Every spring arrives with our bodies having aged another year. Squatting, lifting, pulling, and all the movements needed for gardening differ from those for winter sports or chores and are always tough for bodies that spend a majority of the waking hours sitting at desks or in cars. The result — spring brings sore and aching muscles and even acute agony. Not a great way to start the vernal celebrations.
Possibly the best garden prep at this time of year for anyone over 35 could be to drop those garden books, magazines and blogs and to move the old body instead. For me that means yoga practice. Now’s the time to strengthen the core, improve flexibility in the hips, stretch those Achilles tendons and breathe deeply into every cell. Since starting yoga ten years ago, my chronically aching back has transformed into a mostly pain-free back. An amazing improvement! Something I never thought possible, especially on the down slope of life.
Every body has different exercise needs and preferences and yoga may not work for all. But with classes so ubiquitous and with so many styles and levels available – if one class or teacher doesn’t appeal, there’s likely to be another that would. Even in my small town I’m lucky enough to have an excellent teacher and I supplement her classes with a wide range of online video classes from Vancouver available through subscription at MyYoga Online.com. When I can’t even get motivated for a short online class, a couple of sun salutation cycles in the morning and a little stretching in the evening before bed, seems to keep the worst of the aches and pains at bay. Like maintenance in the garden, a little effort every day keeps  the body in pretty good condition.
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