The Art Of Radiant Aging 🌸

I’ve dabbled in Ayurveda for years, which is the “sister science” of yoga. After my trip to India in January, where I spent time in the “ayurvedic capital” Kerala, and a recent health scare, I’ve returned to studying Ayurveda with a deep devotion and reverence for its wisdom and healing intelligence.

Ayurveda offers a map for living in harmony with our changing bodies. It reminds us that we don’t have to deplete ourselves with strain or heat - but instead cultivate ojas, the subtle energy of vitality or the nectar of wholeness and integrity.

Ojas is what gives us our radiance, resilience, and juiciness. It’s built through nourishment, loving routines, and living in rhythm with nature.

In midlife, cultivation and protecting our ojas is everything because we are naturally starting to dry out. Our skin loses elasticity, our joints start creaking and our nervous system feels more delicate. This is the influence of vata dosha - airy and light qualities that increase with age.

The antidote to these drier qualities are moisture and nourishment.

For women, one of the most profound changes in midlife is the loss of oestrogen. This hormonal shift impacts our skin, bones, joints, and even our moods. It can sometimes feel like our changing bodies are unfamiliar landscapes. 

When we remember that most of us are beyond 50 years we may have another 30+ years in this body which means whatever we do now is investing in our future selves so we can feel nourished, strong and well.

How we move and how we care for our changing bodies will ensure ease and longevity as we age.  

 Our life and movement practices should nourish not deplete us. 

Gone are the days of punishing diets and movement practices that create intensity and excessive heat in our bodies.

According to Ayurveda, the most beneficial movement practices are;

* Walking in nature 

* Gentle nourishing yoga practices 

* Tai Chi or Qi Gong

* Gentle Strength training with a conscious cooling down at the end

Other ways to stay moist, nourished, and radiant:

* Use body and face oils that soften and replenish - cold pressed sesame oil is awesome.

* Eat foods that ground and restore - mainly vegetarian is ideal as meat is harder to digest.

* Movement that does not deplete us or cause excessive heat.

* Rest and relaxation practices that allow tissues to repair and restore and the mind and nervous system to calm. Restorative Yoga is perfect for this.

The art of radiant aging is an ongoing practice - a blend of nourishment, gentle movement and life affirming practices that invite us to soften and tend to our whole selves -body, mind and spirit - not just for today, but for the decades still to come.

May our practices and choices support the best and fullest expression of our most radiant being.🙏