into it slowly and grow into limberness (which I am dyin’ to refer to as ‘limberation’! LOL!)
xoxoxoA
Yes, it is very important to find the right class and teacher for you. And some teachers are not very well trained. This is one reason why I tend to recommend Iyengar style yoga as they have a very rigorous training program. But also just read through the teacher’s bios to see how much experience they have teaching! Gentle yoga is usually a very good place to start. Restorative yoga is great for stress and improving flexibility. But if you want to work on strength, balance, and coordination, you’ll need to mix it up with some standing poses, etc.
This is just what I need. I’m 52 and have been feeling the creaks and aches of aging (I can hear myself going up and down stairs!), especially since I injured my shoulder last year shoveling snow. And I especially need to increase my flexibility and balance since I’ve decided that, in spite of my ‘advanced’ age, I want to learn to ski. I’ve recently decided that since I can’t beat winter, I might as well learn how to enjoy it.
Excellent! You are gonna love it, I think! And I’m with you – I’ve given up letting Winter get to me (though I refuse to give up bitching about it! LOL! Where’s the fun in that?) The ice cleats, the movement (rather than sitting, rock-solid, afraid to take a deep breath until May….that’s just ridiculous!
xoxoxoA
Lately we’ve been saying that one of the goals of yoga for healthy aging is to be able to continue to do the things you love. And skiing would be one of them! See: http://yogaforhealthyaging.blogspot.com/2013/11/being-able-to-do-what-you-love.html?q=what+you+love
It’s good to hear about the chickens again and to enjoy your open honesty about your life. I’m 64 and have just moved to Winnipeg which is beastly cold. I too have a fear of falling and have been experiencing some of the things that you have.
YFHA, here I come! Slow down Rodney Yee!
Thanks for sharing……I’m looking forward to some changes in my life and body.
Cheers!
Oh, YAY! I’ll see you over there! I think you will be STUNNED at how quickly your body will change for the better. Fear of Falling is one of the most debilitating things I’ve ever experienced and I just got SICK of it! Between the ice cleats and the yoga to regain my balance and movement, the changes in my body and my emotions have been tiny-but-HUGE, if that makes any sense?
xoxoxoA
I hope you’ll find our information helpful! You know, Rodney Yee himself would tell you that the best way to practice at your own pace—which is what he recommends—is to start your own home practice. I know this because I wrote two books with him! Our first book “Yoga: The Poetry of the Body” has some very simple, easy yoga practices for beginners that you can do as slowly as you like!
Oh, Nina. You. Did. Not! oh, drrrrrrooooooooooooool! DISH, gurrrrl,DISH! Is he as HAWT (sorry – something about him channels my inner Paris Hilton) as he looks in his vids? Yah…I know…’unprofessional’ and all that.
But I’ll bet he is..;-)
xoxoxoA
Howdy, sweetie, from one end of the deep freeze to the other! So glad the yoga is working for you — hooray! I’ve always been afraid to try yoga as I am klutzy and as inflexible as the day is long, plus add an iffy neck and a wonky back and leg. Most days I feel lucky to just get around in one piece, ha! Keep up the good work!!
You should definitely check out the program that Nina, Shari and Baxter put together for me (and/or talk to Nina about putting together one for you!). I have ALL of those issues, too, Ann – I am so off-kilter these days that I have been holding on to the grab bar in the shower! They are addressing ALL of that, slowly and carefully. That’s what is so cool about YFHA – they’re not wanting a goober like me to try to do a handstand! LOL!
Here’s a great example, for someone with disk issues http://yogaforhealthyaging.blogspot.com/2014/01/friday-q-what-is-slow-gentle-yoga.html
xoxoA
I know that Baxter (who himself is a very stiff guy) would say that the problems you have are a very reasons you should do yoga. It’s not about how “well” you do it, it’s about the benefits you gain from it, including physical health and peace of mind.
OMGI love this post! A quarter of the way in I was thinking…yoga, and there, you have already arrived!
I am an ex dancer but now even the thought of a pirouette makes me feel disoriented. But yoga has given me more confidence and sure footedness (a word?)
It seems to enhance balance and core strength…and is non competitive. Wherever you are at, you are doing great, Yay for you!!!
and yay for you, too! and yes! surefootedness is a word, dammit! I use it ALL the time (even though it got flagged by spellcheck)
xoxoxoxoA
What a great short summary of some of the benefits of yoga: “It seems to enhance balance and core strength… and is non competitive.” Yes, yoga is great for balance. Even the wide-legged standing poses help improve balance, and there are many ways to tackle the balance poses so you can gradually work up to the full pose.
I dragged my hubby to a yoga class years ago. He went in kicking and screaming and saying yoga was not for men, etc. needless to say he’s been going pretty faithfully at least once a week ever since and it’s the best thing he ever did. It has helped him physically but it’s the mental stuff that really makes a difference too. He’s calmer and he sleeps better. It’s a matter of finding a class you like though. He and I both hate heated classes. I like slower paced ones too. I’m a huge yoga fan. I’m glad you found something that is helping you feel better. Keep it up and don’t put any pressure on yourself with it. Just go at your own pace. I think people try to keep up with the rest of the class and that’s where the problems come from. Some bodies don’t want to bend certain ways. There’s no shame in that. Do what feels good to you. And be careful out there on the frozen tundra.
OMG! If I could get El O to a yoga class…but he’s so competitive that it would probably be counterproductive – that’s what I’m loving about this YFHA concept – it’s designed with creaking,crackling folks in mind and, at least for us (not being in the Bay Area, alas) we can do it in the privacy of our own home. Of course, by ‘we’ I mean ‘me’. El O cannot focus on anything long enough to make it a habit. I wonder if there’s Yoga for ADHD……..
xoxoxoxoA
Glad you changed your husband’s mind. One of the ironies of western men thinking that yoga is for women only is that in India, where it started, it was only in the early 20th century that they started to “let” women do asana. It was Krishnamacharya who finally relented after Indra Devi camped out on his doorstep. When he finished training her, he sent her off in the world to teach, and she spent some time in Hollywood teaching people like Gloria Swanson!
Just followed your links, and this looks very helpful. Thank you!
xoxoxoA
So glad it looks helpful to you! That’s our mission.
My (few) previous experiences with yoga haven’t been encouraging–everything seemed to hurt either my neck or my lower back, although that could be due to my own lack of coordination. If you find something for sinuses, though, I am IN. (The Santa Ana winds make for higher temperatures, but my head is killing me, and everything I touch gives me a shock. I got off the couch the other night and was literally crackling with electricity. I may be becoming an X-man.)
OMG! that would be SO cool! Electrolaurels! I want to be Jean Grey, without all the Crazy.
Nina will be back in awhile (it’s 4:30a where she is) and I’ll have her chat with you. Dr Bell changed up a couple of poses to address some issues for me (stuff he felt might exacerbate my sciatica, for example) – they are not rigid in their poses, which is what is great.
xoxoA
It’s definitely not due to your lack of coordination! In fact, it’s not due to your lack of anything. I’d say you need to find a different style of yoga and/or a different teacher. If you have an Iyengar-style yoga studio or teacher in your area, try one of their intro series or beginning classes. Also, before you start class, tell your teacher about your previous unpleasant experiences.
I’m glad you’re recovering from your back problems. I understand what you say about lacking confidence in your own body. I think I’m feeling the same, although probably not to the extent you are, given the circumstance. I slipped on the ice again (oh, boo hoo!) on the first, and ever since then I feel like a little old man getting on and off the bus or crossing the street… you just can’t be too careful!! And, yes, I hate this weather. I was fortunate to be on vacation when it was 50 below or whatever it was, so didn’t have to leave the house if I didn’t want to, thank you! But it looks like it is not letting up.
I’m also with you on the sinus yoga, as long as it doesn’t involve running knotted ropes through my nostrils. My congestion has been really bad this year.
Nina will be back in a little while to chat with you, if you like – in the meantime, doll, lemmetellya: I got OVER myself with the ice and bought ICE CLEATS. In RED. They are a godsend. They are flat and flexible so you can throw them in a plastic bag and slip them on and off – I don’t go to the bathroom without these things, sweetie.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003XJ7NLO/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I’m going to be looking into the issue of sinuses and congestion relief, though unfortunately yoga does not have a cure for the common cold! And I hate to tell you but the two docs I work with both recommend using a neti pot to rinse with salt water (no knotted ropes, though). This issue of worrying about slipping on the ice is also one that concerns me, and I think I’ll work on that, too. I do think being fit overall (by improving strength, flexibility, balance and agility) helps build confidence. Also going barefoot a lot (in the house obviously) helps keep your feet strong and agile, allowing you to respond better to uneven terrain outside.
Thanks for the advice! I’ve actually tried neti pots and they do seem to help. I just have to keep on a continuous regimen of using them. I got sidetracked and haven’t for several months. I can see what you mean about going barefoot to increase trength, flexibility, balance and agility — I think, even outdoors in better weather, if you go for long stretches without shoes you start to instinctually dodge dangers to your feet, like rocks and glass, without even thinking about it. So I can see how that would help increase confidence in situations like the current weather!
I’m out on the West Coast, but I promise to check back as early as I can tomorrow (and on and off during the day) in case anyone has any questions or just wants to chat!