Initiation
If you are noticing age related decline, then your initiation into your later years has begun. It is an invitation to rethink your life. Perhaps this re-think began during the pandemic, as mine did. Being forced to slow down, I realized how tiring it had been to keep my life in constant motion, staying up with the lifestyle a younger me had chosen.
Of the many books on aging, one author is Charles Garfield whose 1980’s book, Peak Performers, taught so many of us go-getters how to emulate the heroes of American business. In his new book, Our Wisdom Years, Growing Older with Joy, Fulfillment, Resilience, and No Regrets, Garfield offers sage advice on accepting the gifts of age. Loosening our grip on what we’ve done, he believes, we can refocus on the truths that issue from our heart.
Legacy
My parents offered me a great model for aging. They took care of themselves, stayed physically active, had fun, and remained positive.
Now in my mid-70’s, I find myself increasingly dedicated to living their legacy – retarding aging, being a role model to others, and retaining independence as long as possible. I want to use my wisdom years to teach body wisdom.
Revisioning the Life Cycle
Russell and I recently watched Life’s Third Age currently airing on KQED spotlighting the work of psychologist and gerontologist Ken Dychtwald, the founder/CEO of Age Wave. The program is based on Ken’s new book What Retirees Want: A Holistic View of Life’s Third Age.
Dychtwald envisions three ages over a lifetime. Our first 30 years of life focuses on “biological development, making friends, identity formation, and seeking a partner. Then, from 30 to 60, we’re occupied with building a family and a productive career. A whole new stage of life is emerging between ages 60 and 90. It’s uncharted territory, but we know for sure that it offers far more than the rest-and-relax retirement of our parents’ and grandparents’ generations.”
“A New Story is Being Born … Are You Ready?”
Another great resource for revisioning aging is George and Sedena Cappannelli’s Ageless Living website, books and programs. The Cappannelli’s co-founded AgeNation “for people who weren’t born yesterday.”
Download their free e-book, Your Keys to Ageless Living and find their Ageless Living series on PBS. The series features authors like Lynne Twist sharing their wisdom on ways to improve health, expand creativity, and create legacies of greater value.
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 Retreat – Discover Ageless Wellbeing, Vitality & Beauty, from the Inside-Out
Dynamic Vitality is in conversation with AgeNation about contributing Body Wisdom programs to their offerings. The first event is a retreat on May 7th & 8th. |
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Match your Health Span to your Age Span
Begin revisioning your future by calculating your life span. The program was developed by professors at the University of Pennsylvania and is based on detailed statistical analysis of NIH-AARP. Based on their statistics, I’ll live into my late 90’s, so I feel a strong incentive to make my health span match my life span.
Live and Age with Dynamic Vitality
Russell and I recently took inventory of our future game plan which includes teaching, a passion of our hearts. We want dynamic vitality in our lives and we want that for you – to live your life to the fullest for many years ahead.We asked ourselves, “What are our Guiding Principles for Enhancing Dynamic Vitality? What foundational skills are the most important for us to teach? What are their benefits? What is our underlying philosophy?” I was thrilled how quickly and easily this list came together reflecting the synthesis of our careers. If you’re already attending DV classes, you’re benefitting from:
Foundational Skills for Dynamic Aging:
- Flexibility: supple joints, aligned posture, efficient biomechanics
- Strength: muscular, skeletal, cardiovascular, pelvic, and core
- Balance: awareness of alignment and surroundings, foot and hip mobility
- Somatic awareness: body, breath, energy, nervous system, proprioceptive
- Functional activities for daily living: standing, sitting, walking, twisting, hinging
Guiding Principles of Movement Education:
- Create a whole body movement experience: link movement, breath, intention
- Enhance body-mind connection: relaxation-response in motion
- Cultivate life-force: mindful movement, meditative, metarobic
- Build self-efficacy: the confidence and competence to express in the world.
Consider attending our classes to learn foundational skills for dynamic aging. Bring someone you love to class.
Happy Trails,
Suki and Russell
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