“The day you start yoga is the day you stop ageing.”

“The day you start yoga is the day you stop ageing.” My ears pricked up as I heard these words faintly drifting through from the radio in my sister-in-law's kitchen. I hadn’t thought about yoga for a good few months now and these words hit a nerve.

It was 2014 and I was heading towards my mid- thirties with my beautiful ten month old daughter at the centre of my universe.

And I was a changed woman. A woman who had gone from dancing in heels for a living to struggling to walking up stairs because of aching joints but as I said, I was heading towards my mid thirties and that’s how your thirties should feel, right? Bloated, achy, soft round the edges, tired. It was okay that my body creaked and ached because there was nothing I could do about it. It was called getting old. But this voice that had decided to float from the kitchen radio, through the chatter of the house, to whisper in my ear, felt like an outstretched hand of help.

Well, this week I turned forty four. Ten years on and I am now a yoga teacher sharing the benefits of having this powerful practice.

The meaning of “The day you start yoga is the day you stop ageing” has changed for me. At first it was about physical strength and flexibility but now as the years have passed my yoga practice has given me a far more wondrous gift - it has changed the way I feel about ageing. Ageing is a privilege and a journey that we must train for. There will be many obstacles on the way but with a yoga practice in your back pocket the journey can be made easier, lighter and brighter.

Thank you for being here. Sending love and kindness,

Laura x