never too late

to begin a yoga practice...

"In the past five years, I have seen some wonderful changes in my body and mind. My daughter calls me 'buff.' My golf game has improved dramatically. I romp freely with my grandchildren. My mental attitude has transformed, from hard-nosed and militaristic to what I think of as a more accepting kind of perfectionism. I find that my zest for life has been renewed.

Five years after I retired from the Air Force and four months before my 60th birthday, I joined a group of collegues at a yoga studio after work. It was a Bikram Yoga class, and my first thought was, 'Vietnam was hot. This is hell.' But I returned the next day, as much because I hated the idea of quitting as because I was intrigued by the ideas expressed by the teacher. I stayed with it and never sweated so much while learning so deeply about myself.

Bikram Yoga was a good start, but I wanted a more inclusive approach. Thus began a search. Vinyasa proved to be interesting and challenging, becaues the flow was like dancing. Power yoga almost killed me, so I left that to the 20-somethings. In Forrest Yoga classes, I discovered a fear of flying (in Handstand, of course). Finally, in Anusara Yoga I found a home. In July, I celebrated my 65th birthday, and I practice with a Level II-III Anusara class, filling in with an almost daily personal practice and classes at a recreation center near my home. I plan to start my teacher training later this year. Today, better aligned and speaking a soft, new language, I tell my friends and collegues that one is never too old to begin a yoga practice." --Len Brady from Oct. issue of Yoga Journal

Namaste'
Leslie

p.s. Love this story--although I must say Power yoga isn't just for 20 somethings! :)