Movement and mobility are important for everyone but especially as we start to age. Many of us get into patterns of movement which stress our bodies and eventually begin to cause pain and damage to our joints and muscles. Yoga is a fantastic practice which brings awareness of our bodies and postures in order to help correct these patterns.

At Refresh Yoga Center, Cynthia teaches a semi-private (only seven students at a time) Mindful Movement class on Mondays and Thursdays from 10-11:10am. The class begins in Chair Pose or on your back and slowly works through gentle movements of full mobility from the ankles to the wrists and up through the neck. Once the body has loosened up, she moves her students into standing Warrior postures to bring strength to the body, then into deeper openings fully bringing focus to the body and finishing with the standard Savasana. Knowing not everyone who walks in the door are lifelong yogis, Cynthia makes sure to have options for those who cannot easily get up from the floor.

“Motion is important, but the true benefit to a yoga practice is bringing awareness to the body, truly uncovering what the body needs. Often we don’t notice the ways we get around our mobility issues.” Simple things like using our hands to lift ourselves from chairs instead of letting our legs do the work can limit our strength and mobility over the long term. Working through yoga postures and poses brings our attention back to the body and correcting those patterns.

Of course, prevention is always best, but Cynthia emphasizes that it is never too late to begin a yoga practice. There are hundreds of different environments, classes and foci for people to choose from. Not all will work for everyone, so it’s important to take the time to read class descriptions and try out as many as necessary until you find the right fit for you.

Story by Jeanette Wages

Refresh Yoga • 110 King Street • 2nd Floor • Alexandria, VA 22314 • 571.781.2548