Aging Without Fear: What Yoga Is Teaching Me for My 80s
- plantinemma
- Aug 18
- 3 min read
This is the 5th article in my series:
If the previous chapter explored the breath, emotional regulation, and embodied presence…
This one looks toward the future: it speaks of longevity, mobility, and learning to trust our bodies over time.
This chapter is a bit shorter than the others, and has a unique format: it’s a letter to my future self — and, indirectly, an invitation to all women, whatever their age, to begin aging with grace, strength… and freedom, starting today.
My dear 80-year-old Emma…
I’m writing to you from the wise old age of 28 and a few months.
You might think it’s a bit early to worry about all this… but you know what? I think about you often.
And in my mind, you’re full of life. Not perfect, no. But free. Independent. At ease in your body and mind. Simply alive.
You remind me of Mamie Cath’ — our maternal grandmother.
At the time I’m writing this, she’s 75: she runs, climbs, laughs out loud, rides her bike, goes to the gym.
I even took her to an aerial yoga class recently… and she did it all! Even the teacher was impressed.
She deeply inspires me. And I hope you’re a little like her.
With genetics, I’m not too worried — but I also know I have a big role to play in how well you age.
I’d love for you to still be exploring, walking long distances, squatting without pain, putting on your shoes without wincing, stretching your arm without tweaking your back.
I want you to get out of a car without help. Climb a few stairs without losing your breath. Or even climb a tree — just for fun.
And all of that, I know it starts… right now 😄
🧘♀️ Yoga as long-term training — for life
That’s why I love Alba’s yoga classes so much, here in Lanzarote.
She always roots the practice in everyday life, with humor and practical intentions.
“Today we’re working on external hip rotation…… so that at 80, we can still step off a curb without limping!”
And suddenly, it all makes sense.
Yoga isn’t about performance.
It’s not about mastering fancy poses.
It’s training for real life.
A way to preserve functional mobility — the kind that lets us move freely, stand upright, walk with ease.
The kind that makes everyday life more fluid.
Yoga also helps me slow down muscle loss, and strengthen the deep muscles we often forget — yet rely on every single day.
🧠 Numerous studies show that regular yoga practice improves balance, coordination, bone density, proprioception… and significantly reduces the risk of falls and loss of autonomy as we age(Gothe et al., 2014; Tiedemann et al., 2013).
🤍 Aging with tenderness (and freedom)
But beyond the body… what I really want is for you to age with gentleness.
With self-compassion.
With the ability to breathe deeply, to feel awe, to slow down, to simply be — fully present.
I want you to be able to thank me for starting early.
Not to stay young.
But to stay free.
Free to walk.
Free to think.
Free to laugh with abandon.
Free to live in your body without pain.
Free to keep loving, creating, and moving as you please.
And if one day you reread this letter…
I hope you’ll be able to smile and say:
“Thank you, Emma.It’s all thanks to you.”
💌 To you, the person reading this
Whether you’re 20, 40, 60, or 80…
You have the right to age with strength, gentleness, and freedom.
You have the right to care for your body — not to control it,
but to inhabit it fully, at every stage of life.
Yoga isn’t about flexibility.
It’s about coming home to yourself, cultivating presence,
and holding a tender gaze on the passing of time.
And if one day you doubt…
Remember: it’s never too early, and never too late,
to begin loving yourself differently 🕊️
If this letter touched you, inspired you, or simply gave you something to think about… then it has already found its place.
Ask yourself: What kind of grandma or grandpa do I want to become?
You can even try writing your own letter to your 80-year-old self — it might help clarify your intentions 😇
Thank you, truly, for reading.
See you soon,
Emma
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