It’s such a simple thing; it used to be called The Daily Constitutional because it was known that regular walking was good for restoring health to one’s constitution.
We were reminded of the importance of staying active in a recent article in the SMH Spectrum, “Exercise is the Best Medicine”.
The journalist  lists some of the benefits of regular exercise: reduction of breast cancer mortality rates, lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as colon cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
It would seem a no-brainer and that logic would compel us to get out there walking, doing yoga, swimming, cycling, and going to the gym often, if not every day.
Even if you are not an “exercise type”, for whatever reason – you missed out on positive role models, or you didn’t get the activity gene, or you’ve been just plain slack for a very long time – it is possible to change at any time.
So many students who come to yoga classes for the first time in their middle or senior years are thrilled to discover a regime that helps them unravel the various knots in their bodies,  heal old injuries, and to “youthify”.
Even better when students see that what they’ve learned in class is truly portable, and they can replicate what they’ve embodied in a home practice.
Yoga then becomes The Daily Constitutional and probably a lifelong companion.