The Myth of Aging and Somatic Yoga Therapy

Part 1: Our Efficient Brain and Bad Habits
contributed by Nancy Nesyto-Freske, RYT

Have you noticed over the last year or 2 (or more) that you don’t feel as flexible or mobile as you once did?  Or, perhaps your shoulders, back, knee (fill in the blank) have gotten tighter or they are painful more often than not?

Many blame age, they assume that as the years add up, things like that are just bound to happen.

What if that weren’t true?  What if that was a myth?  What if that myth was created because no one bothered to really investigate why many people get stiffer or feel achier than they did when they were younger.  Here is a simple explanation of why people get stiffer or experience chronic pain as they age:

• The muscles are controlled entirely by the brain.
• Our brain is efficient and likes automation – example is why once we learn to walk, unless we have some type of trauma, we always know how to walk without even thinking about it.
• Over time, for various reasons, we develop habitual movements and positions (think office worker) – these are automated by the brain because we do them so often.
• Muscles that are held a certain way for long periods of time become habituated, meaning they just move or hold that way.  Remember, efficiency.
• The brain no longer fully releases many of these muscles, so they remain chronically tight. 
• After a period of time, these habitual contractions start to cause pain, or we notice we’re not as flexible or limber as we used to be.
• Yes, time/age plays a part, only because these habits become stronger the more they are repeated.

And, guess what?  Our brains can learn how to release these habitual patterns so pain, stiffness, aches, etc. diminish and are eliminated.  But, it has to be done in a certain way. It cannot be achieved by stretching  or forcing a tight muscle. That will only make the muscle tighter!  If you’ve been “stretching” for years, you might agree that nothing changes.

In our next article, we will look as some specific examples of conditions created by these habits.

This blog series, The Myth of Aging and Somatic Yoga Therapy, is contributed by Nancy Nesyto-Freske, RYT.  Nancy is a Certified Yoga Instructor and Certified Yoga Therapist and a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists. She earned her 200 hour certification with Moksha Yoga in Chicago, and was certified as a Yoga Therapist through Functional Synergy, Calgary, AB, Canada, by Susi Hately, in 2012. She is currently studying with Steven Aronstein at the Somatics Systems Institute in Northampton, MA.
   Nancy became passionate about helping people continue to enjoy the vitality they experienced when they were younger, so they could enjoy their active lifestyle, now and long into their retirement. She feels there is no reason we have to settle for less!