Kundalini Yoga and Healthy Ageing

(I’m focusing on participants aged 50 plus for my Friday lunchtime classes)

– In Yogic tradition older people are named Forest Dwellers – they retire to live among the trees and become truth seekers and keepers of wisdom.

When I worked in Further Education I sat next to a colleague who’d grown up in Tamil Nadu , Southern India. He was quite a lot younger than me and kept fit by going to the gym but one day came in complaining of lower back pain. He knew I was a yoga fan but still looked a bit shocked when I suggested it might be time for him to consider the practice too. ‘Oh no!’ he said, ‘In India , yoga’s for old people. I’m only 40!’ Well I moved departments soon afterwards and we lost touch which was sad because we’d had a good laugh and lots of interesting discussions. I always think of his comment though.

So while yoga is often seen in Europe and the US as a physical exercise done by young women, in the land of its origin it is understood to bestow all the qualities needed for a healthy old age.

All Yoga makes you strong , it helps maintains muscle mass with exercises that support body weight. Kundalini allows you to develop this strength gradually and at your own pace.

 Yoga promotes flexibility. So many people say’ I can’t do yoga , I’m not flexible enough’.  Well yoga makes you more flexible. You don’t have to pull yourself into a pretzel shape to do yoga. Not even sure that there’s word in Sanskrit for pretzel anyway! Yoga postures are generally  named after animals not baked goods! Regular practice of Kundalini is particularly helpful as all Kundalini postures and exercises are performed within the individual student’s capabilities. No need for comparisons, every body is different.

Kundalini Yoga helps you relax too. It promotes really deep , nourishing rest , something that is so important regardless of age but particularly crucial for older people. A relaxed person has a stronger immune system and ageing can compromise our ability to fight disease.

Everyone could do with more energy. Life is so fast paced, its easy to feel exhausted. Kundalini Yoga with its holistic use of breath synchronised with movement, mantra , meditation and unusual exercise really helps to reduce stress and anxiety. When we don’t spend our bodies’ vital resources on these internal challenges, our vitality is freed up for joyful living.

Then there's mental clarity and focus. So many factors can stop us from feeling as  sharp as we would like but as we move , breathe and meditate , our minds grow new neural connections and we feel refreshed. Recent research indicates that Kundalini Yoga itself can have a protective effect on cognitive health as we age (particularly for women) See this link,

50 is not old of course but it can be a physical milestone . For many women it lands in the middle of perimenopause or menopause itself. The vast majority of people are not forest dwellers (I bet some of them wish they were!), they are still working really hard and if they have families may be caring for children and  elderly parents the same time  Life stresses lodge in the body , producing discomfort pain and sometimes physical and mental illness. Yoga and Kundalini in particular can help release stuck and toxic energies  and help us become lighter and more free in our thoughts and movements.

Yoga is also a spiritual practice of course. . Its origins are entirely spiritual. The physical element only existed to pacify the body so that the mind and spirit could be developed. And should you wish it   Kundalini Yoga can offer profound spiritual experiences. It has given me a greater sense of optimism and connectedness. And a growing understanding that my mind and my body are not separate.

 Below is a testimonial from Teresa who was definitely over 50 when she started attending my Kundalini Zoom classes during the pandemic.

'I am in my eighth decade and was a complete newcomer to yoga when I started Ruth’s classes.

Kundalini yoga, as led by Ruth Fishman, has meant a great deal to me. It has motivated me and kept me going during some of the most stressful of times.

I first started during the lockdown; Ruth's virtual classes were a high point during all those months, and undoubtedly were a major factor in enabling me to keep fit and active, and to cope with separation from family.

Since lockdown I have been able to do more to help my daughter with granddaughter care. Last year I commuted from South to North London to collect my granddaughter from nursery school; this academic year I have, at last, been able to move house and can look after her at the drop of the proverbial bobble hat.  During all this time I have started each morning with yoga, first thing on waking. Doing so has undoubtedly helped to manage my health, mental and physical, during all that commuting and a rather stressful period of selling, buying, and moving.'

Teresa has moved and her routines have changed so she is no longer able to attend the classes but I am thrilled that she has continued to use the video of the Kundalini set that we all practiced for 40 days over 2 years ago. It has become part of her life !