If you’ve reached the magic age of 50 (when life really begins, no matter what anyone says) you may be beginning to notice changes. If you’ve always Crackerjack been athletic, you may find that your old sports don’t fit you as well as they used to; you might even begin to experience injuries and the discomfort and disappointment that goes along with them. Your stamina may be slipping; you might be losing your competitive edge.

For some, these changes signal a bleak future ahead, a future of inevitable decline, of losing the strength and power that once characterized your athleticism. They face a future of dwindling abilities and increasing stiffness; some become so convinced that the game is over for them that they shun even the arena of fitness, preferring to remain on the couch or in the Lazy-Boy, exercising their remote-pushing thumb and little else. Not for them the specter of aerobics class or yoga class, where everyone else will be able to accomplish the moves. Some over fifty have an ingrained idea that they must slow down.

While a person naturally slows down a bit after mid-life, the fact of the matter is that, yes, you do change after 50, and that means it’s time to learn to move smarter, not less. The court-pounding, viciously competitive tennis match can change the structure of the shoulder joint in painful ways. If a person continues pushing themselves, punishing their joints beyond their station in life just so that they can appear to remain young and competitive, they run the risk of injuring their joints more or less permanently, crippling their killer serve forever.

This warning applies to the weekend athlete to a greater degree than the professional athlete, who has dedicated his or her body to intense training. A pro might get more out of the human body than an amateur, but the fact remains that each person’s body ages; it makes sense to fit the exercise to the current abilities and goals in life of the individual.

The Hindus recommend that people begin to study yoga at age 50. This advice takes into account the greater maturity of people of that age, and the presumed ability of these folks to take the time to begin to get acquainted with their bodies and develop their inner wisdom. The emphasis on breathing properly in yoga offers people under stress a direct and powerful tool to turn their stress into relaxation.

Yoga differs from every other exercise in that the aim is not to amass muscle or repetitions, but to become more self-aware, more flexible, and stronger in an organic way, by supporting your own weight. It’s vital to remember that in approaching yoga, your mindset must change, your limitations be acknowledged. Otherwise, injury can result. Even if you’ve been a crackerjack athlete all your life, it’s important to recognize that if something hurts in yoga, back off. Especially when surrounded by young yogis, for whom everything is easy, be true to yourself.