BBC's Dimple Blog: ‘How to stay looking and feeling young’

I always think it is a little controversial to head up any article with the title ‘How to stay looking and feeling young’ because what may work for one person may not work for another and there are also so many conflicting pieces of advice out there. So why am I taking that risk and writing about it? Well, in a nutshell because I am constantly bombarded with that question from old, young, male and female alike.

I am currently 34 years old turning 35 this year which to me sounds ‘old’ but I don’t ‘feel’ old. As for how old do I look I don’t know. I would prefer to be told that I look like a really good 34 year old as opposed to ‘You don’t look a day over 25’ You may think I am being arrogant here which I am not, believe me in both the industries that I work in ‘looking youthful’ is NOT prized. It appears that the more lines, wrinkles and grey hairs you have then the more experienced you must be. In my experience in the world of consulting I have had to be very forthright in my convictions and stand up to CEOs and senior leadership within global companies right from the start with possibly a lot more nouse than my colleagues. At first glance many of them assume that I am the PA and are quite startled when they learn that I am running the assignment or making the pitch. Needless to say as soon as I start delivering and advising my clients the preconceived notions go right out of the window and is replaced by an enjoyment of working with a woman who wants to and does a really good job and usually they remark that they love the fact they I inject colour and style into the equation as well. Now before I get lots of feedback from male consultants I just want to say that this is my experience even now at the age of 34 when it is likely that having spent 12 years in the industry you would be a Partner in a firm or close enough to that. And the same goes for yoga, surely to advise on simple wisdom and technique you need to have lived in India for years on end and renounced life as we know it – whilst having grey hairs to prove it. Well quite frankly in both circumstances I say bollocks! (pardon my language) to that.

You see the only people scared of youth are those that have lost their sparkle and zest for the new. In yoga the ancient scriptures state that you are only ever as old as the ‘flexibility of your spine’ Well if I am continuing to developing my spine’s flexibility each day then surely I’ll never age?! Joking aside, seriously I aim to be into my 90s or even 100s with mobile joints, sparkly eyes and an almighty giggle. I don’t think you have to be of any particular age to succeed, to feel and look good and I’m of the opinion that the extreme increases in cosmetic surgery highlights just how much more insecure we must all be getting placing more emphasis on the external rather than the internal. Personally I believe that my body is just like a rented apartment, here for me to enjoy and look after in this lifetime and that it is the spirit within me that accounts for so much more.

Anyway getting back to the subject on ‘How to stay looking and feeling young’ I’ll start by saying that being kind to yourself and by that I mean not berating yourself at every opportunity, by eating well and eating foods high in alkali content, getting enough sleep, drinking lots of water and surrounding yourself with people you love and care about, doing things you enjoy is probably a good start and probably doesn’t cost much either. Finding the positive in people and situations, being grateful for what you have and finding at least three things to laugh and smile about each day probably takes it up a notch further.

And then there’s YOGA - yes for a lot of you that PROBABLY conjures up images of a yogi on a mat in Lotus Pose chanting Om or doing pretzel shapes. To many of you it may be about what pose can I do? How long can I hold a headstand? You might already be practicing yoga say astanga vinyasa, iyengar, vini, bikram, classical hatha, kundalini, yin, blah blah blah. And you know what? It doesn’t matter because they all do the same thing, the most important thing. The thing that actually does keep you looking and feeling young. It’s the thing that nourishes every little cell, organ, tissue and gland in the physical body, it enables an agile mind and with the direct connection between mind and body, means it helps you keep an agile mind. It’s the thing that in yoga and in life helps to nurture the child-like ‘beginner mind’ so we don’t stop playing, experimenting. Because when we grow old we grow old because we stop playing. It’s the thing that creates a natural ‘face-lift’ reducing oxidative stress which breaks down the skin’s elasticity. It is what shifts your nervous system from sympathetic (adrenalin filled fight/flight response) to the ‘parasympathetic’ where Cortisol (Stress hormone) is reduced from within the bloodstream and the heart rate is slowed down. It is where you go into the healing, relaxing Theta state which heals and repairs the body bringing equilibrium to the mind and emotions.

It’s also the thing that is worth a million times more than the most expensive moisturiser and it is the thing that the majority of people only use 25% of their capacity of because they have forgotten how important it is. That thing is what keeps you and me alive and is the most fundamental aspect of yoga.

That THING is this: THE BREATH

Breathing properly utilises a greater capacity of your lungs. In a one hour yoga session breathing correctly throughout, you are bringing in more oxygen into your body than normal breathing would over a 24 hour period. Seeing as oxygen is what keeps you feeling and looking young then I propose you start with learning to breathe properly. Simple I know not maybe what you were expecting and you may now even be feeling robbed whilst reading this article. It’s the simple things that can sometimes have the most effect so perhaps try yoga to learn to breathe properly on a more regular basis and I promise you – the years will literally drop away from your mind and body. The Breath is what’s behind the real power of YOGA.

And as they say the mammals that breathe the slowest live the longest and I plan on living for a very long time...

………until the next time Namaste Dimple xoxox