Yoga Reduces Stress and Worries About Aging

Lately I’ve noticed spiky white hairs growing out of the top of my scalp.  All the other hairs lay down nicely, yet these wiry ones have a great desire to stick straight out.  They spout with exuberant pride and I want to pluck them out of embarrassment.  Is this the not-so-subtle reminder that I turn a whopping 52 years of age on Wednesday?  Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness! (Proverbs 16:31) Right??

What’s a birthday worth anyway? Some of my friends groan about another year going by and don’t even want it recognized.  Or they pretend to quit adding years and repeat celebrating the same age of choice year after year.  Perhaps they might consider making a sequel to Groundhog Day called Groundhog Year!  Others, like myself, makes sure everyone around me has the knowledge of my birthday weeks in advance and I plan to celebrate the whole month long!

In chapter 2 of The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren writes that we are not an accident.  “Your birth was no mistake or mishap, and your life is no fluke of nature.  Your parents my have not planned you, but God did.  He was not surprised by your birth.  In fact, he expected it.”  God planned and expected your birth!  What a fantastic reason to jump for joy each year.  His eyes saw me in my Mom’s womb and knit me together for a special reason: to experience true love with the God of the universe. (Psalm 139)

Birthdays are worth throwing a party for yourself regardless of the number of silver threads on your head!

At Frogpose yoga we fully rely on God to enjoy practicing standing poses with torsos folded forward which help combat the effects of aging.  In class you might hear your instructor introduce the pose named Wide Leg Forward Fold.  This one helps set our focus on giving our problems over to God and in the process, reduces stress.  In Fountain of Youth Pose the thyroid is massaged and we notice reduction of grey hairs and wrinkles!  Stress doesn’t only make you look older it also ages your genes but when we join in community on our yoga mats to pray, breath and take physical poses, we experience healing and a renewal of life.
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We would love to have your presence, not presents, this week at our Wednesday noon class at 2900 Valmont F1 and 2nd Tuesday monthly yoga at Red Rocks Church Arvada.

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