Laura Venecia Rodriguez describes simple, easy yoga in Episode 079

Today I am interviewing a woman from Charleston, S.C., who found an easy and effective way for people over 50 to remain fit, flexible and feel fantastic.

Laura Venecia Rodriguez has been practicing yoga since she was a teenager. In fact, she wrote a book about it 11 years ago. She said the practice of yoga has exploded over the past 25 years or so, yet some people don’t want to take part in those exercises because of misconceptions regarding what yoga is about.

For example, many people believe they have to be super-flexible in order to do yoga. They’ve seen photos and videos of people who have wrapped themselves into pretzels while doing yoga exercises.

That’s why Laura practices what she calls a simple, gentle version of yoga that is much slower in motion and ideally suited to help people over 50 to remain more flexible as they get older.

Laura described several different types of yoga, even exercises that can be practiced on a chair. The key thing to remember is that people can ease themselves into a daily yoga practice by taking baby steps.

All it requires to get started in anything you want to do is to make a decision to do it. When it becomes a non-negotiable priority, and you make the time to do it, then the commitment becomes a habit.

Although there is no single factor that will guarantee your health after 50, Laura said yoga exercises is just one pillar of a healthy lifestyle. The others are getting good sleep and eating nutrient-dense foods.

Yet the biggest challenge holding seasoned citizens back from shining in their bodies, minds and spirits is their mindset. After a certain age, people make assumptions that they are too old to do something, whether it is exercising or living a life of purpose and impact.

Laura said establishing habits of mindset and movement are the core factors in maintaining youthful energy and vitality as the years go by. With people living much longer than they did 50 years ago, it is very important that we make the most of our lives.

There is still plenty of time to pursue our passions and true calling, even if it’s in a different way as long as it still excites our mind and our heart.

Laura is in the process of creating the Shine After 50 community to help people develop the right mindset and habits to engage their mind, body and spirit.  She will eventually launch a membership community, but right now people can subscribe to her weekly blog to get tips on ways to live a more vibrant lifestyle after 50.

She created a free audio download to help people over 50 to develop a good mindset as well as a free PDF outlining 10 steps to developing a successful yoga practice. Laura is also willing to have a 30-minute chat with people to talk about specific challenges they may be experiencing.

All that is available at www.shineafter50.comhttp://www.shineafter50.com. Laura’s book, “Gentle Yoga After 50,” is available on Amazon and at other bookstores.

That’s all I have for this week’s show. If you’d like help in identifying a purpose for your life or to get help planning your next steps, I’m offering a complimentary brainstorming session to members of the Forward From 50 Facebook community.

For details, connect with me on Facebook or visit www.forwardfrom50.com. I’ll have another inspirational interview on the next episode of the Forward From 50 podcast. Thanks for listening. If you like this show, please consider leaving a review wherever you download the episodes.

If you order Laura’s book using a link above, Forward From 50 may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.