Walking around downtown and out on the breakwater to the lighthouse is a popular activity for not only tourists, but locals too. When my daughter and granddaughters visited over Labor Day weekend, they all opted to do this as an activity.
After bingeing on Donut Shop donuts, we, along with a throng of tourists, walked on the breakwater to the lighthouse. As I gazed into the dark waters of Lake Superior while the younger family members scooted on ahead, I realized I hadn’t done this in 10, maybe 15 years. I also realized something else.
My balance is no longer what it once was. And vertigo? Lots of fun when that kicked in. Lucky for me, my son was with us and he helped me in the crucial areas. I made it out and back, something I’ve done almost my whole adult life, except now it was a challenge.
The experience wasn’t only terrifying, it was enlightening.
When I got home, I vowed to get a walking stick and forget the stigma of old people with canes. I need one. I also vowed to start my old but tried and true yoga routine. When had I lost my balance? It certainly hadn’t been when I was doing yoga.
I tried to remember when I last had incorporated yoga into my daily routine, but, as I recounted my last five or maybe 10 years, I realized, it had been a long time. I hauled out my notes from Richard Hittleman’s 28-day yoga exercise plan and dusted off my yoga mat. I did this 20 years ago, no reason I couldn’t do it now.
However, this business of staying in shape does not get easier with age. Not that I thought it would, but I didn’t think it would be as big a challenge as it is.
The nice aspect of this yoga program is that you can do it at home, you don’t need a DVD, and once you learn it, it stays in your head. It takes six weeks or so to learn the three routines, and since I’d done that years ago, I wondered if I would remember but I did. However, it wasn’t all easy peasy, when I tried to stand on my toes and repeat the “Dancer’s Pose” five times, I nearly keeled over. Had to grab a nearby chair.
How had I let this happen? Somewhere in the business of life, I’d forgotten the benefits of yoga. Now I need to find some good memory-improvement exercises.
Leave a Reply