Leena here. A few months back I heard a great segment on The Current interviewing some local university researchers about their work on ageism. I’ve been mulling over some of their findings ever since.
In the dominant North American cultural context, most people consider it a high compliment to gasp when someone shares that they are 70, and to say “wow, you seem so youthful, I thought you were a decade younger!” Celebrities often gloat, “I just turned 60, but I feel better than I did in my 40s”. On the CBC, the researchers discussed the concept of subjective age, which is the age you feel inside. In their research in North America, having your subjective age be younger than your actual age – for example being 65, but mentally feeling like you’re 45 – has measurable positive health outcomes. This mindset is adaptive in an ageist society that undervalues or even neglects our elders. And conversely, negative attitudes of aging have been shown to cause adverse health outcomes for North Americans.
But, here’s what I really found fascinating: The researchers described that, “It’s not necessarily a bad thing, in terms of your physical health and psychological wellbeing, to feel older. It’s when it’s coupled with negative aging attitudes, that’s when it has the negative consequences” for a person’s health. They described that in societies where there is stronger valuing of elders – as is the case in many Indigenous cultures, Eastern cultures and more collectivist societies – there are not the same positive health outcomes for having your subjective age be younger. In those social systems it can be advantageous to be older, and so maintaining a mindset of “feeling younger” isn’t necessary.
How does this all relate to the yoga industry? In so many ways yoga gets co-opted by capitalism and by our mainstream culture that reveres youthful and thin bodies above harder-won life experience and the wisdom that may come with aging. We see this in studios advertising “yoga for weight loss” and in marketing that promises yoga will help you look and feel younger. As a studio director and someone who believes strongly in physical, mental, emotional and spiritual gifts that yoga and asana can bring to our lives, it’s a fine line to tread.
I cringe whenever I see lofty promises, or when youthfulness is put on a pedestal. But, I do believe that yoga can have tremendous benefits to help us maintain mobility, physical independence, coordination, and mental stability as we go through various seasons of life and age.
As a budding yoga teacher in my 20s, I had a number of students in their 60s. (And it’s an honour that a few of these students still practice with me today!). I learned so much from these folks as together we figured out how to make yoga asana practice useful and relevant to their lives. After a few months of classes, one of them shared how getting down on the floor to play with her young grandkids was feeling less painful and more comfortable since starting yoga. Hearing this brought me so much joy, and since then I’ve always been passionate about sharing yoga with folks in their golden years. Through our YTT programs, I love mentoring older teachers who want to work with their peers. It’s why we’ve developed courses for all ages from Parent & Peanut all the way to Yoga for Dynamic Aging.
Maybe you’ve noticed the mission statement that we share on our home page: We’re here to create a better world with Yoga as our common ground. We lead down-to-earth classes, expert teacher training, and an engaged intergenerational community.
When Emma, Leslie and I were writing it, I was adamant that I wanted the word intergenerational to be included. I want to intentionally and publicly cultivate an anti-ageist community. The “better world” that I’m hoping for is one that deeply values all ages, and that recognizes the special gifts and wisdom that elders bring to our communities. Maybe we can help to shift our culture so that it’s no longer adaptive to have our subjective age be younger than our actual age. Maybe someday I’ll be lucky enough to say, “I’m 75, and I feel and look like I’m 75”, and feel great about that. And, just like it’s been there for me for the past 22 years, I know my yoga practice will be my companion as I journey through that stage of life.
Here’s a link to the CBC segment I mentioned.
With care
Leena
The Branches 
Thank you, Leena. At my tender age of 85, I am well aware of ageism. I have been blessed with good health. I do work at maintaining that, But the intergenerational aspect is very important. Many of my friends have already passed away, and I find myself generally speaking involved with younger people, They inspire me to keep pushing to do the things that I enjoy.
Keep up the good work.