It’s Never Too Early or Too Late
To start yoga. To wake up. To begin again.
To start yoga:
Above is a photo of our son Phoenix at 14 months old practicing yoga. He started his practice in my belly while I was pregnant and practicing daily.
I’ve noticed that when people see little ones practicing yoga, they often comment “Wow, imagine what life would’ve been like if I’d started then…”
So it’s never too early, but it’s never too late, either. Philippe met a 77 year old yogi on a retreat once. He was the healthiest, most vibrant, and most flexible person on the trip. He was a self-proclaimed “late bloomer,” beginning his practice at age 65.
To wake up:
I started waking up at five am about two months ago. For my whole life, I’ve been fascinated by early-wakers. “How DO they do it?” I wondered in awe and with deep respect.
I was a “night owl,” finding it easy to stay up till the wee hours—not wake up in the wee hours.
Then something just clicked awhile back and I made a decision, set an intention, and… set an alarm.
I had been waking up at five over the past weekend anyhow to practice before teaching our Prana teacher training, so I figured it was a good time to start—I had momentum!!
Now just a few months later, I wake with ease—and no alarm—at five, sometimes even four, feeling refreshed, rested, and excited for the new day.
The secret? Practice. That’s all it took. Like anything else, really.
This thing that had fascinated me and scared me a bit for so many years wasn’t so hard after all.
And now it’s my favorite time of day…so quiet, so peaceful, and so full of promise.
To begin again:
So you’ve had “that” moment, “that” day, “that” week, “that” year—whatever. Things have not gone as you’d hoped and planned. You acted out, missed out, lost out, and generally behaved in a way that is not the best representative of you.
Yoga teaches us to see the truth. One truth that I’ve learned through my practice is that it’s never too late to begin again. All it takes is awareness (“this is not working, I want to begin again.”) and intention (“My intention is to have a fresh start right now”).
Sound too simple to be true? Most things do.
August 19th, 2008 at 8:26 am
This is so true!!! I am 46 and I just finished an MBA!!! I am new to yoga also and I sometimes get caught up in regret - wishing I’d started earlier - but what a ridiculous way to live. Time goes by whether you’re enjoying it or not. So do whatever it is you want to do. We laughed at my mother when she took up ballroom dancing at age 65 (she is 73 now) but she is winning competitions against people half her age!
I am actually getting carded these days. I realize it’s because the law is stricter, but I must say, it feels good to get carded when you are 46.
I don’t feel 46. I am beginning to think that age is a meaningless concept. Maybe “linear time” is all an illusion, and we only age because we buy into the illusion? Maybe it’s just a useful heuristic that facilitates our life in this particular universe we’ve created.
I would stop thinking about age altogether if I didn’t love celebrating my birthday so much!
On another note: for anyone working with developing intuition - a really cool practice is setting an “internal alarm” (as Taylor has done). Just determine when you go to bed at night what time you are going to wake up the next day. It really works and is less jarring than an “alarm” which I find interrupts my dreamwork so I can’t take those important lessons from my subconscious into my day.
August 19th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
OK, you have THREE kids and you just started getting up at 5am?! Seriously???!!!
You have been so very lucky!
My little one gets me up before 6am every morning!
But before having my baby I was at your studio taking the 6 am classes.
Now I put my mat down and practice while my daughter watches me. I usually only get in 30 min, and it is not the same as being at a studio, but it is funny to watch her smile at me as I practice. One of these days I’ll get back to class - without engorged boobs, and without baby puke on my clothes.
August 20th, 2008 at 5:23 am
Rock on Elizabeth! I too am still in school and feel so fortunate to have that luxury!
I totally agree about the illusions of time! I still feel as though I am 18, yet with life experience! I gauge time by the growth of my children! Time does fly, but I only see that in relation to what grade we are all going into in the fall. Otherwise I never think about it. I have finally learned not to trip and fall over today worying about yesterday and tomorrow. I take lessons learned from yesterday, and know that how I live today (as in this day), will ensure tomorrow. I feel that the best gift that a parent can give a child is that of balance. And like Taylor, my balance starts in the early AM…that is “my” time. It is the only alone time that I get each day. I love the cool mornings before my husband gets home from his overnight shift, while the house is still quiet with sleep!
August 20th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Taylor-
I have really enjoyed reading your blog that I just discovered recently. This is slightly off topic, but I was just wondering if there are any poses in yoga that would not be good to do while one is trying to conceive? I’ve been doing power yoga for a few years now. Should I be adjusting my practice in any way? I want to continue practicing every day.
Thanks for your advice! and for this great blog!
August 23rd, 2008 at 10:04 am
Go Elizabeth for being carded at “age 46!!”
I put “age 46″ in parentheses because I don’t believe in age.
I feel younger and better every single year.
I am proud to say how old I am–42–because I feel young like a kid and not just at heart!!
The daily Prana Power Yoga and the raw food helps, no doubt.
I am so excited to teach many people about cleansing and nutrition and raw food at our very first PRANA CLEANSE which starts in three weeks–September 12-14.
My husband Philippe and I have learned so much over the last four years of being 100% raw and more recently, about juice fasting and all kinds of cleansing and we want to share the information with as many people as possible–spread the word!!
Elizabeth, I love your quote: “time goes by whether you’re enjoying it or not” and I’d love to use that one day on my quote of the day if you’re ok with it.
I loved the story about your mother and ballroom dancing-what an inspiration.
And yes, setting your “intuitive alarm clock” works so well–it’s the only one I like to use and trust.
Have the best day ever!!
Namaste!!
Taylor
August 23rd, 2008 at 10:14 am
Hi Super-mom Gigi,
Well, I guess I should’ve clarified in my article that a few months ago I began waking up at five am BY CHOICE.
LOL!!
Our first daughter, who is now 10, woke up at five am (or before) for the first four years of her life.
So girl…I’ve paid my dues!!
I was NOT an early morning person then and it was quite an adjustment.
It was just the way she ticked–she was asleep at 6:30pm and awake at 5:00am or sometimes 4:30–no matter if I attempted to put her down later, etc. She was UP girlfriend!!
There was a stretch there that I shudder to recall when she was up at 3:30am…but I’d rather not go there.
Our next two children have different internal clocks and sleep much late–and did from birth.
And now my 10 year old sleeps till 10:00am if she can!!
So now I am able to get up early and have that time to write, practice, and meditate.
I am so glad that you are still getting on your mat, Super-mom Gigi.
And what a gift you are giving your child–watching you practice!!
Planting the seeds, planting the seeds…
And yes, one of these days you WILL be back on your mat at Prana and you will not believe how amazing it will feel and the gratitude you will feel for that practice in the heat and in the Prana community.
I recall my first practice back after Phoenix was born, and I was in sheer heaven.
Have the best day ever!!
Namaste!!
Taylor
August 23rd, 2008 at 10:19 am
Hi Super-mom Chrissy.
Yes, isn’t the early am time when everyone’s asleep (and Dave is still on his shift
the best?
I cherish that time.
This summer while traveling there were several times when we were up late for whatever reason and I woke up “late” (after 6 or 7) and my day just didn’t feel the same. It didn’t flow with the same rhythm and calm.
And I used to be a complete night person!!
So it’s amazing what the universe has in store for us…we never know and it’s lots of fun to watch it unfold.
Have the best day ever!!
Namaste!!
Taylor
August 24th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Taylor, of course, use the quote, I don’t believe in copyright anyway, all wisdom has one source.
I do agree raw food is a big part of looking and feeling young. I can’t - for my own reasons - attach labels to my eating (such as 100% raw) but I do eat mostly raw and my days begin with green juice and I agree it is the most rejuvenative and life-enhancing diet ever. I am very curious to know your experiences with “cleansing” because you seem so vibrant, and healthy, and “normal” and I’ve met people who I think take the whole “cleansing” part of the raw food lifestyle to an extreme - and I guess I do think it’s a bit “disordered.”
I think I have the most unforgiving digestive system on the planet - if I miscombine one meal, I pay for it for 48 hours - so I am super-attentive to the way I eat - I just don’t want it to become more of an issue than it is, which is why I am so hesitant to take it to the 100%. I guess another part of it is fear - I know from experience that the raw diet is not a diet but a lifestyle, and the physical transformation is nothing compared to the spiritual transformation. Everyone I know who is 100% raw (without exception - I’m not talking about people who go back and forth) admits they consume way fewer calories than they used to. And I guess I’m just not ready to place myself in a position physically that I am not prepared for spiritually. I may not eat very much compared to the so-called average American but it’s hard to imagine subsisting on less.
August 25th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Hi Alison,
I’m so glad you are enjoying Super-mom.com.
How did you hear about it?
I always love hearing those stories–how the universe hooks people up with certain things.
As far as practicing Prana Power Yoga when you’re preparing for your little baby to come into your life (i.e. “trying to conceive” but I like to use more positive wording since our words create our reality)…keep it up, girl!!
In my opinion, it’s the best thing you can do–and continue to do once you are pregnant–as long as you’ve been practicing for at least one year in the heat (which you say you have–actually you say a few years).
I am actually quite conservative about this question because we are talking about creating human life and what is more important and miraculous?
I’ve asked newly pregnant women to leave my class because they have practiced less than one year in the heat–and come back for a free class in ten months.
I don’t believe that the heat is bad for a woman trying to conceive and/or a pregnant woman, as long as their body is used to it (i.e. done it for at least one year).
It’s the same principle as: don’t take up running the day you find out you are pregnant. It’s not the time to take up a NEW regime, but rock on with continuing your active lifestyle.
I feel that the Prana Power Yoga practice is ideal for women preparing to be pregnant because it balances everything–your mind, your body, your fears, your hormones, etc. and helps you feel peaceful, confident, and happy.
This is very important when you’re getting ready to be pregnant.
There are no specific poses that I would deter you from doing during this special time in your life…but as always, listen to your body and if something doesn’t feel “right,” don’t do it.
You are the ultimate authority–as always.
Once you are pregnant, you’ll want to modify twists so that they aren’t super deep, not lie on your belly after it’s gotten bigger, not lie on your back once your belly is big enough that lying on your back makes you feel light headed, skip abs all together, and listen to your intuition re. wheel and inversions.
In my first two pregnancies it did not feel right to do wheel or inversions even though most yoga literature says it’s fine.
With my third child, Phoenix, I did both wheel and inversions the entire pregnancy–till the day I delivered. I actually did my full yoga practice the day I had Phoenix–about ten hours after his birth. The hospital staff didn’t know WHAT to do with me.
I hope this is helpful.
Enjoy this journey–it’s a magical one.
And have the best day ever!!
Namaste!!
Taylor
August 25th, 2008 at 10:42 am
Hi Elizabeth,
I agree with you regarding “wisdom.”
You have some great questions about the raw lifestyle.
I like to call it a lifestyle because I don’t like the word diet for what I assume are obvious reasons.
I don’t think any one word has a more negative connotation in many people’s minds (aside from die, which is part of the word).
I can completely relate to your unforgiving digestive system.
In fact, we may be tied for the title–lol!!
But my raw food lifestyle and knowledge about food combining, has completely balanced my digestion and I now feel great all the time.
I am mindful about the order in which I put things into my body, but I do not restrict in any way, shape, or form.
I find restriction awful, and it feels like a prison and my spirit won’t stand for it–in any area of my life.
I’ve learned this over time.
So for me, eating only raw or living food has actually opened me up to even more variety and freedom.
I eat much more variety now than I did when I ate cooked food, and my experience is different than those you’ve spoken to who are 100% raw and say that they consume way fewer calories now that they are 100% raw.
IfI were asked specifically about calories (another word I don’t like and which we don’t allow in the pink house), I would say that I absolutely consume a great deal more calories–and a great deal more fat–than I did when I ate cooked food.
This is a HUGE topic and one that will be covered in depth at our PRANA CLEANSE September 12, 13, and 14th at Prana Newton.
Open your mind for this one, but the thing is, after living on life foods for four years, Philippe and I don’t even believe in calories anymore.
If the calorie theory were correct then we would both not be able to fit through our front door. When I was first raw I consumed 3 to 4 whole avocados a day–and a lot more other “highly caloric” raw foods than that, but the point is, if one were counting calories/fat (which we vehemently do not), our caloric intake was/is off the charts.
I believe in life force in everything–interacting, teaching, writing, connecting, moving, loving, eating, etc–and if there is not life force in something you consume, it’s a very different thing that if there is.
I believe it’s like comparing apples and oranges.
Is this making sense?
As I said, there’s a lot more to say, but in an effort to not write a novel as I have in previous posts :), I’ll just end with saying that I do cleanse in a healthy way and without an become “addicted” or “disordered” and so I absolutely believe it is possible.
We will talk a lot about this at the Prana Cleanse, along with many other things.
I’ve been busy preparing the curriculum and it’s going to rock!!
Please let me know if you have any other questions and think about signing up for the Prana Cleanse. I think you’d love it.
Have the best day ever!!
Namaste!!
Taylor
August 27th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Dear Taylor-
Thank you for your wonderful reply. I really appreciate the time you took to answer my question.
I love the way you said that words make our reality- so I will definitely start adopting your wording “preparing for a baby.” Just like I don’t like when people say: “Oh you are starting a family” because I see my husband, myself and our cat as already being a family. So you’re very right about the importance of wording!
Thanks for all the tips and advice. I’m SOOO glad I can keep going with Prana Yoga cause I depend on it!
I found your website after I discovered your studio in Cambridge- which I absolutely love! I’d been going somewhere else- but was getting bored and not challenged. So I love going to Prana. Unfortunately, I haven’t made it to one of your classes yet but I hope to soon.
Thanks again,
Alison
August 28th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Hi Alison,
You are so welcome.
Always find words that resonate with you/your spirit, and go with those.
We can create anything that we want!!
Sometimes we just say things because they are what everyone says, it’s what we learned when we were little, they are habit, etc.
The more you practice Prana Power Yoga, the more you’ll be awake, aware, and mindful and you’ll start to notice little things like how people say:
“I’m SO BUSY!! CRAZY BUSY!!”
or “I’M OUT OF MY MIND!!”
or “I CAN’T WAIT TO…”
or “I’M SUCH AN IDIOT BECAUSE I…” (said in jest but the Universe doesn’t care if it’s in jest sister!!)
If you really look at what these things are saying, you probably wouldn’t want to create them in your life, which is what we do with our words.
We are powerful manifesters!!
I hope to see you soon in one of my classes and have the best day ever!!
Namaste!!
Taylor
August 28th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Hi again Elizabeth,
Responding to your comment that when you go raw, the physical transformation is nothing compared to the spiritual transformation, I would say that this is most definitely true, but in my opinion–based upon my experience, this is absolutely nothing to fear.
It’s something to be excited about, enjoy, and savor.
It just keeps getting better as you go deeper and “higher.”
Have the best day ever!!
Namaste!!
Taylor