This blog was started by me, Susan Nelson, RYT200, a yoga enthusiast from Gainesville, Florida. I began taking yoga in 2007, and soon recognized the value of the practice, not only for fitness, but for mindfulness and stress reduction. I have found the practice so helpful at this prime stage of my life, that I became certified to teach, and have continued to learn about and practice this ancient lifestyle.
It was during these years that I noticed women my age were invisible, not only in the yoga community, but generally everywhere.
The first time I noticed this I was at a bar with a much younger friend. She was moving out of town and we were having a farewell outing. When my drink was empty the bartender walked right past me a half dozen times without noticing or offering a refill. However, my cute young friend is down to about a third of her drink and the bartender is all over it. Even still, sitting right next to her, he didn’t ask if I needed a refill of my completely empty glass. I had to flag him down for that.
From there I became aware of the general invisibility of middle aged women. Even though we are at the peak of our personal power, much of society seems geared to younger people, men, and even senior citizens. In yoga, magazine covers, instagram accounts, and general advertising show a startling lack of diversity, not only age diversity but color and body type diversity as well. If your only exposure to yoga is advertising, marketing and social media, you would think yoga to be accessible only to young, white, thin, bendy women who can afford expensive yoga outfits.
Knowing the value of yoga transcends stereotypes of all kinds, I launched Yoga in Your Prime with the goal of making yoga accessible, primarily to women in their 40s and 50s. This is the opportune time to begin and sustain a yoga practice, as it is often a time when kids are more self sufficient and we are comfortable in our careers. We are also learning the value of self care and actually have the time to devote to it.
So welcome to my site. I sincerely hope that this information will encourage you to give yoga a try, and will answer questions about yoga, self care, life style and other issues that will help you make these years your best yet.
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