18/08/2026
I read something this week thatās stuck with me.
A physiotherapist whoās spent 20+ years working with people over 50 wrote that most of us judge āageing wellā by all the wrong things ā a few more wrinkles, a stiff knee, waking up a bit creaky. But he says none of that actually tells you much. What matters is capacity: not how active you look, but what your body is still capable of when you need it.
He gave seven signs.
Reading through them, I kept thinking: this is yoga.
This is exactly what weāre building on the mat, week after week.
šŖ Getting out of a chair without using your hands ā every time we move through a slow squat or rise out of a seated pose with control, weāre training that leg strength.
š§ Getting down to the floor and back up ā half of what we do in class is getting up and down off the floor. Itās not just flexibility, itās strength, balance and confidence working together.
š¦µ Standing on one leg ā tree pose isnāt just pretty. Itās balance practice, and balance is one of those things that quietly fades unless we ask it to stay.
š¶ Walking at a decent pace ā the strength and mobility we build on the mat is what carries you up the hill without needing to stop.
šļø Carrying something heavy ā real strength, the kind that helps you lift the shopping or a grandchild, comes from functional movement, not just muscle for muscleās sake.
š©¹ Not treating every ache as decline ā this is such a yoga lesson. We learn to notice sensation without panicking over it, to keep moving with discomfort rather than shrinking away from it. Discomfort isnāt always danger.
š Still saying yes ā this might be my favourite one.
Yoga keeps inviting you to try the next variation, hold a little longer, come to a new class, take a new shape. Saying yes on the mat builds the confidence to say yes off it too.
None of this is about looking 30 again.
Itās about keeping enough strength, mobility and confidence to keep living the life you actually want ā the walking holiday, the grandkids on the floor, the garden, the new thing youāve never tried.
Thatās what weāre doing here, one class at a time. šæ
(Couldnāt share the original article as itās behind a paywall, but wanted to share how much it resonated!)
