In yoga philosophy, a person’s age is determined by the flexibility of the spine, not the number of years lived.
When I first started practicing yoga poses, I discovered that my spine was highly inflexible. While I am overall quite bendy and able to get into most postures fairly easily, the backbend (also called the wheel) nearly killed me. Every time I attempted to contort my body backwards, I made grunting noises that both amused and distracted my fellow yogis.
I am happy to say that after 9 months of my dedicated Ashtanga yoga practice, I bend back without any noise whatsoever. While I still kind of dread The Wheel, I do actually enjoy it a little bit, which I would never have believed a few months ago.
A flexible spine equals better posture, which is important for overall wellbeing. You don’t see young children hunched over. One of the most aging sights is a hunched back.
Spine flexibility helps us move more gracefully. We feel more confident and empowered when we are standing up straight. The circulation, lymph and energy of the body flow freely to invigorate and energize us.
The spine flexibility that yoga poses offer means better overall health and wellbeing, since the spine (along with the brain) is the center of our physical body
So if you believe the yoga philosophers, you can measure your true age by the elasticity of your spine. According to this theory, I must be at least three years younger than I was a few months ago!

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