a woman doing yoga — [Image 1] courtesy of Unsplash

As I’ve aged into my late forties, my health has taken some unexpected shifts and I’ve found myself dealing with a number of issues that make traditional workouts difficult.

I started exercising seriously when I was in my mid teens. Feeling good inside and out has always been a bit of an obsession. However, in my early forties, something changed and I had to make adjustments or pay the consequences.

Today, I thought I would share a few of my favorite yoga practices, instructors, and methodologies that have supported me as I’ve learned to cope with the health issues and all of the frustrations of body and soul those issues have created.

Favorite Yoga Practices

Because I am self-motivated and not a member of any particular gym or workout facility, I wouldn’t call myself any kind of yogic connoisseur. Yet, I absolutely love the variety of physical and emotional experiences yoga offers as a discipline. I’m also a creature of habit and comfort, and so when I find something I love, I tend to stick with it.

Kundalini Yoga

In my mid-thirties, for reasons my doctors and I never discovered, I suffered from panic disorder for a number of years and it wreaked havoc on my adrenal system. One of the ways I healed myself naturally from the adrenal fatigue, was yoga, specifically Kundalini Yoga. In fact, for me, it was a godsend.

Kundalini Yoga works on your organs, lungs, and spine. There are hundreds of websites out there that can offer more details on the practice itself. For me, specifically, it was extremely detoxifying and it worked from the inside out, which is exactly what I needed.

I found the religious/spiritual aspect of it interesting, as I always enjoy learning the meaning behind everything. But as I was already a spiritual person and had a religious faith I was devoted to, the additional spiritual practice simply added a layer of interest, rather than replacing what I already had.

However, I find with any spiritual practice, yoga included, truth is truth, and if something works over there, it is bound to work over here.

Every religious/spiritual journey, share overlapping truths, and I find that beautiful and enlightening.

A few favorites:

Yin Yoga

Another favorite is Yin Yoga. Yin is a relaxation and stretching based Yoga practice that has really helped me to limber up and to release the tension in my jaw, abdomen, and spine.

In the last few years, I’ve had to reduce the more physically demanding exercises to the days when it won’t cause my stress hormones to rise abruptly. Yin Yoga has offered some real benefits without the cardio or muscular exertion.

As I’ve practiced Yin, I’ve learned a desperately needed lesson of letting go of perfectionism, and to allow my body to open up when it has relaxed fully.

A few favorites:

Hatha and Vinyasa Yogas

On the days when I need to exert more energy, add in some cardio benefits, and do some strength training, I will find a practice that includes Hatha or Vinyasa.

Vinyasa has a really nice rhythm and Hatha allows me to add in some of my perfectionism back into the mix, holding and really working on getting the shape of the practice right.

A few favorites:

Favorite Instructors

Although I have purchased a number of yoga videos and dvds over the years, because I’m a homebody and prefer practicing alone, at least for now, I’ve come to rely on YouTube for my daily practice. The variety and the price can’t be beat.

I’m pretty particular about the instructors, as the goal is to both meditate and exercise.

The instructor’s voice tonal quality and the attention to detail are both hugely important factors for me. Their voice has to be soothing and their pace has to be mindful. If they move too quickly or treat their yoga practice like other Westernized, intense workouts, they are not for me.

Here are a few of my favorite instrutors from YouTube:

Breathe and Flow

Refeel (Specifically Andrew’s videos)

Laura Van Ree (Playlist)

Each instructor offers something a little different, and I’m always on the lookout for new perspectives, so if you have a favorite, definitely share it below.

Other Yoga practices and instructors

Ana Brett & Ravi Singh have a number of great DVDs. They are specifically Kundalini Yoga, and are only available via purchase. But, I really enjoy their approach and feel they are worth the investment. For Beginners and Beyond is a great place to start.

Shiva Rea is also another prolific Yogic instructor. I love the Yoga Trance Dance DVD. It gets your heart rate up with a lot of your guided own movement. Her DVDs are also very aesthetically pleasing.

Last, but not least, a 90’s classic, Yoga with Linda Arkin. I especially love her Yoga for relaxation and rejuvenation sequence.

Conclusion

Not everyone enjoys the same type of exercise practice. I’ve shared my favorites with friends at times, only to find that we didn’t share the same needs in our routines. Nothing wrong with that. You need to find what works for you.

However, if you, like me, tend to lean into adrenal fatigue, need to emotionally and physically detox, or enjoy slower and sensual, yet effective, forms of exercise, you may benefit from my Yoga favorites.